There are many different categories of diversity, and with entertainment awards shows coming to a close, it brings the question to mind, where were the fat people? It’s not rude to ask, and it’s important. There isn’t enough plus size representation in film, or media in general.
The Academy Awards just happened, and as everyone went to collect their awards, it was notable that all seemed very thin, and none were even slightly curvy. There were a couple of people that collected awards that were plus size, but none of them were for acting roles, and worked behind the scenes. There needs to be more acceptance for A-list plus size actors, that are not relegated to the comedy genre, or the role of a comedian, in a drama.
There needs to be body type diversity, plus size people deserve to seem themselves represented. Plus size actor need to work, and they need the ability to be cast for parts other than “the fat friend” who’s entire story revolves around them gaining, or losing weight. Or dealing with their weight. Or anything that has to do with weight central themes. Plus size people are also fantastic story tellers, and have more to them than their weight defines. It’s about creating stories with life like representation of people, and body type and weight, need to be life like.
Obviously, thin people also deserve representation, that’s not what this is about. Thin people are in no danger of having all of their representation ripped away, and we’re not calling for banning thin people from movies, ads, and modeling shows. We’re asking for inclusion.
Positive changes have been made, Ashley Graham, Tara Lynn, Barbie Ferreira, Tess Holliday, Anansa Sims, and Sabina Karlsson are helping to change the face of modeling, and the runway. Chrissy Metz is in the “Last of Us” and that was cool representation for plus size people, though there were still some criticisms. The main issue was, instead of casting a plus size man, they cast a fairly average sized man, made him wear a fat suit, and prosthetics, and used him as her love interest, instead of just casting a plus size male actor.
There is still so far left to go though, for representation. Fat bodies are still seen as unattractive because they’re fat, and automatically valued less that “attractive” thin bodies. Fat people pay more for clothing, and because there is “more material involved” people somehow justify this for ripping off fat people. There is also a lot of white privilege tied in with fat shaming, of course, being white gives you more privilege and representation than non-white POC receive. There are starting to be a few more mainstream plus size models, and almost all of them are white, all of the time.
Some people that claim that “plus size representation” enables an “unhealthy” life style, insist that size of your waist has to do with health. It doesn’t. While in some cases severe obesity can lead to health problems, that’s not what most plus size people experience. BMI indicators are outdated and not usually correct, or an accurate representation of a healthy weight. The same people that claim plus size representation is “unhealthy” strangely don’t have a problem with drastically underweight people being allowed to model, but that’s a different topic.
If people have access to representation, they’re less likely to decide that what’s not represented is “abnormal”. There is nothing rare about curvy bodies. There is nothing rare about fat bodies. When there is representation, people become aware that people other than themselves exist, and it gives everyone a new viewpoint, and new experiences. Fat people are sex. Fat people are beautiful. Fat people also deserve to be models.
Diversity is important, everyone deserves to be represented. Characters have to be written that reflect everyone’s story, and everyone deserves the opportunity to be chosen for their talent, not how they look. Plus size representation is super important, for everyone to see. Being comfortable with your body, starts with seeing representation.
