Bluey exercise episode slammed as fatphobic but some mums said it is important to avoid obesity

Diehard Bluey fans have been sorely disappointed by the “toxic” messages in a recent episode about exercise – some claimed they should shut the show down.

The episode opens with Bandit and Chilli jumping on the scale before sighing “aww man” after seeing the number flash on the screen.

Bandit, the father figure in the iconic children’s show, then grabs his stomach before deciding he needs to go outside and work out.

Parents seem split on the episode — some were so uncomfortable they turned it off and others argued conversations about weight should be normalized.

It could have been such a great episode about how your kids don’t stop you from moving your body, but instead it just seems like a story about Bandit’s weight loss and the assumption that he had high blood pressure when he was “fat.” “was,” sighed one mother.

Adding: “With one in five children around the world showing signs of disordered eating, I really expected more.”

Others were equally unimpressed.

“I was so disappointed with this morning’s episode. We really don’t say that sort of thing in front of our daughter and it was disappointing to see it replicated on television,” one mother lamented.

“There are better ways to tell this story than squeezing fat,” said another.

“If you don’t see the problem in the episode, then I’m putting my money on you having the same conversations in front of your kids and thinking it’s a positive thing.” And that’s not it. They hear it in the TV shows they watch, they hear you say it, their friends, etc. It all adds up over time,” said another.

The conversation generated so much warmth from parents that even professionals weighed in.

Father Kyla Ringrose, a pediatric dietitian, said she would like to see the first 30 seconds of the episode changed.

“I don’t want my girls to watch other trusted adults (albeit dogs) express their displeasure with how their bodies look,” she said.

But some parents disagreed, claiming there was nothing wrong with the episode.

“I’m sorry, but all I took from this episode is that Bandit started training to be happier within herself.

“I’m all for body positivity, but at the same time, if you’re not happy, do something about it!” And that’s exactly what he did — and he processed his kids instead of using them as an excuse not to, and then it paid off,” said one mother.

A third added: “Unfortunately I still fall into the trap of sometimes not being happy with my body and thinking I need to exercise more and eat better to look better, but I don’t want my daughter to feel ever feel that way. ‘

She wants her kids to see the episode.

“The overreaction to an episode of a kids show is shocking to me and if that’s the case I’m sure all these people vet many other shows and their episodes and skip them if they aren’t perfect.”

She was not alone.

One mother said the first 30 seconds hardly occurred to her.

“I politely disagree. Scales are only bad if you make them. They can be very helpful, for example in getting the right dosages, measuring growth,” she said.

Another argued that the best thing about the show is how “real” the issues are.

‘But it’s real life. We are not always perfect parents? We make mistakes and say things that maybe we shouldn’t say. It’s the reality,’ she said.

Some disapproved of the idea that the episode was fatphobic.

“I am fat and encounter phobic and embarrassing behavior every day. This wasn’t it,’ she said.

Another woman said that people are “too focused on disordered eating.”

“The number of children who are obese has increased by 47 percent in the last 20 years… no one wants to acknowledge the lifelong medical and social impact of obesity,” she said.

“Weight and weight management should be a normal conversation.”