While the past couple of years have seen marginally more diversity on both the small and big screen, it's still slow progress. Plus-size men are seemingly a TV and movie mainstay, while plus-size women are still far and few between. When they ARE cast, however, they're usually typecast as a sidekick, which isn't exactly the representation people want to see.
One Twitter user perfectly encapsulated all the stereotypes plus-size female characters fall into on TV, and it's pretty damning.
@NerdAboutTown, aka Stephanie Yeboah, listed off the stereotypes in a Twitter thread.
If you're fat in TV/movie you're either:
— Stephanie Yeboah (@NerdAboutTown) March 9, 2018
- deeply unhappy about how you look and unhappy in love
- the outgoing, bubbly, sassy sidekick who makes her weight the butt of every joke
- someone's lazy, abusive mother
- a loud, over the top, airport security attendant
According to Yeboah, all plus-size characters on TV are either "deeply unhappy about how [they] look and unhappy in love," a sidekick, an abusive and lazy mother, or an over-the-top airport security worker.
Yeboah also brought up that plus-size characters are usually brought on to be the comedic relief and are often just thin people in a fatsuit.
It seems that the only way to be acceptable on TV as a fat person is to be funny. Whether it's through wearing a fatsuit, or being fat and always being the 'comedic relief', because you know, fat people can't be multi-dimensional.????
— Stephanie Yeboah (@NerdAboutTown) March 9, 2018
Weight is always brought up as comedy.
Characters in films/tv shows can't just be fat or plus-size, it has to be mentioned, talked about or jokes must come from at their expense. Sick of it tbh. I realise I'm going off on a tangent, but whatevs.
— Stephanie Yeboah (@NerdAboutTown) March 9, 2018
It's usually a punchline.
Even with Rebel/Melissa McCarthy, their sizes, though the punchline to LOADS of jokes, is of less consequence because they can 'make us laugh'. This trope of the ‘Fat Comic Relief’ is the only way that fat women can seem to get any sort of meaningful role on TV.
— Stephanie Yeboah (@NerdAboutTown) March 9, 2018
It gets even worse if you're a plus-size Black woman.
Don't even get me started on how black fat women are portrayed on tv.????????????????????????
— Stephanie Yeboah (@NerdAboutTown) March 9, 2018
Sigh.
I feel like cinema has yet to break the mould on casting fat actors and creating fat characters that aren’t seen as lazy slobs who exist to serve as punchlines for the skinny protagonists.
— Stephanie Yeboah (@NerdAboutTown) March 9, 2018
She also called out "This is Us."
I haven't watched a lot of 'This is Us', but even with that, they make most of her storyline revolve about her weight and how 'unhappy' she is. Can she not just be a normal character like everyone else on the show??
— Stephanie Yeboah (@NerdAboutTown) March 9, 2018
Twitter agreed with Yeboah's scathing sentiment.
And don’t forget, they are ALWAYS on a diet. ????
— Marcelina (@maxi88) March 9, 2018
Some disagreed with her point about "This is Us," but others do see the flaws in Chrissy Metz's character.
Yes!!! This is my biggest problem with #ThisisUs
— Gizellie (@gizellie) March 9, 2018
When can we get to the episode where Kate stops obsessively hating her own body. @ThisIsUsWriters
I've been saying that since day one. From the beginning it's been this whole narrative on her being the sad fat girl. Everything in her life was centered around her weight.
— Skyy of the Jabari Tribe???? (@simplyskyy) March 9, 2018
Her character frustrates me so much with her weight issues. As a plus size woman, I’m put off by the fact that the writers think we obsess about our weight 24/7 and all convo revolves around it!
— pixee22 (@pixee22) March 9, 2018
This is particularly true for plus-size female characters on TV, not so much the male ones.
I think this particularly applies to fat women. Fat men get to have relationships and jobs and not even mention their weight at all!
— Jennifer M (@JenisawesomeUK) March 9, 2018
Some came forward with characters who broke the tropes, like Melissa McCarthy's Sookie from "Gilmore Girls."
One of the only times I saw this trend broken was the character Sookie on Gilmore Girls. She was a fully realized character, had romantic relationships, sense of humour, etc all unrelated to weight. I loved that about the show.
— Anne with an "e" (@mrsmaris) March 9, 2018
Actresses are tired of it, too.
This is very true. I was in acting about five years. In various tv shows an literally every audition I got was a variation of this. Or my favorite when id get requested for auditions for size 16 girls when I’m a 12. That industry messes w/ your self esteem. ????
— Empurefection ✨ (@EMpurefection) March 9, 2018
In short, we have a lot of work to do.
With female plus-size characters being so rare on TV, it's disheartening to see the ones who ARE in shows and movies fall into stereotypes and represent a shadow of what their straight-size co-stars portray.
We can do better. And we need to start as soon as possible.
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