There was a formula to early 2000s British television that someone, somewhere, had clearly decided was acceptable. Take a sensitive subject— weight, eating disorders, bodies— strip out any nuance, add a medical-sounding title, and film people being humiliated for an hour. Throw in a doctor for credibility. Call it health education. That is how we got Supersize vs Superskinny.

In the early 2000s, America’s Next Top Model sold itself as an inside look at “the industry”. What it really shipped, week after week, was a rulebook about bodies, delivered with better lighting and a judging panel. The rule wasn’t subtle. Thinness wasn’t a background detail. It was treated like the entry requirement, the performance metric, and the punchline, all at once.