Fat Isn't Funny

   How much do you weigh? This question can come into play at any given moment; at the gym, the doctors, or even when you and your friends decide to get on each other's shoulders and mess around. Have you ever noticed how when going to an event after losing a few dress sizes everyone seems to be ecstatic, while if you gained weight you might be susceptible to ridicule, speculation, whispers, rumors, and most importantly, silence? Bigger women are not only constantly judged for their size but tend to be the butt of any joke. They are targeted in the media which leads to misrepresentation and stigma for women who are actually in those shoes.    

              

In movies or shows like Instintainable, Pretty Ugly People, Shallow Hal, and To Be Fat Like Me, we see bigger women who are mocked, unappreciated, bullied, and seen as unattractive. In these same movies the writer’s solution to this is to take the actresses out of their fat suits, and all of the sudden all the issues they were facing are suddenly gone. Not only do they suggest that losing weight solves all issues, but they showcase dangerous eating habits. In Instintainable the main character got into a severe accident that she is grateful for because it causes her jaw to fall out of place and be wired shut; as a result, this stops her from eating, ultimately leading to her severe weight loss. We see something similar to this again in Pretty Ugly People where the main character, a fat woman, doesn’t feel beautiful until she gets liposuction and feels amazing afterward. However, for actual bigger women, their bodies aren’t some prop that they could just get rid of, but is a unique mold that they live in every day. Losing weight might not always be the goal or an option for them due to factors like biological makeup, their own happiness, or financial status. Some women can’t afford expensive surgeries or those that can also have to deal with the likelihood that they will die from it. There are also those who just want to live happily in their natural bodies. Fat is often paired with funny in the world of comedy and media. However, it is discouraged in other aspects of stardom such as the music industry. For example from looking at multiple different tabloids body-shaming women who’ve gained weight, even if they’re pregnant this is sending a message you can only be this famous and pretty if you’re skinny. 

There is also the risk that dangerous methods of weight loss are forced upon women in supposedly safe spaces like hospitals and sometimes even under one’s own roof. For instance, Vogue released an article where “Bea’s mom, Dara-Lynn Weiss, writes about publicly shaming her 7-year-old daughter in her quest for a slimmer, trimmer girl after the pediatrician advised her that Bea was clinically obese at 4 ft. 4 in. and 93 pounds.” (Rochman) Bea’s mother goes into how she herself doesn’t eat and how she forces her daughter to do the same. The mother doesn’t see the issue because she claims that it’s “healthy,” however going as far as to not let your child have some cake at a birthday party gives off the message that there is something wrong with the child. From the child’s point of view, she could view the treatment from her mother as a punishment for something she possibly did wrong. From the same source we see the author in agreement with what I previously stated as for children who are susceptible to media, “they will see a causal association between losing weight and becoming popular, pretty and athletic. It emphasizes valuing people for their size and appearance rather than for who they are.”(Rochman) Teaching others how to love themselves shouldn’t be taught exclusively to children; in general, people should be taught to love themselves and not judge others for their bodies for the sake of positivity and ending discrimination.

A good example of body-positive postings is seen in the photography by artist Laurie Toby Edison. In works such as the Women EN Large Gallery big women of all different kinds of races, sizes and statures are seen naturally posing in the nude. Edison ensures that all parts that may seem unwanted or unsavory are put on stage for the audience, every roll, stretch mark, and scar visible. Edison uses this piece to encourage women to feel comfortable in their own skin. Edison goes above and beyond as we see body positivity being taken a step even further by also including women with disabilities. Women with disabilities or obesity are part of the minority in the media but are the majority in real life. It is important for there to be fat women not just seen as a joke, but as role models; whether it be superheroes, sitcoms, or in the modeling industry to promote love and confidence instead of shame and eating disorders.

References 

Edison, Laurie Toby. Women En Large, laurietobyedison.net/women-en-large.

Rochman, Bonnie. “Mom Puts Her 7-Year-Old Daughter on a Diet, Then Writes about It in Vogue.” Time, Time, 27 Mar. 2012, healthland.time.com/2012/03/27/vogue-essay-by-a-mom-who-put-her-7-year-old-daughter-on-a-diet-garners-outrage/.