'There is a huge lack of respect for the way our bodies are talked about and for the type of women they write for us. We don’t get the opportunity to be complex, specifically Black women.' –ej11lizzie
on body diversity from the Media, Diversity & Social Change Initiative at USC Annenberg that found of the 33 female characters who were leads or co-leads in the top 100 films of 2016, only four were a roughly size 14 or greater.
That means four roles in an entire year representedthat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is overweight or obese. If that lack of representation says a lot about the value placed on fat bodies, the depiction of plus-size characters that do make it on screen speaks volumes.whose work explores how women and girls are represented in media. “We haven’t made bigger bodies and fatter bodies unapologetically visible without it being a defect that they have to overcome.”recalls seeing were played by comedic actors John Candy and Chris Farley, a testament to the enduring hierarchy of placing white males above everyone else, even if they’re “perceived as slovenly and lazy,” she tellsstar’s early recollection of fat female characters isn’t much better. “They were always sad sacks and they were lonely. They were usually white and the white ones were pathetic and depressed and at times suicidal,” she says. “Black fat women were always painted as sassy, brassy, and over-sexualized, and turned into a totally different kind of joke and neither portrayal is fair. Both portrayals hurt everyone.”, first moved to LA, she could only audition for two types of characters: “It was a big, warm nurturing mom-type nurse or a big prisoner hard-ass woman,” she discloses. “There is a huge lack of respect for the way our bodies are talked about and for the type of women they write for us. We don’t get the opportunity to be complex, specifically Black women.” There are a number of gatekeepers along that road to opportunity. While the development of full fat characters starts in the writer’s room, longstanding prejudices often prevail down the line, explains television writer. “It’s an uphill climb no matter how you slice it because of casting and the fact that there aren't many casting directors that will send you plus-size actors. The way that the industry has been built for its entire existence, most actors and actresses are skinny because skinny is considered pretty and everybody feels like their cast should be pretty.”in various cultures — and by extension, power — the remnants of which you can see in the roles of Tony Soprano, for instance, or’ Uncle Daddy. Women were the first to have to adjust to the notion that thinness equates beauty. Yet in a society where men were once tossed a pass for their larger frames, actor Zac Efron found himself scrutinized for having a “debuted this year. Even James Corden, beloved for how he makes audiences laugh, feels the bias. “If you are chubby or fat or big, you never really fall in love, you never have sex,” he said on an episode of “Narratives such as this are evidence of how Hollywood continues to “disappear people,” Weiner said, sending the message, “You’re not worthy, you don’t exist, you’re not the lead of your own story, you’re not the hero, you're a bystander, and at best you’re background.” Whether the entertainment industry set the stage for fat discrimination or is following the cultural trend is up for debate. As writer Angela Meadows put in an op-ed for, “Discrimination against fat people is so endemic, most of us don’t even realize it’s happening.” “I don't know that there’s malice involved in what we’re seeing [in Hollywood],” Molina says, explaining there needs to be a process of educating showrunners, casting directors, and network and feature executives about the importance of doing away with body shaming. “There’s just ignorance.”’on screen though, particularly as it pertains to race, gender identity, and sexual orientation, and the fact that Black femmes have led the charge when it comes to self-acceptance, or what’s known today as body positivity. “The thought that fat bodies would be valid and treasured is so far away from white supremacy,” said Ponton. “It is so hard for white women to extricate themselves from that web.”called for the actress to be willing to lose weight over time, she pushed back. “It wasn’t worth my mental health,” she said, sharing she has a history of eating disorders. “I spent 25 years hating my body and wishing it would go away and when I finally got to the place where I didn’t want that anymore I would never go back.” The role ultimately went to Chrissy Metz, leaving Ponton to wonder whether her renegotiation ruffled feathers. “Casting directors don’t like when you say no to them,” says Jenkins, explaining she won’t audition for any role in which the size of a character is listed but they aren’t given a name. It happens more than most would care to think. “I’ve 100 percent been in the position where I’m turning down money, but I have to. If everybody says ‘no’ they will have to change the character. There’s power in saying ‘no.’” The real power will come when actors don’t have to say no because they no longer have to choose between their livelihood and upholding tropes. When Hollywood takes a long hard look at how it’s further marginalized plus-size bodies across the board and self-corrects. And when society as a whole gets over its fear of embracing bodies of all shapes and sizes. “There’s nothing to be scared of. I’m sitting in a fat body that I’ve been sitting in for many, many years and I'm OK,” Jenkins said. “I feel like if people saw more of that on TV they might feel a little less afraid.”
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