Following the debut of a new "controversial" episode of the Australian children’s series Bluey, viewers have taken to social media to express their opinions on the matter.
As per news.com.au, the iconic series, which first aired in 2018, made a highly-anticipated return to television last week raking in a whopping audience of almost 1.5 million on ABC.
While viewers were initially excited about the re-launch, it seems as though the theme of the episode - which was exercise' - left a sour taste for some.
In the episode, the husband-and-wife duo Bandit and Chilli were seen weighing themselves on bathroom scales, after which Bandit seems displeased, grabbing the excess skin on his stomach. This then becomes the motivator for Bandit to realize he needs to do more exercise, and he even rallies the help of his entire family to do so.
Check out the scene:I mean the storyline is not new, nor is it out of the ordinary as a way of emphasizing the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, however, many were left unimpressed at the show's depiction of Bandit.
"I adore @OfficialBlueyTV & the messages it sends. Except in the latest episode 'Exercise', where weight becomes a trigger for exercise. Watching Bandit stand on scale& squeeze his belly, frowning, sends a msg to kids that fat = bad & exercise = weight loss. V upsetting," wrote one user.
"We watched today's new Bluey episode on catch-up and I tuned out 10 seconds in when Bandit stood on a set of scales because Bluey has a really, really damaging way of portraying food, exercise and being 'healthy'," this person added.
"While I don't watch Bluey, I started weighing & pinching myself in front the mirror & calling myself fat when I was 6 thanks to mishandled education around diet & nutrition by my school teacher so this should definitely be handled carefully," this user wrote, expressing their concern.
"I love #bluey but today's new episode starting with Bandit and Chilli jumping on the scales and being disappointed with their weight, followed by Bandit grabbing the skin on his tummy, was not it."
However, others seemed to enjoy the "controversial" episode.
"Exercise was such a cute episode. One of the cutest of series 3! #Bluey," wrote one user while another had a similar reaction: "Bluey's The Exercise episode was so cute that it made me sobby. #Bluey."
A third added that the outrage was unnecessary: "Imagine tweeting outrage at a children's cartoon, because the Dad grabs his tummy and weighs a bit more than he'd like. Apparently to some it's irresponsible of 'Bluey' to send a message that it's important to maintain a healthy weight, and do exercise. Ok then..."
Others even went on to commend the character's portrayal.
"One thing that I adore about bluey is how bandit is a plus size character and is shown to live a healthy lifestyle, especially since people think that being fat = being unhealthy. You should be able to be comfortable with your own body as long as you’re living a healthy lifestyle," praised this Twitter user.
What do you think?
