Fatty Or Die
This week is all videos and Whedonites and internet drama, apparently! Thanks to a spammer (apparently a very effective spammer) following fat chicks or girls who say they’re fat on Twitter, I found this video, called “Fat Girls,” at Funny or Die.
Is it a “BBW tribute” as they claim? Or is the “BBW” the butt of the joke? Is it enough to see a big girl dancing and playing guitar and looking hot in a low-cut dress? Where’s that fine line between celebration and censure… does sincerity make all the difference? Let’s do video first, deep thoughts second…
In the comments for the post about The Guild (which I have started watching and is indeed very funny), Jez pointed out something astute:
I just wanted to reiterate that I feel the “fat chick†is one of the least body-focused women of weight I’ve seen in a fiction. Her weight is neither a stereotype for gluttony and low self esteem, nor is it an empowering statement on the sexiness of a curvy lady. She is just a woman who is fat, and her part could be played by any woman of any appearance.
Which I think it awesome and the best kind of empowerment.
I think she put her finger on why a video like this, which I guess if you squint you could see it in a positive way, is not exactly a “BBW tribute.” It’s because the best tribute of all is to have our weight treated as a non-issue, not spoofed or demonized or fetishized or made into the point of a reality show.
It seems strangely complicated, this whole funny video thing. Maybe we should all just celebrate Feel Good Friday and go and watch Robert Is Bothered. Again.
Posted by mo pie
Filed under: Fatism, Feel Good Friday, Humor, Music, Video
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This video clearly comes across as fat-hate to me. They reinforce the stereotypes of fat girls eating in an over-the-top/unhealthy manner (eating in the bathtub, talks about two large pizzas). Did you notice the girl had something on her dress? She looked pretty sloppy to me, another stereotype. The fact that it is on “Funny or Die” indicates that it’s a parody, so I see it as a slam.
I think the video was definitely making fun of fat girls. Isn’t it interesting that the actual woman only dances, looks hot and plays guitar (maybe has popsicle) while all the eating and nasty bits are performed by the guy in drag. I wonder if the woman fully knew where the song was going and if she refused to do those things?? On the other hand, I really liked her dancing around! So there’s, for me, some empowerment under the snark.
@Lynn–I think that “spot” on her dress was just her belt (if you’re talking about the red dress).
Totally agree with Lynn in seeing this as fat-hate. Like the funny is precisely that assumed disjunction — “I’m singing about finding fat girls attractive, and we all KNOW how ridiculous THAT, ha ha GET IT???” (And here I go with the capsrage again…)
I also noticed that the fat “girl” who’s seen eating in the bathtub and bathing in facefuls of chocolate syrup is actually a big man in drag — which, to my eyes, goes back to fat-hate myths of fat women as asexualized and not-really-real-women.
Of course in my own private fantasy universe, I imagine the Funny or Die folks being completely unsuccessful in persuading Angelina Duplisea to do that eating-in-the-bathtub schtick, or in finding another fat actress willing to play into those sorts of degrading myths, which is how they ended up having to to go the man-in-drag route.
I don’t know why I find that fantasy amusing/comforting, but I kinda do.
I think that is definitely a slam on fat people. I just will never understand why this passes as entertainment. Thanks for sharing.
Totally making fun of fat women (and those who are attracted to said fat women) — no question about it.
But the woman in the video is absolutely gorgeous!
This song isn’t about a guy who just met some person who he finds out he really likes by getting to know them, and they just happens to be fat. It’s about him wanting a stereotype fat girl.
That’s the problem, saying things like he wants to force feed all women mac and cheese, and says things like skinny bitches just annoy me.
So it’s not professing love for someone it’s really is demeaning all women, even naturally thin ones.
Sounds like an insecure man I’d tell all women to keep away from.
Yeah I really don’t see a whole lot of fat love there…
just another slam at the fat folks playing on the stereotypes and crap that goes along with it.
It may look like a slam but I feel the singer is sincere in his love for fat girls but not very eloquent in his visual representation of his love.
I feel this is a classic male Fat Admirer’s (FA) view of the world of BBWs and the type of physical expression of an FA males view of his love for larger women. Take a look at a few paysites on Dimensions and you will see girls just like her in similar poses and situations.
The lovely fat girl featured was pretty yet objectified mainly through his groping.
And I assume they preserved her from being embarrassed by making the male dress up like a chick and do stereotypical demeaning things like eat syrup and streetwalk for food.
But from a woman’s perspective I think it is kinda crass and rude.
Regardless of the videos intention, the result is demeaning. If it would have been meant to be a positive message they would have left out the stereotyping.
Definitely a slam. mo pie and a few commenters have mentioned the fact that the girl is “looking hot/gorgeous/pretty/lovely”, and I agree… with a big BUT. I believe this is just our own wishful, body-positive, fat-acceptant eyes. I don’t think that’s what the creators of the video intended at all, and I’m sure that’s not what most of the audience get when they watch it. The combination of fat sterotyping and parodic music video imagery is meant to show how utterly ridiculous it is to put a fat girl in the position of the “object of desire”.
O/T but I thought this photo was interesting given that it was in a major fashion mag: http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-life/bigger-picture/articleglamour.aspx?cp-documentid=21301585>1=32001
I just looked at the comments section for the picture you posted and wow!I know in my head that the media has screwed with our perception of what is normal but wow this is sick! Some of the commentors were rabid, really foaming at the mouth, about how this women was ugly, fat and not normal…BUT She is so…normal looking and beautiful. We expect The self hatred of some of the women who were commenting was also really disturbing. This is not about health. It’s about controlling women and making them feel bad about themselves. Very disturbing.
Hey, thanks for pointing out my comment.
I’d definitely say that this is a slam on heavy women and the guys who find them attractive. No positive message to be found here, sadly. The gross exaggerations of what we consider negative aspects of weight and what it is to be heavy kinda give it away for me.
Yawn. How very original.
Also, what’s with the half-ass messy drag? I find that somewhat offensive as well, considering it was all sloppy and reminded me of Amy Winehouse’s crack-head style. Are “fat girls” supposed to be cracked-out on mac ‘n’ cheese and chocolate syrup or something?
The Drag kills any niceness. It’s a Slam. Oh Le Sigh.