Comments on: "Fatsploitation" Television?

By: Lucky Me!!!

Lucky Me!!! — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:37:31 +0000

I have fallen in love with Drop Dead Diva!!! I think it’s a great way to show all sides of the size story. The fat girl who wasn’t popular (Jane). The skinny girl who thought the world revolved around her (Deb). The skinny girl who realizes that she is stereotyped for her blonde hair and “”barbie” like figure (the best friend). And of course, the enlightenment of Deb in Jane’s body as she deals with her clients and tries to find her way in her new life.

It is a great way to fill my Desp. Housewives void on Sundays!

By: Charlotte

Charlotte — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:10:02 +0000

I’m worried about the fat hatred fallout that may occur as a result of these shows, especially with more to love. I know there are going to be people out there who think the people on that show aren’t being properly shamed and don’t deserve love/relationships because of the way the look. However, I must confess that the girls on More To Love are gorgeous, and I want to know where they got their dresses! Every time I see the commerical, I see a new dress I want.

By: mo pie

mo pie — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:46:10 +0000

I think that issue is absolutely worth a post all its own; thanks for your thoughts, guys.

By: Ms Jinxx

Ms Jinxx — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:52:38 +0000

Sarah, I am TOTALLY with you on that point.
In fact , before I got to your comment, I was reading the others and I had the same impression and was going to mention it but you beat me to the punch. I have PCOS and have for years and I also come from a big family, so I will never be tiny, but my recent jump to a 24 from my usual 18-20 is completely because of overeating and lack of quality exercise.
What about people like us, with disordered eating ( I am also a binger and an emotional eater ) who really are fat(ter) because of overeating?
It is a bit disheartening to belong to the “bad fattie” group.

By: Elisa

Elisa — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:26:38 +0000

I watched one episode of “Dance Your Ass Off” one late night when I couldn’t sleep. I enjoyed the “hey, there’s real people on the TV!” part of it. And the “Wow, some of these people are really talented and their size isn’t stopping them!” part of it (‘coss, really, there ain’t no reason why only skinny chicks should be on TV). But the “OMG, what a horrible outfit!” was just…. Ugh. I understand the principle of putting the contestants in teeny tiny clothing that shows off all their bits and pieces… But at least I’d have insisted that they be put in something FLATTERING (no need to cover it all up, but PLEASE make it look good). And the whole weight loss thing bugged me too. The night I watched it, they were dinging one of the smallest girls on the show for losing the least. As you pointed out, who knows if she’s gaining muscle (as anyone who’s decided to work out consistently can tell you happens) or her body is simply hanging on to water weight or… The whole focus was off, to me… It should have been on overall health and “hey, these plus-sized people are rockin’ it!” rather than weight loss and “my life will be so much better when I am thiiiiiin!!!”

As for “More to Love”, I hate those type of shows. But I will say that it caught my hubby’s eye. As hubby is (obviously) married to a plus-sized gal (and he’s a size Small… so we’re definitely a pair!), he thinks girls with curves are pretty awesome… He saw the ad for More to Love and remarked “That’s so great! Some of those girls are really gorgeous!!!” and started to talk about how it was excellent to have bigger girls on TV because they were beautiful too. I agreed, but pointed out that it was a totally segregated show – ABOUT how bigger girls COULD be beautiful too. And the drama of being bigger. And the exploitation factor. My poor hubby….
Anyway, he still thought it was a step in the right direction, even though it’s grating me.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:29:30 +0000

Oh, and when I say “there’s nothing wrong with it,” I am not saying that I”m not aware that my eating is disordered….I obviously struggle with bingeing issues that I have yet to deal with. I just meant there’s nothing wrong (in my opinion) with portraying those very real issues in a TV show….especially one that has a chance to be so fat positive!

By: Sarah

Sarah — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:27:17 +0000

I really actually love Drop Dead Diva, despite the stereotypes it promotes and the fact that poor fat Jane apparently had no life before skinny Deb took over. (She bought a Porsche but never even put the top down? Sorry, I’m a convertible driving fatty and I never put the top UP, no matter the weather!)

I’m not bothered by the overeating though. I am 100% on the FA bandwagon, and I know fat can be caused by many things, but the knee jerk negative reaction to depictions of fat people in TV or movies who overeat ignores the fact that plenty of fat people DO overeat. I am one of them!

Granted, even when I ate healthfully and worked out a lot more than I do now, I was not thin, that’s just not my genes. But my current size 24 is absolutely caused by the fact that I’ve been avoiding exercise and eating WAY too much for the last year or so. So, maybe the Jane character is supposed to be like me–she eats when she’s stressed, struggles with massive cravings all the time (I tend to drool over donuts too, what can I say), and has a tendency to binge. There’s nothing wrong with it.

Actually, I am sometimes put off by comments on some FA blogs that are always offended by implications in the media that overeating causes fat. Sometimes…it just does, doesn’t it? I know it’s not the ONLY cause, but our tendency to fly off the handle about it sometimes makes me feel ashamed that I am one of those “bad fatties” who really DOES eat an entire pint of ice cream in one sitting, or an entire pizza, etc.

I would never, however, eat squirt cheese straight from the can. Ew…everyone knows it requires wheat thins! ;-)

By: Robin

Robin — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:16:28 +0000

I think rather than wanting shows that are all about fat people I’d rather shows incorporate more diverse people into them. I hate shows that are just for black people or fat people or whatever, the goal is to try to make things more diverse, not segregated.

By: DRST

DRST — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 04:16:42 +0000

I donâ€™t like the characterization of Jane as a lonely, insecure, plate and snow-globe collecting loser even if she IS a smart lawyer.

Shell – that was making me nuts too. It would’ve been awesome if Jane had been a single fat woman who already ate well and worked out and had an apartment as awesome as her car, or at the very least had not been quite this pathetic. I mean, she has no friends, apparently, other than her assistant.

I’ll keep watching the show to see how they deal with things like the fact that Jane is not magically going to become thin enough for Deb. If they address the fact that diets don’t work, I will forgive them a lot of things.

DRST

By: Shell524

Shell524 — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:50:14 +0000

I got curious and went to watch Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime’s website (since I don’t have cable, boo). The first episode was mostly OK. The second, though? I don’t like the characterization of Jane as a lonely, insecure, plate and snow-globe collecting loser even if she IS a smart lawyer. Why does that have to be the way she was? And the constant insistence from Deb-in-Jane’s-body that this ISN’T her life, even though it currently most certainly IS her life? Annoying. And… her friend put her on a diet, so she’s turned into an “OMG do you know how many calories are in that donut”-spouting walking stereotype.

I would say there’s hope in the fact that at least Deb is trying to make some headway in terms of her self-confidence and whatnot, but with the constant reminder that this is NOT Jane…? Yeah.