Hey guys! So I wanted to bring up a sensitive topic because it is something that really bothers me. Don't you guys hate how making fun of and stereotyping overweight individuals is one of the last socially accepted prejudices in America?
Overweight people are portrayed in movies as being fat, lazy, smelly, lacking self control and generally unattractive. For some reason it is ok to make us the butt of distasteful jokes. I know that comedic actors believe that everyone should be able to make fun of themselves. But what about overweight parents who take their children out to the movies and have to watch their size being ridiculed on a huge screen. How can we command respect as an authority figure our children when they learn from the media that being fat is something shameful or embarrassing?
While we might be able to forgive Hollywood for being superficial, what excuse can we make for authors? Reading is supposed to be an intellectual pursuit free from superficialities and meant to teach us a moral lesson. However most of the heroines and heroes in books are thin. Heavy people fall into 3 very specific stereotypes. 1. Evil 2. a bumbling simpleton 3. a matronly motherly figure (even when is comes to Molly Weasley, her magical strength only comes out when defending one of her children). While people might love characters like Hagrid or want them as a friend, would anyone want to be them? Date them? Not likely.
The final thing that pisses me off is how overweight people are treated in the workplace. Considering the fact that most jobs today are desk jobs, why should our weight work against us? I don't need to be active to do these jobs. My brain's synapses don't fire slower because I have a bigger gut. What if I am heavy, not because I am out of control, but because food *gasp* makes me happy and I don't feel the need to limit myself? And just because I am relaxed with my diet doesn't mean I am relaxed in other areas of my life because believe it or not people are not that one dimensional. This discrimination has even deeper effects. I happen to be a Republican and I would love to see Chris Christie run for president, but he never would win because of his weight. This is how much America hates fat people. Someone who might make (in my opinion) a stellar president in these terrible economic times will not run for office because of how America would react (and has reacted) to his weight.
So there you have it, my giant rant about Fat Phobia. Sound off below, I would love to hear your comments/reaction. Thanks!