Many may have tuned into or heard about the season finale of NBC reality show The Biggest Loser Tuesday. Winner Rachel Frederickson, a 24-year-old former athlete, dropped from 260 pounds to a mere 105. She lost a total of 155 pounds, a staggering 60 percent of her body weight. The winner is selected according to percent body weight lost, making Rachel the clear winner of the $250,000 grand prize.
But not everyone was impressed with the outcome of the finale. Rachel's thin frame had people tweeting all sorts of things about how "concerned" and "disturbed" they were, with many using the hashtag #anorexia. Several disgruntled fans tweeted that NBC should revoke the title from any contestant who dips below the healthy BMI range. At 5 feet 4 inches tall, Rachel has a BMI of 18, which is considered underweight.
The show's trainers, Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper, also appeared shocked by the transformation. This picture of their expressions as Rachel took the stage was all over Twitter after the live finale:
The Biggest Loser is a show whose entire goal is for overweight people to shed pounds. Most contestants received nothing but teary hugs and congratulations after their hard work landed them at a healthy weight. But Rachel was met with a wave of criticism for taking her weight loss "too far." Social media has opened up a whole new world for scrutiny and judgment that can instantly transform a winner into the actual biggest loser. While it is undoubtedly important to promote healthy forms of weight loss, I think people should step back a moment before taking to Twitter and shouting "anorexia!" At her original weight, Rachel was dealing with some major body image issues, and she probably still is. While it's important to promote healthy and active lifestyles, I think it's even more important to consider how social media exacerbates body issues in the first place. Throwing Rachel into the Twitter lion's den isn't going to do her any good.
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