Health and fitness expert Michelle Bridges, who rose to fame for being a coach on the Australian version of The Biggest Loser, has said that the show wouldn’t work today.
During a body positivity segment on The Project, Sarah Harris interviewed Michelle along with April Hèléne-Horton, body positivity activist, Mark Mariano, body positivity advocate, and Dr Ramy Bishay, specialist endocrinologist.
WATCH: Shannan Ponton’s heated encounter with Michelle Bridges
And when Sarah asked, “Who’s to blame for the idea larger bodies are bad?,” April began listing:
“Mainstream media, fashion, doctors who don’t want to see fat patients, social media that normalises being fatphobic, that glorifies the idea of thinness over health…”
At this point, Michelle interjected and asked, “Would you put the fitness industry in that same category?”
“Yeah, I would. And I’ll be really honest and say, I was somewhat nervous coming here today to see you, because I would genuinely say that the show The Biggest Loser was one of the most traumatic things that ever happened to me,” April replied.
Michelle then said, “Yeah, I hear you. I absolutely hear you. And going on a show like that back in the day, I really had to dig deep and question my morals around why I am in the health industry and why I’m in the fitness industry.”
“Now, having talked to you and heard everything that you’ve just said about how you feel about yourself, [I realise] you, like me, are somebody who struggled against the idea that you need to be perfect,” April responded, referencing an earlier moment in the interview when, after being asked if she ever struggled with her body image, Michelle said:
WATCH: Michelle Bridges works out while in isolation
“Yeah, I think like most young girls, boys too, you look in the mirror and think, ‘I don’t stack up to what I’m supposed to look like… I’m not the fittest or the strongest or the prettiest girl in school and what can I do about that?’”
However, April continued to slam The Biggest Loser and said, “But the edit [on The Biggest Loser], ‘cause you know, television, still made me feel like someone who had the same values as you [Michelle] was someone who would make me feel shame.”
“When I look back on it, 17 years ago, it was a totally different culture back then. I don’t think that show would work today. In fact, I know it wouldn’t,” Michelle replied.
