You don't need technology to see what was then considered "freakishly" obese, today. You can just go to any public place. Technology has nothing to do with it.
I think the point was that people tune in in massive numbers for say Biggest Loser just to play look at the fat guy. Ditto with anything about the enormously obese on random Discovery channel shows. The money comes from advertisements instead of ticket sales but people are still making money by showing us fat people.
At least one implication is that just because people were willing to pay money to see a show that included fat people in 1910 doesn't mean it was actually considered freakish any more than it is today.
