That’s Overweight...

By Lauren Belcher
Weekly Blog
Word Count: 345 words

I am not one to stick to a routine and my least likely routine: regular exercise. This is why I’m slightly apprehensive about my newest attempt: Wii Fit.

I stepped on the Wii balance board. While the program was “measuring” me, I did not know I was in for a full analysis of my body.

While the board measures you, it tracks changes in your center of balance. After telling me that I am completely off-balance, a new screen popped up. This screen had my mii, a character I created to represent me, next to a chart that read, “Underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese.” Then, before I knew it, the chart shoots up to the overweight section and the Wii says “That’s overweight.” Thank you, Wii. How would I have found out that I was overweight if it weren’t for you?


To make this worse, the program takes your BMI and calculated weight and adjusts your mii character accordingly. All of the sudden, my average-sized mii turned into a plump mii with a tire around her waist. This is definitely not a representation of my figure and I was highly insulted. Luckily for me, I can use this insult as fuel to continue working out. But, some people may not be as thick-skinned, especially when the Wii presents your fit age.

Why is it that a program that is specifically designed for weight loss is so insensitive to weight? It seems counterproductive to be so blatant about a person’s weight. Is it not bad enough that we get judged for our appearance in the outside world? Do we really need a gaming system to do it while we’re most vulnerable?

This speaks to the fact that machines are becoming more and more prominent in our lifestyles. Perhaps they should not be used for exercising purposes. Maybe we need the human element while working out. The digital trainers that Wii Fit provides can not do this for us. Maybe this is a reminder that despite its purpose, Wii Fit is still just a video game.

Image from Google Images

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Blog Title: Consciously Aware
Theme: Posts that make you think...