Hypocrisy in the Hollywood portrayal of overweight characters

[Tea Earl Grey Hot]

It seems to me there's a huge hypocrisy in the way overweight male characters are portrayed and the way overweight female characters are portrayed.

With the male characters, intelligence is not inversely correlated with weight. The character can be somewhat often portrayed as obese and smart.

And with the male characters, their obesity does not always define their character. It's not always vital to their role.


With the female characters however, I can't recall a single instance where they weren't portrayed as complete idiots. And very often their weight is the sole point of their character. The only reason they exist in the story is for cheap laughs about their weight. I can't think of any significant (extras dont count) fictional overweight female characters in tv or movies where they were portrayed of even being of average intelligence.

This obviously is not consistent with reality and I'm disgusted with how prevalent and accepted this stereotype is.

[Gilgamesh]

I don't notice this in the least. Strong feminism.

[Tea Earl Grey Hot]

I don't notice this in the least. Strong feminism.

If you know of an example, share it.

I'm not against feminism but it's not one of those things that might have such a strong control over me so as to bias me to confirm it irrationally.

[Darth]

List the movies/shows that come to mind with overweight male and female central characters (let's cut out christmas movies). Im finding it hard to think of overweight female characters at all, though I don't watch many t.v shows or movies.

Shallow Hal (f)
Pick of denstiny (m)
Dune (m)
The simpsons (m) & family guy (m)
Vicar of dibly (f)
Magda from Kath and Kim (f)
SMBC's James (m)
The little mermaid, the octopus (f)
Professor Klump (m)



erm.... I'm scrapping the barrel here, I'm down to internet comedy sketch shows.
List the movies/shows that come to mind and we'll see (no searching the net). And add them to the list
Are the males central characters overweight, smart, and virtuous though (except for santa's)? I can't think of one. (edit: Professor Klump, I seem to be thinking of crappy movies where the weight is a central plot point)

[Something completely different]

That is probably the last thing I am annoyed about when it comes to hollywood movies.

How about black people and white people living peacefull side by side in 1850, 1940, 1920, 1950 or 1780?
Nazis who speak english?
All arabs being bad guys?
and on and on and on

Everything depicted in hollywood movies is a complete contortion of reality.

[Ryantology]

Kathy Bates has played quite a few roles in which her size was of little or no relevance.

[downbeatplumb]

It seems to me there's a huge hypocrisy in the way overweight male characters are portrayed and the way overweight female characters are portrayed.

With the male characters, intelligence is not inversely correlated with weight. The character can be somewhat often portrayed as obese and smart.

And with the male characters, their obesity does not always define their character. It's not always vital to their role.


With the female characters however, I can't recall a single instance where they weren't portrayed as complete idiots. And very often their weight is the sole point of their character. The only reason they exist in the story is for cheap laughs about their weight. I can't think of any significant (extras dont count) fictional overweight female characters in tv or movies where they were portrayed of even being of average intelligence.

This obviously is not consistent with reality and I'm disgusted with how prevalent and accepted this stereotype is.

Hairspray: the fat girl character was smart, funny and got the guy.

But your right about movies skewing reality.

You hardly see a proper fat person even in the back ground of the movies but if you go out in any american town you see people waddling around that challenge sauropods for the title of largest ever land dweller.

[TaraJo]

Intelligent overweight women? You haven't seen any? Really? I mean, other than Misery, nearly every one of Kathy Bates' roles has been 'overweight intelligent woman.'

Although, it is quite annoying the huge gulf between Hollywood 'overweight' and IRL overweight. A girl has hips and a butt, she's a big fat fattie on the big screen even if she looks normal by day to day standards.

And the overweight idiot trope seems to be alarmingly common with men, too:

[Tea Earl Grey Hot]

I've never heard of her before.

And yeah you see a lot of stupid fat male characters as well, but their weight isn't what is focused on 24/7.