Brief 2: Post I

Years back, when I was around thirteen or fourteen, a couple of friends were complaining about their weight and how they saw themselves as ‘fat.’ Now me, who was actually overweight for my age, said, “If you’re fat then what am I?” attempting to keep the mood light, and subtly trying to convince them to not go down the road of self-hate I was already on.

Then one replied, “Obese.”

Needless to say, it’s stuck with me throughout the years…

All those years ago, when VCR was still around, I had a lot of animated films laying around the house, from Disney, to Pixar, to Dreamworks. I watched them religiously as a kid, staring at those girls, my idols, designs with no bitterness in my gut but with my subconscious slowly tying its own noose with every rewatch.

And to this day, the only use of plus size actors in films is to be either the ‘funny guy,’ or the ‘inspirational journey.’ Never your hero, never your martyr, never your love interest. Only your villain, or side character if we’re lucky enough.

Growing up fat means being the butt of every joke. Growing up fat means you realise at twelve that there is no Disney Princess shaped like you. Growing up fat means shopping will be your worst enemy. Growing up fat means getting used to your borderline insulting media representation. Growing up fat teaches you a lot of things, it eventually crafts you thick skin but that’s a long, jagged road to walk, and it's an easy path to stray from.

I suppose I’m still irked about these things on the big (and small) screen even though I try hard not to be. So, I would like to talk about Hollywood's treatment of plus-sized characters in their visual media (or just the big screen) and how they irredeemably promote fatphobia to their audience.