Quick Resources: Weight Stigma in the Entertainment Industry
» Fat-Shaming Is the Norm in Our Kids’ Favorite Shows & It’s Making Them Hate Their Bodies
After the kids went to bed, I put the episode back on and was horrified by what I saw. In addition to negative fat and diet talk, the episode features a fantasy sequence in which a circus performer invites people to “step right up” and gaze at various horrors. One of them is Arthur — or as he’s identified in this clip, the “Leaden Lump of Elwood City” — and the performer isn’t shy about describing him as a freak of nature. “Large, lardy, a lifeless layabout lump of lumpiness,” the man hollers, pointing to a gelatinous blob wearing Arthur’s signature yellow sweater.
» Fat Jokes In Children’s Movies Are A Lot More Common Than You Think
“At least you don’t look like some kind of bloated roadside piñata! You really should think about going on a diet!” cries Puss in Boots in “Shrek The Third.”
“Look at you! This fat butt, flabby arms … and this ridiculous belly!” sneers Master Shifu in “Kung Fu Panda.”
The world isn’t kind to fat people, and neither are some of the past years’ most beloved children’s movies.
» Fat stigmatization in television shows and movies: a content analysis
Results indicated that fat stigmatization commentary and fat humor were often verbal, directed toward another person, and often presented directly in the presence of the overweight target. Results also indicated that male characters were three times more likely to engage in fat stigmatization commentary or fat humor than female characters.
» The 8 most fat-phobic movies in Hollywood, ranked by awfulness
If you frequent the movie theater or routinely peruse your Netflix queue, you already know that fat-friendly movies are few and far between. What’s worse, the ones that exist often border on fat-phobic, and straight up pigeon-hole plus-size women into trope-ridden plots that don’t represent who we are or what we want.
To drive home our point (and maybe even inspire Hollywood to GET IT TOGETHER), we compiled a list of the worst plus-size movies out there, explained and ranked according to awfulness.
» Why Do Fat Singers Fight So Hard For An Industry That Hates Us?
Sometimes, as a fat singer in the opera industry, I don’t know why I bother at all.
Except that I love to sing. And that I view the erasure of fat talent at the opera as both an artistic loss and a moral wrong. As a fat performer, artist, and activist, I have centered my work on body justice in the performing arts. And I want to make one thing clear: fat-shaming in the opera industry is not an issue of one bad actor. It is an industry-wide problem.
Every Monday, I send out my Body Liberation Guide, a thoughtful email jam-packed with resources on body liberation, weight stigma, body image and more. And it’s free. Let’s change the world together.
Hi there! I'm Lindley. I create artwork that celebrates the unique beauty of bodies that fall outside conventional "beauty" standards at Body Liberation Photography. I'm also the creator of Body Liberation Stock and the Body Love Shop, a curated central resource for body-friendly artwork and products. Find all my work here at bodyliberationphotos.com.
