Jamie Oliver: Champion of the People or Fatphobic Mansplainer?

Apr 20, 2010 14:31

I confess, I haven't seen an episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution ( Read more... )

jamie oliver, politics, weight, feminism, tv

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zekejojo April 20 2010, 18:49:36 UTC
I have been watching this, and I have no problem with his goals. As far as I can tell, they are:
1. To have people eat real, fresh food that tastes good.
2. To reduce the health risks of obesity, especially in children.
3. To make high-quality food available in underserved areas.
4. To give children healthy food habits that they will carry into adulthood.
5. To find external sources of money to fund the above efforts.

I have never gotten the impression that he cares about weight but about health. He's appalled that middle schoolers are delevoping diabetes from obesity and fast food. And he's not really mentioning exercise at all. So I haven't seen any indication that he has a problem with "fat lazy people" at all.

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redstapler April 20 2010, 18:56:14 UTC
I'm interested that you and onceupon have such a different view of the show.

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zekejojo April 20 2010, 19:02:50 UTC
I've seen all the episodes that have aired so far, which are about 3 or 4, I think. I really like the show in a lot of ways. I mean, I have the same problem with it that I do with all reality shows.

I believe they picked the town because it was listed as being the fattest town in the fattest country in the world or some such. But once he's there, he focuses on mortality and disease rates, I think--very health-focused.

You should watch it and let me know what you think.

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sinonmybody April 20 2010, 18:57:51 UTC
this is definitely my take on it. I've only seen one episode, but this was what I took away from it. I don't think I heard him mention weight once on the episode I watched, actually. He critiqued one family's use of their fryer at least 2x a day and had them bury it in the backyard, but didn't say anything about them being overweight.

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zekejojo April 20 2010, 19:03:58 UTC
Yeah, I totally get the feeling that the guy doesn't care a lot about appearance (his or anyone else's).

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ladypeculiar April 20 2010, 19:10:01 UTC
I agree with this. I watch the show irregularly, but am a big fan of his previous cooking shows and his efforts in general. I've never really seen him mention weight, and I don't believe he conflates the two. His concentration is on nutritional education, supporting locally grown and sustainable produce, and giving kids the tools to make healthful decisions (and making delicious treats themselves, rather than going to fast-food options).

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