The Mental Health Impact of Reality TV’s Lack of Body Diversity

If I had to watch only one genre for the rest of my life, it’d be reality TV. There’s nothing greater than a trashy reality show. I’m talking scandals, cheating, lying—you know, all the voyeuristic drama I’d want to watch but never experience in real life. 

“The Bachelor.” ”Love Island USA.” “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.” “Real Housewives.” It’s escapism at its finest, jaw-dropping, attention-grabbing, mindless forms of entertainment that I can’t stop watching. But as much as I love streaming these shows, I can’t help but get upset at how unrealistic they are. And sure, marrying someone you met through a pod isn’t something your everyday person is doing, but you know what is? Living in a plus-sized body. 

Recent studies show that the average American woman is between a size 16 and a size 18. The average American man falls somewhere along the same lines. But most reality TV shows portray thin bodies—sizes 0 to 4. Even my body type, a size 6, is rarely seen and the few times it is, it’s considered plus size. (Fun fact: a size 6 is not plus-sized). 

We know how important representation is, especially in the media. While traditional television and film have slightly improved their body diversity representation, reality TV remains in its infancy. When your average viewer doesn’t see themselves falling in love, getting married, or obtaining wealth, what does that say about them—and people with their bodies? 

Lack of Body Diversity in Reality TV

There are many subgenres in the reality TV sphere. You have the ‘finding love’ shows like “The Bachelor” and “Married at First Sight,” competition series like “The Voice” and “Survivor” and then everyone’s favorite: the dramas.

Most of the stars from these shows are straight-sized. Has there been a plus-sized contestant on “The Bachelor,” “Survivor,” or other popular reality TV shows? Of course, but not nearly enough as there should be for accurate representation. The few reality shows with a predominantly plus-sized cast are often centered on stereotypes, caricatures, and weight loss (think “My 600-Lb Life” and “The Biggest Losers”).

OK, But Why Does Plus-Size Representation Matter?

Seeing yourself represented on-screen helps with self-esteem, confidence, and a sense of belonging. “We are bombarded with messages coming from everywhere and we internalize those messages,” Rachel Goldman, PhD, a licensed psychologist, explains. “If individuals see people who look like them, or act like them, they can relate more to the individual, or the character, and feel a sense of belonging.” 

Sarah Chiwaya, an avid reality TV watcher and plus-sized fashion blogger, notes that the lack of plus-size representation on TV can reinforce negative stereotypes around larger bodies, particularly that skinnier sizes are only worthy of love. 

“It reinforces this idea that your body is only good, desirable, and beautiful if it’s small, and for a lot of people, that contributes to disordered eating, self-hatred, and body dysphoria and things like that,” she says. “If you’re a size 16 watching the show and someone who’s a size 8 is being treated like the fat girl who’s just too big for love, who’s totally going to be eliminated on the first night, that can be harmful to your own self-image and how you relate to your body.” 

Otherness, Stigmas, and Discrimination

Society is full of different races, genders, features, hair textures, and so on. But if the TV landscape doesn’t reflect that, it can make one feel isolated, especially if they live in a homogenous community where they look different. 

Feeling othered has psychological effects, too. One study found that weight stigma and body discrimination increase the risk factors for depression, low self-esteem, and lower body satisfaction. Another study reported similar results, noting that perceived weight discrimination was associated with diagnoses of mood and anxiety-related disorders.

Representation Teaches Empathy & Understanding

Not only does representation make us feel better about ourselves, but it also helps others understand that there’s no such thing as a “normal” or a “standard” body shape/type.  Dr. Goldman explains that we learn empathy and understanding through the media messages we take in. Watching positive, diverse, and accurate representations of different body sizes can destigmatize preconceived notions about body homogeneity including the idea that there is a “right” size.

“Being consistently confronted with this [anti-body diversity] message can teach someone in a larger body that they are disgusting and wrong—which, of course, can lead to anything from lower self-esteem to self-hatred to diagnosable mental health issues like depression and anxiety,” notes Owens.

Body Issues and Eating Disorders

Can you develop an eating disorder from just watching reality TV? Not necessarily, but you can feel a pressure to lose weight or adhere to a specific body size, which may cause disordered eating or body dysmorphia, Owens says. “Not everyone who compares themselves negatively to who they see on TV will develop an eating disorder, [but] most eating disorders occur in young women, [an audience group] this kind of content is specifically targeting,” she says.

“For instance, individuals want to look like their favorite influencers or other celebrities, and sometimes they will do anything they can to make themselves look like that, even if it is participating in unhealthy behaviors, such as disordered eating behaviors,” she says.

Examples of Body Diversity in Reality TV

It’s hard to find, but some good reality TV media representations of diverse bodies do exist. One of them is Lifetime’s 2015 show, “Big Women: Big Love,” which aired for one season and focused on a group of plus-sized women searching for love. Unlike other shows with a majority plus-sized cast, “Big Women: Big Love” didn’t focus on weight loss or other anti-plus-sized messaging, says Sabrina Servance, a former cast member.

“It was so nice to be able to just completely be myself and not feel like I had to ‘perform’ or put on a character,” she adds. “Since it was about dating and being plus-sized, I also was happy that it wasn’t weight loss-focused. I stayed true to myself and I’ve been told that’s pretty rare for a reality show.”

Servance says “The Circle” is another reality show that presents plus-size people authentically, noting that the series “shows the struggle and the nuances that come with being a human being in our current society.” Chiwaya lists “RuPaul’s Drag Race” as one of the only shows to feature bigger bodies, but she also warns that though there are plus-size contestants, they have a bigger challenge than their straight-size counterparts.

There are other shows like “The Circle” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” that have plus-sized contestants where their body and size aren’t incidental. Notable examples include Alexa Lemieux from season two of “Love is Blind” and Amber Riley from “Dancing With the Stars.”

How Reality TV Can Become More Body Diverse

Ultimately, there’s just not enough body diversity in reality television. So, how do we get more? Well, it starts with production and casting. “I think this is because the writers, directors, producers, etc. don’t think it’s what the general public wants to see,” Dr. Goldman says.

Servance agrees, adding that “networks need to let go of their archaic casting choices. We want to be seen! It won’t hurt to change the narrative around how these shows are cast.”

It’s not enough to just cast plus-size people on reality TV. Networks also need to create environments where larger bodies don’t feel ostracized and bothered.

There are too many reality TV shows where the only plus-size person feels isolated and unattractive in their body. Casting more plus-size people is just one step towards making reality TV more diverse.

Bottom Line

Representation is important, and unfortunately, reality television has failed to accurately and positively depict body diversity. And seeing yourself negatively depicted on-screen—or, in worst cases, not at all—affects your mental health and well-being. “Being represented in the media can sometimes seem like the world’s way of saying, ‘We see you and we appreciate you!’ And who doesn’t want to hear that?” Owens adds.

Body diversity in reality TV also helps audiences unlearn preconceived thoughts about weight and body shame. It shows viewers that there’s nothing wrong with being a larger size and that you are not unworthy or unlovable for being bigger.

“Seeing more body diversity can break weight stigma and body shaming,” Dr. Goldman explains. And breaking the stigma of being plus-sized has so many mental benefits for both plus-size people and non. It says that everyone is deserving of space and love, no matter their weight or body size, which, according to Owens, “increases your self-esteem and changes the way you occupy space in the world—with confidence and self-respect.”

There’s no reason why we don’t see larger bodies on screen. Just like race, gender, and sexuality, body diversity is needed, too.