Just one of many blogs on weight that I will write. Has anybody else seen the billboard (bus) ads or movie previews for Eddie Murphy’s new movie Norbit? Is anyone else tired of seeing movies make fun of obese women and people in general? First of all the poster itself is offensive. Let me first say that I am overweight, not obese but overweight. Although there are probably people walking this Earth that would call me obese, but I don’t consider myself obese. Anyway, I was standing on the corner of a street and this giant bus pulls up and stops in front of me and on the side of the bus is a giant Norbit poster. In this poster all you see is this giant woman in lingerie with bulging fat thighs, arms, etc., practically suffocating this poor, tiny, skinny man. (And why is she in lingerie while he is completely dressed?) Above them is the line “Have you ever made a really big mistake?” So first we are dealing with the stereotype that fat women are unattractive and no man would be caught dead under an obese woman, so apparently his “big mistake” was having sex with a fat woman. God forbid!
But once you see the previews you see that not only does Eddie (who portrays both characters) make the woman obese but he also makes her a horrible beast of a woman; so now we are dealing with the stereotype that fat women are mean, pushy, domineering and bitchy, oh and for good measure he named her Rasputia. In the summary of the movie on the Internet Movie Database they call her “monstrous.” So somehow, this giant monster bullies this poor little skinny man and forces him to promise to marry her. His savior comes in the form of you guessed it, a skinny, beautiful, kind woman (played by Thandie Newton). This story is old and I find it offensive to both women and men and both skinny and fat.
And, don’t even get me started the fact that these obese women characters are being written and played by men – who have no idea what it’s like to be a woman, skinny or not.
I am a huge fan of movies and believe that people can make whatever movies they want and we have the freedom to go see those movies but I just want to know how long it’s going to take till making fun of fat people is no longer funny or acceptable. I just ask for one movie with an obese woman who is normal, nice, kind and who finds a nice, kind man and lives somewhat happily ever after.
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5 comments:
A professor of mine once said that the root of all humor is meanness; that someone has to be the butt of everything that makes us laugh, and gave us the example of a guy in our class coming in dressed as a fairy princess. But I don't think that's true, or that that's why that would be funny. I think the unexpected is what's funny, or at least what makes me laugh. The ol' switcheroo. I think it's still a common misconception by movie studios that someone has to be hurt for something to be funny. We can just laugh, we don't have to point and laugh.
In the meantime, living well is the best revenge, eh? Part of living well, I do believe, involves movie marathons of The Breakfast Club and Better Off Dead. Because teen angst is something we can all laugh at together. (Music fades in "Donchu, forget about me. Don't don't don't, babay...")
this blog entry speaks the truth!
i am incredibly sick of these tired and ridiculous images too. i found the billboards and previews really offensive. not only is it stereotypical, stupid, disrespectful and in bad taste-- it's just NOT FUNNY! (dolly and i were stupefied by the crowd roaring with laughter when we saw the preview together in the theater...ARGH.) when is this going to stop?!
in addition to more positive images of overweight people, i would also like to see some movies where an overweight woman doesn't have to LOSE WEIGHT in order to be loved and/or considered acceptable! (i'm so tired of makeovers, period.) the closest thing i've ever seen is real women have curves. i highly recommend it!
Ah, but let's not forget the two Shrek movies. In those stories, the ugly, overweight ogres lived happily ever after. And they were miserable when they became pretty. Okay, so that was an animated movie. The point is there are some movies were the overweight person gets the guy/girl. (See "Shallow Hal")
Maybe all is not lost for Hollywood...
I too am extremely offended by these movie posters. Unfortunately, they're plastered all over the subway platforms in NYC. Not only do I find it offensive to all women (whether over-weight or not), but in particular offensive to black women. Who's to say that an overweight woman isn't attractive? Why is it supposed to be comical if an overweight woman wears lingerie?
Eddie Murphy has already done 2 movies playing obese (and in the movie, not attractive or nice women); and so has Tyler Perry and Martin Lawrence. I know Gwyneth Paltrow did Shallow Hal, but for the most part, it's become the norm to make fun of overweight black women. Why??
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