In magazines, if someone who is in the public eye is fat, there will be comments about it, in articles that have nothing to do with their body or their weight. We’ve (hopefully) moved beyond sexism, homophobia and racism when writing about a public figure, but when fat comes into it, it’s…
^^ This is my flatmate everyone! She’s all articulate and stuff. I am also going to try and be articulate. So, okay, firstly I don’t think sexism, racism and homophobia have disappeared from the media. They’re just sneakier now. And I think you could argue that the way that ‘fat’ (I’m using quotes because, let’s face it, opinions differ on who falls into that category) celebrities are treated is very much comparable. A woman is praised for eating well, being comfortable in her body and sending a message of self-acceptance to her fans - but as soon as she loses weight, it’s almost as if there’s a sigh of relief. This woman realised how things are supposed to be. There are dozens of articles about how great she looks, which diet she was on, how much happier she is in every aspect of her life. (Then sometimes she’s too thin. Obviously she can’t be allowed to be okay for too long.) Now think about how magazines pay undue attention to (heterosexual) female celebrities who are single, how they run articles either celebrating their independence or speculating about how lonely they must be. Then, when these women are seen to be in a relationship, there are endless stories about how they’ve ‘found love’ and ‘calmed down’ due to the new (male) influence in their lives. In other words, they’re back in their allocated boxes and everyone can stop feeling threatened now. What was I saying?
Yes, anyway, then there’s this other thing. The example that springs to mind is Adele . I have never read an article about her that didn’t in some way or another mention her weight. Adele has been on the cover of a huge number of magazines in the past year or so and it’s only ever a shot of her face. Why waste hundreds of words talking about her figure (positively - you know, in that weird euphemistic code that uses the word ‘curvy’ until it loses all traces of meaning) and then not even show it in the pictures? (Erm, obviously this could be due to input from Adele herself? I could be barking up the wrong tree here, I just don’t really understand why most of the pictures I’ve seen of one of the foremost female artists in the world are pretty much the same picture.) And so in this bizarre way Adele is held up as a role model for healthy body image. If it wasn’t for the fact that ‘serious’ music magazines love her and her songs are all over the radio you could forget she even made music, so obsessive is the attention paid to her figure.
And hey, maybe the fact that I just used Adele as an example makes me part of the problem! In fact it probably does, because it just reinforces the idea that a woman’s appearance is everyone else’s business, to be held up as an example of what is healthy or unhealthy (depending on what day it is), and used to prove a point in an argument.
I am not making my points all that well.
Anyway, here at uni I’m surrounded by people who don’t really care all that much what society wants them to look like (although I feel I should point out that as ‘what society thinks you should look like’ is drummed into you pretty much as soon as you can read, it’s still had its effect on all of us, but that’s a different rant), and it comes as kind of a surprise whenever I am exposed to the opposing point of view directly (obviously it’s there all the time in various forms, but not always in my face). I remember a friend of mine watching a Britney Spears video and criticizing her because her stomach did not appear completely flat. Hearing that felt almost as jarring as hearing acquaintances who are unaware of my sexual orientation make casual derogatory comments about lesbians. It’s nowhere near the same thing, but it’s surprising how many parrallels you can draw. For me, it’s remembering that my body-positive and/or queer friends are in the minority, and that a saddening number of people are still not okay with difference, even if, in the case of weight etcetera, it’s a difference they share (and is not even really a difference, just presented as one).
This is longer than I intended and probably doesn’t make any sense and probably leaves out important things. Maybe I’ll look over it later and be embarrassed/disagree with myself. And now I really need to go to bed. Amy is fabulous. Goodnight.
^^ This is my flatmate everyone, she is so fabulous. And articulate.
Definitely agree with you that sexism, racism and homophobia haven’t disappeared from the media. Not sure why I put that in as an absolute. Maybe this is what my tutors mean when they say “don’t make any sweeping statements.” I thought I was getting better, ah well. I think what I mean was that it’s less acceptable and more subtle, rather than outright hateful. It is indeed still there, but more subtle.
There are these check boxes that society wants you to tick and when someone doesn’t tick many of the boxes, whether they’re fat, gay, transgender, single (God forbid) or really tall or really short, there is a sense of unease. Like Naomi says, when they change and fulfill one of those, they’re praised inordinately.
In terms of Adele I think it’s a great shame. In interviews she has said how she is at peace with her body and doesn’t particularly care for other people’s opinion, yet magazines are hypocritical in simultaneously praising her, yet only showing shots of her face, or her in drapey clothing. As Naomi said this may be her personal choice, but there seems to be a desire to disguise her figure, making her larger body less visible. One could then mention Ashley Fink and Amber Riley in Glee and how they were dressed so differently to the other girls in the cast. In dance routines they always but Fink at the back, and gave her a cardigan over her dress when the others didn’t. Again, it may be her personal choice but I lament it. Rejoice in your arms! Rejoice in your body and show the millions of viewers that fatties can dance too! Also, although I have to say I loved the Puck/Zizes thing, there were constant references to her weight, her butt and how butch she was for being on the wrestling team. I thought the point was to break the mould, not start making some progress the regress!
This is important:
” For me, it’s remembering that my body-positive and/or queer friends are in the minority, and that a saddening number of people are still not okay with difference, even if, in the case of weight etcetera, it’s a difference they share (and is not even really a difference, just presented as one).”
I forget too, but find it hard to respond when faced with it in real life. If only I were as articulate in real life as I was on the internets. Sigh.
I’m really interested in what others have to say, so do please leave a comment in my asks, reblog, share etc and we can have an intelligent discourse!
