IIn theory, a series about how the rest of the world consumes and relates to food should have had plenty of meat on its bones, so to speak, after the many meetings that led to television concepts appearing on screen. But from the funny title you can probably tell that Around the World in 80 Weighs isn’t much of a documentary. It’s a shame, because the era of weight loss television seemed to be behind us. After years of TV shows about what to eat and what not to eat, what your poop should and shouldn’t look like, whether or not you should get liposuction and how to tighten your waist to look thinner, it felt as if this kind of television was over.
But here it is again, reimagined, but not quite enough to completely disguise it. Six “larger-than-life” contestants – the show’s words, not mine – are sent on a 50,000-mile journey around the world, across four continents, where they are tasked with conducting a “fact-finding mission.” The idea is that they will discover how food plays a role in the everyday lives of people who grew up in countries with different attitudes to body image and appetite, compared to the cultural norms of Britain.
In the first episode, the six tourists visit Japan, which has an obesity rate of around 4%, compared to 25% in Britain. (Next week they head to Tonga, where we’re told about 93% of adults are considered overweight.) In Japan, they’re joined by foodie YouTubers Mr and Mrs Eats, as they eat in a more “Japanese Style: multiple smaller dishes, using chopsticks to eat more slowly and consuming around 400 fewer calories each day than the average Brit. There are some diversions to cultural differences: mandatory exercise and waist circumference in the workplace, for example, which resonate surprisingly well with the British. I suspect this would be less popular if it were a legal requirement they had to meet, rather than something new to witness.
It should be noted that the six people taking part in this trip around the world seem kind and open and eager, if not desperate, for something to change in their lives. They share their deepest vulnerabilities, with the camera and with each other. The stories they tell about why they are so unhappy with their bodies are harsh and should illustrate the complexity of the problems they face in their lives. Some, but not all, of the stories here are born of grief and trauma, and anyone with an ounce of compassion should recognize that the idea of a simple fix or a quick fix for something so complicated is a myth.
The problem with Around the World in 80 Weighs is that it tries to spread the idea that a simple solution could be just around the corner, if we can make it entertaining enough. “Can the plus-size pilgrims be shocked enough to lose some pounds?” it asks. A hint of shame is allowed to linger all the time. In Japan they feel stared at and laughed at. They blame themselves for not being able to say no to takeout, or for gaining weight in the first place. “It’s the discipline,” says one woman. “I’m actually too kind to myself.” (Apparently, a completely different program features 24-year-old Tiffany, who says she wants to empower people. She’s strong, she loves fitness, and she completely disagrees with the idea that being overweight equals being unhealthy. a program focused on weight loss isn’t entirely certain, but her voice offers welcome balance.)
I’m not a psychologist, but I do understand that shame is not helpful when it comes to having a healthy relationship with the body. One of the tourists here says that when strangers make her “feel like a second-class citizen” because of her weight, it makes her want to go home and eat a burger. Each episode ends with a collective weigh-in to see if the brief adoption of new habits has led to weight loss. At least for a while, this puts the burden on the collective, rather than the individual. “Did the simple life pay off?” the narrator asks cheerfully.
The psychology of food and nutrition, the economics of food, and the systemic factors surrounding obesity are all complex issues, as are the beauty standards that are marketed to us as ideals every day. The production and sale of unhealthy food is a hugely profitable industry, and it will come as no surprise that the government is unwilling to do anything serious to regulate it. Around the World in 80 Weighs happily wades along, but this is too difficult a subject for such light-hearted TV.
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