Ignorance in its purest form.

I came across this article in Marie Claire Magazine which is obviously a magazine that is directed towards women, fashion and beauty.  The article is titled, "Should Fatties Get a Room? (Even on TV)" and it talks about the new CBS sitcom Mike and Molly.  This article truly upset me because not only does Maura Kelly contradict herself over three times in the article, but is rude and disrespectful to anyone struggling with issues with weight.  By even titling the article with the word "Fatties" makes people that are overweight seem like complete outcasts and inhuman.  She clearly states; "So anyway, yes, I think I'd be grossed out if I had to watch two characters with rolls and rolls of fat kissing each other ... because I'd be grossed out if I had to watch them doing anything. To be brutally honest, even in real life, I find it aesthetically displeasing to watch a very, very fat person simply walk across a room — just like I'd find it distressing if I saw a very drunk person stumbling across a bar or a heroine addict slumping in a chair."  A sentence later she says "Don't get me wrong..."  So the problem lies here that by making it seem like overweight people are undeserving of not only love, but anything really unless they lose weight, the "male gaze" subsequenly is further encouraged with images in media of what is a more socially acceptable body type.  Because these people may be more "aesthetically displeasing" to look at to her and others arguably, it diminishes what is the common perception of regularly shown heterosexual couples on television.  Therefore, a fetishistic view within scopephielia is not possible, and further encouraged.  What bothers me is the fact that she is truly ignorant to many issues going on in America, including the present "food deserts" in certain underprivileged communities.  She states that overweight people should simply get up and get moving, buy healthy food, and "stand" as much as possible.  She is not aware though, that many times the socioeconomic status and location of individuals does not allow for this, because if a grocery store is not present within a 10 mile radius, chances are a gym isn't either.  She may be lucky to be able to attend a gym in her high society fashion editor life style, but it is not fair to ignorantly publish an article pertaining to only a fraction of the population that can allow for the luxuries of the gym and healthy eating. 

Read more: Mike and Molly Show - Overweight Couples on Television - Marie Claire

I Used to Be Fat

After watching this episode of I Used to Be Fat, on MTV I couldn't help but notice the strong gender roles that take place. In the American Society, the media tells us that being fat is undesirable, gross, and lazy. To be thin is to be beautiful and anything other than a supermodel is still looked down upon. For obese individuals such as this kid Tanner, there is a huge stigma and an "I need to change before I'm worth it" mentality built up. Many shows on MTV push societal norms onto teenagers and set the trend for what's acceptable and what is not. This show especially spells out what media often tries to present upon American culture in a huge way. Being fat, makes you less of a person and therefore not worthy of happiness until you reach the acceptable weight or 'look'. Hegemony plays a part in this video as the dominant class (thin) is socially accepted therefore put those who are overweight into an inferior category and are looked down upon. In all, it’s important to stay healthy and take care of yourself, but one can’t help but notice the added pressures from the media to look a certain way in order to be accepted.