Why are there so Many Weight-Related Stories in the Media?

It seems that you can't go for a day without coming across a story about obesity, how to lose weight, weight-loss successes and failures, as well as stories concerning other weight-related issues. Has the issue of weight always been this prevalent in the media? It certainly seems that weight has become an issue to preoccupy the minds of newspaper editors, television programme commissioners and anyone else involved in the media. Nowadays, there is news 24/7, which you can catch on television and online, so something has to fill the time! Plus, there is an obsession with celebrity culture, which clearly feeds into the way people perceive themselves, including their appearance and, thus, size.

It is evident that there is a market for weight-related stories, as otherwise news sites would stop publishing them and documentaries about weight would no longer be made. However, as it stands, when you're constantly told how fat society is getting and how being fat is bad for your health and overall well-being, of course you're going to start looking at your own weight and wondering whether you should do something to lose a few pounds. You're constantly shown pictures of what you 'should' look like and told how much you 'should' weigh and alongside this you're shown advertisements for fitness DVDs and diet books.

Weight is often a topic for discussion amongst friends and relatives. When you're with friends you can find yourself talking about which diet you're on and how you really need to lose weight. Even if you and your friends are all slim, you can end up talking about all the foods you can and can't eat and how much exercise you have to do to keep the weight off. It can almost become competitive - who restricts themselves the most? Who does the most exercise?

Then, there are all those celebrities who gain and lose weight all the time. They're a good topic for discussion and it's always interesting to look at pictures of their 'transformation.' Of course, with photoshop and other various editing processes, you never know how 'real' the images you are looking at actually are. Even when celebrities are stick-thin, weight will be shaved from their thighs or hips, depending on the look the magazine or newspaper editor wants.

There is so little emphasis on health when it comes to weight-related stories in the media, unless it involves gastric bypass surgery, because this leads to dramatic weight loss, so that the audience can see how much difference losing weight makes. Sometimes, the dangers of surgery are mentioned, but usually you're drawn in by how amazing the individuals look after extensive weight loss.

Clearly, the main reason why there are so many weight-related stories in the media is because people are interested in the issue of weight, although you could say the media helps to create this interest by highlighting the issue of obesity in society and the health and emotional problems associated with being overweight. There is a lot of money within the diet and weight-loss industry - there are thousands of diet and exercise plans which if followed can supposedly help you gain control of your weight; as well as supplements and products which if consumed can apparently solve your weight problem. Even if your weight isn't really a problem, you can be led to think it is, thus encouraging you to take steps to lose weight, even when you don't need to.