Plus Sized Representation
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Transcript of Plus Sized Representation
● Aside from the obvious (Biggest
Loser, general news views -
which are bad.)
● People connect to characters,
some formulate opinions about
others through the narrative of
other characters.
● Stereotypes - which ones are
harmful? When is talking about
weight a problem?
● Can’t you just be happy with
seeing plus sized women at all?
Overview
Sharon Strelecki - Kath and Kim (1994)
“Fat” Monica (FRIENDS, 1994 - 2004)
● Characterized as gross and disgusting, to the point that other characters view
her with distaste and sympathy.
● Awkward, childish, over eager, “uncool”.
● Uneducated on sex to the point of embarrassment, acts immature about it.
● Her future husband Chandler rejects her, causing her to lose weight and
become ~beautiful~
● Running gag throughout series about how Monica broke various things during
her fat childhood, ate too much or did outrageous things because she was
hungry.
Megan (Bridesmaids, 2012)
● Hypersexual, loud, gruff, blunt, presented as “butch” --
makes advances that are unwanted.
● Has “weird kinks” with food -- sex involving a 6 foot
sandwich
● Her friends treat her with disgust and look mildly repulsed.
● Association with gross bodily fluids, as if fat people can’t
control themselves.
● Presented as the generic dreaded fat woman stereotype.
● Would the same character be made as a thin woman?
Fat Amy (Pitch Perfect, 2012)
● Confident, doesn’t hate her body, never mentions
wanting to lose weight.
● Thinks she’s hot shit, but not in the
confronting/invading on other people’s spaces way.
● BUT - confidence is played up for laughs.
● Says she needs a break from all of her boyfriends -
it’s set up as a joke. Other characters react in
disbelief.
● Comments about how she doesn’t like exercise, most
jokes that she delivers are about her weight.
● This is great if it were catered to other fat women, but
it’s lined up to make skinny people gasp.
Lauren Zizes (Glee, 2009)
● Confident, a badass, top of the wrestling
club but isn’t characterized as butch.
● Knows what she wants and when she
wants it, assertive, self driven and
doesn’t hate her body.
● Ropes in a traditionally attractive dude
on her own terms and keeps him
dangling in case she’s interested.
● Motivated into joining Glee club/dating
by being bribed with food.
What’s being said?
From the descriptions given of those
characters, what do you think about plus
sized women?
Do you think people believe that those
characters represent all plus sized women?
Donna (Parks and Rec, 2009 - 2011)
● Confident, hilarious, doesn’t make her
weight part of the punchline.
● Has a tight private life in which she keeps
several men on a roster.
● Open about her sexuality but not blunt
about it, isn’t presented as immature or
blunt.
● While she’s open about sexuality, she’s
picky about who she sees.
● While this representation is positive, would
such a sexual character be made if she
weren’t overweight and black?
● Hates herself and her weight but deals with self
reflection through therapy alongside mental illness.
● Show addresses her warped perception of herself, that
she can be beautiful without losing weight and that
she’s more than her size.
● Sexuality is not the butt of a joke, just part of monologue
as a teenage girl.
● Presented as a kind, sympathetic and fun character,
creates honest discourse about being overweight
without stereotypes.
Rae (My Mad Fat Diary, 2013 -
present)
So Why Does It Matter?
Othering consists in “objectification of another
person or group” or “creating the other”, which
puts aside and ignores the complexity and
subjectivity of the individual (Abdallah-Pretceille
2006)
“Turning a human being into a thing is
almost always the first step in justifying
violence against that person.”
- Dr. Jean Kilbourne, Study Guides Media Education Foundation 1.
Who is the “other”?
Female undergraduates were randomly exposed to
pictures from magazines containing either ultra-thin
models, average sized models or no models. Results
indicated that exposure to the thin-ideal produced
depression, stress, guilt, shame insecurity and body
dissatisfaction. -Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, Vol. 13, No. 3, 1994, pp 288-308 - Arizona State University
DiscussionDo you think there should be more representation of plus sized/fat
people in the media? Why/Why not?
References
References:
Abdallah‐Pretceille, M. (2006). Interculturalism as a paradigm for thinking about diversity.Intercultural Education, 17(5),
475-483. doi:10.1080/14675980601065764
Bridesmaids. (2011).
FRIENDS. (1994).
Glee. (2009).
Killing Us Softly. (1979).
My Mad Fat Diary. (2013).
National Eating Disorders Collaboration,. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.nedc.com.au/eating-disorders-in-australia
Parks and Recreation. (2009).
Pitch Perfect. (2013).
Stice, E., & Shaw, H. (1994). Adverse Effects of the Media Portrayed Thin-Ideal on Women and Linkages to Bulimic
Symptomatology. Journal Of Social And Clinical Psychology, 13(3), 288-308. doi:10.1521/jscp.1994.13.3.288