Marc-Olivier Fogiel criticized for his remarks on Anne-Élisabeth Lemoine's weight live

In the middle of a broadcast, Anne-Élisabeth Lemoine perhaps did not expect to have to reframe a former colleague. On the set of C à vous, from Wednesday September 2, she had to face the remarks of Marc-Olivier Fogiel, invited with Céline Landreau to talk about the RTL morning news that they embody.

Barely installed on set, he stares at the presenter, whose career he launched. Then he interrupts and says: “You’ve lost weight, haven’t you? ". Laconic response from the person concerned: “No”. Fogiel insists: “Well yes! ". Anne-Élisabeth Lemoine tries to continue her interview and tackle “the substantive issues”, but he does not let go. “You’ve lost weight, it’s striking! “, he exclaims, before being reprimanded by his now teammate, Céline Landreau.

“We believe it is a complement”

This sequence raises the question of compliments on weight loss. Even if these remarks are intended to be kind, particularly in the context of a friendly relationship, such as those between Marc-Olivier Fogiel and Anne-Elisabeth Lemoine during their professional lives, they can have harmful consequences for the person who receives them. Even more so, in this case, when they are addressed on a television set. “It’s a societal distortion, we believe it’s a supplement,” analyzes psychologist Karen Demange, a specialist in eating disorders (TCA).

However, she reminds us, “weight loss is something visible, but the causes are not”. While we can seek to lose weight voluntarily, it is sometimes also the result of “suffering”, such as illness, bereavement, addiction or dietary restrictions. The psychologist takes as an example the case of the influencer Lena Situations, who admitted a few months ago to having received a lot of compliments for her weight loss, without anyone worrying about the reasons.

Remarks about a person's physique (especially their weight), even if they are intended to be positive, can easily be disturbing, recalls Karen Demange. “There is a sort of break-in, we are dispossessed [of our body], she explains. From the personal, we move on to something that can be public, even though we didn't ask for anything. » Especially since if this remark compliments weight loss, “it reinforces the idea that being thin is being desirable,” adds the psychologist. In some cases, this type of comment “can unintentionally aggravate a dietary restriction, an ED, or even hinder recovery.”

“Diktat of thinness”

What if we simply refrained from making comments about a person's weight, even to please them? The question should not even arise for Crystal, an activist within Gras politique, a feminist collective fighting against fatphobia. “Commenting on a person’s body, whatever its appearance, is problematic,” she believes.

Because unconsciously, Marc-Olivier Fogiel's comment is heavy with innuendo: “If the thin version of a person is celebrated, it is because their less thin version was not a version to be valued,” points out Crystal.

For her, the fact that this comment was made to Anne-Élisabeth Lemoine, a woman, “is not insignificant”. The activist sees it as yet another example of “social pressure and a diktat of thinness” which particularly weighs on women. “The control of a woman’s body is a very old social story,” she finally explains. And the diet is a tool. »