What does pop culture tell us about being obese in America? That’s the question posed in Newsweek’s Fat on Film. The thought-provoking online article includes a slide show of various fat characters on film, including Gwyneth Paltrow (above) in Shallow Hal. (Did anyone even see that movie?) The article says the portrayal of fat characters represents several archetypes, stereotypes and beliefs about what it means to be overweight and what role those who are fat should play in society. In the article, Beth Bernstein and Matilda St. John, who have written extensively about the intersection of fatness and pop culture, explain how what we see on screen tells us how overweight people are viewed by Hollywood and, by extension, society. It’s definitely worth a look.
On a related topic, I enjoyed the buzz over a plus-size model who rocked the fashion world and blogosphere when her nude photo appeared in Glamour magazine alongside an article on women’s body confidence. Lizzi Miller — all 180 glorious pounds of her — flashes a confident smile as her stomach bulges over her thong bikini.
MSNBC.com says…
Within a day, Glamour was inundated with comments, overwhelmingly positive, about the magazine’s showcasing a beautiful model unafraid to let it all hang out. Web sites such as Facebook, MSN and Jezebel.com were consumed with dialogue over Miller’s photo, and Newsweek.com dedicated Web space to a renewed debate over women’s body image.
The response was so large and effusive that Glamour editor Cindi Leive says Miller is proving to be a game changer when it comes to fashion magazines — which often pay lip service to the idea of representing all women, but usually opt for the carrot-sticks-and-cigarettes, skin-and-bones types when it comes to cover girls.
“I think it absolutely will,” Leive told Matt Lauer on Today. “You get a reaction like this and you can really see it. It’s also a sign of the times that women are really looking for a little bit more authenticity….Immediately, within hours of the magazine coming out, we had people telling us they were emailing it to friends, and that it was the first time they felt good about their bodies, looking at this picture.”
Lizzi Miller (below) has become known as the “woman on page 194″ in some blog posts. One reader wrote to Glamour saying “Get this hot momma off of page 194 and put her on the cover!” Other reader comments:
“Thank you for showing a picture of a BEAUTIFUL woman who has a stomach and thighs that look like mine! I have NEVER seen that in a magazine before!”
“This woman rocks and we need more women like her to make a mark on what the real woman looks like.”
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
God bless Lizzie Miller….wow. I am so proud of her!!! Am I the only one sighing with relief!! It’s about damn time!!!
Enjoyed the post. But your conclusion left me wondering… Is she “normal”-sized or fat?
Margie,
I was quoting at the end from a posting on Newsweek.com, which I thought summed up the issue so well. Yes, Lizzi is “normal.” Her size 12 represents the average female in this country. Wouldn’t it be nice to feature her in fashion magazines just because she’s beautiful. Can’t we get to a point that she’s not considered “plus size.” Must she only be used as a model to represent someone who is overweight. I give her tremendous credit for her confidence.
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I find it interesting how America is blamed for the “morbid take on obesity” when in fact we are bigger than most other countries. And as for plus size Lizzie is not plus size. As a matter of fact she is probably not overweight she just is untoned. You can be a size four and have a loose stomach like that but you can be a size 12 in your pants and have a toned body all over. Then look at Kim Kardashian . She is 5’2 and 39 inches in her hips and 24 in her waist making her look “plus size” when in fact she is a size 4 or 6 but she is much curvier than Lizzie is and sadly many obese girls who are actually large (in America) justify eating McDonald’s every day because they think they look like Lizzie and/or Kim. I don’t know if you would rather be loose and au natural like Lizzie with a small walking routine or be toning and weight lifting like Kimmy K but morbid obesity like Gwenyth’s character is a danger to your health. I love how I am a size 8-12 in pants and women tell me I am so skinny when my hips are 42 inches and people like Kimmy K are 39 inches in their hips then the men tell me I look sexy and beautiful and that I am neither skinny nor fat. Interesting how women make the most detrimental comments to women like me or Kim Kardashian (and believe me they do make them about Kim). Which comes to show you as long as your BMI is not underweight or overweight, people need to realize that a size 10 doesn’t make you sexier than a size four or vice versa . First of all taste in women varies as long as they are healthy . You may be a size 4 and bony at 6’1 and the size 10 could be a good 5’8 . But you could also be a size 10 with a wide waist and smaller chest and look like a boy while the size four has a small waist and balanced body . So you see bigger isn’t always better it depends on the person. I find usually women who throw the insults around at the other women are trying to destroy them and are jealous. And remember the girl you call fat has a low metabolism and has been a bulimic and the girl you call skinny thinks she is not woman enough and is stuffing her face with fat to try and gain weight and ends up clogging her arteries.