I was shocked when I came on here to see people's reviews of this show and found that the ratings have essentially been brigaded by people who hate Lizzo and/or fat Black women loving themselves unapologetically. If competition reality shows aren't for you, that's fine. But writing hateful reviews about the size of the show's cast is shameful behaviour. Yes, this show centres women whose BMI puts them in the 'obese' category. Nowhere (at least, from what I noticed) does the show say that non-fat viewers need to gain weight, or that there are zero health risks associated with being fat.
If you think this show is 'promoting obesity', watch one of the hundreds, if not *thousands* of shows on Amazon Prime where fat people only feature as the butt of fatphobic jokes, or in stereotypical roles (like as nannies). The world is not going to end because of one show where fat people are celebrated.
Anyway, onto the show itself. I didn't have high expectations from a celebrity-fronted reality show, so I was pleasantly surprised by how good this is. Lizzo comes across well and you don't need to be a super-fan to be interested. She seems happy to sit back and let some of her talented contacts go on camera to impart their wisdom about fitness, self love, choreography, and more. The self improvement angle reminds me of Queer Eye, but unlike Queer Eye, this is an extremely female-centred show. I'm not exaggerating when I say that cisgender men practically don't exist in this series. It'll ruffle some people, but as far as I'm concerned, it's a refreshing departure from the norm in TV in that respect! And Lizzo doesn't have time for the stereotype of women as 'catty' and incapable of forging bonds with others that they see as competition. Of course there's drama. It's a reality competition show! But the toxicity is really kept to the minimum compared to other shows that are obvious influences in other ways, such as America's Next Top Model or RuPaul's Drag Race.
If you love to see talented, diverse, and confident women on in the performing arts, you need to see this! Especially if you're dying for some body positive TV since Shrill got cancelled.
