Weight Bias and Discrimination Through Movies - Essay Example

Weight Bias and Discrimination through Movies Weight bias and discrimination has increasingly become rampant in society and this has created a situation where it is likely to be the next prominent civil rights issue. While this has been the case, the film industry has attempted to deal with weigh bias through the production of films designed to help in the development of acceptance for overweight people. These films have been designed to ensure that overweight people in society are given the respect that they deserve and that they are able to live their lives to the fullest without the stigma that is normally attached to their condition. This paper seeks to show that despite the good intentions behind the making of films about overweight individuals, these films have ended up having the opposite effect and this has been to the detriment of fat individuals. Most films that are made about weight gain are not made with the intention of bringing about fat bias, but in most cases, this is what they end up doing. This is especially the case with the documentary Super Size Me, whose original attempt was to show the harmful nature of McDonald’s entire menu (Laurance). While this may have been the intention, the physical and mental stress that the author of the documentary underwent can be considered to be a source of fat bias because it ensured that the image of fat people within the society was completely distorted. This is especially the case in situations where the depression that he developed was blamed on his weight gain and this might be considered to be stigmatic towards fat people. It is essential to note that for the most part, fat people tend to be extremely conscious of their image and in a film such as Super Size Me, the author ends up implying that it is wrong to be fat. The result of such implication is that it makes it difficult for fat people to have the necessary self-esteem which will provide them with the confidence to live their lives normally and to be accepted by their societies. When such films as Super Sized Me are shown, they end up influencing their audiences and this creates a situation where these individuals come to unconsciously discriminate against fat people. This is especially the case where instead of treating fat people normally, individuals come to avoid them or look at them with pity (Wigton and McGaghie 262). Such pity and being treated as outsiders is detrimental to the mental health of fat people because they end up feeling out of place and not as a part of society. a serious lack of self esteem can be considered to come about as a result of films that unintentionally portray fat people in a negative manner and this makes it extremely difficult for them to avoid the stigma that comes about because of the way they look. In such situations, films end up having a negative influence on the public concerning fat people and it is these that make weight bias and discrimination possible in society. The representations of fat characters in films are a great contributor to the manner in which weight discrimination develops in society. This is especially the case where in such films as Nutty Professor, the characters are portrayed in a manner that depicts them as being gross and their fatness being a hindrance to their being active members of society. It should be noted that despite the good intentions that the filmmakers have about films concerning fat characters, there develops a situation where the audience ends up only being interested in the way that the characters behave or look rather than concentrating on the themes in the story (Puhl and Brownell 788). Moreover, the audience has come to be so influenced by the ideal of perfection which considers slim or muscular bodies to be beautiful, that it has become common for them not to take any films depicting fat people seriously. In addition, most films that depict fat people tend to be comedies and this creates a situation where the audience is treated to a laugh at the expense of the fat character and as a result, they do not get the opportunity to ensure that they become conscious of the message behind the comedy. Without their taking way any lessons, it becomes difficult for any films depicting fat people to send out the message that fat people are normal individuals who should not be discriminated against. The lack of seriousness in films depicting fat people, especially in Nutty Professor and Fat Albert, ensures that these films continue to propagate the stereotype concerning fat people that they are generally easygoing, food-addicts who, because of their weight cannot have their feelings hurt. The lack of accurate representations of fat people on film can be considered to be a contributor of the negativity towards them has become prominent in society (Brown and Thompson 535). Films such as Nutty Professor, which depict the main character as an overweight and bumbling individual who farts a lot is a major contributor to the negative image that plagues fat people on a daily basis because it is as a result of such images that it becomes difficult for there to be any accuracy about the true nature of fat people. The inability of films to show any sensitivity towards fat people and their attempt to depict them as different from the rest of society ends up reinforcing the stigma that fat people have to endure on a daily basis. Film reviews have also become spots where the bias against fat people is increasingly becoming rampant especially in situations where they involve fat actresses. Fat actresses have ended up being referred to in derogatory terms by film reviewers and this has created a situation where the stereotypes have come to be imposed on other fat people. Despite the films involving fat actresses tend to be very good, exploring diverse themes and storylines which are essential in ensuring that fat people are seen as having the same feelings and character as other people in society, film reviews tend to forget about the content and instead focus on the actors. Films based on fat people end up creating a situation where the society comes to believe that it is fine to make fun on fat people and this is normally as a result of some of the depictions made on these films (Puhl, Andreyeva, and Brownell 1129). Therefore, in reviews it has become the norm for individuals within society to make the actors the butt of jokes especially based on their overweight or obese condition. Not only does this make the problem within society worse, but it also increases the incidents of weight discrimination since fat people end up becoming victims of the same films that were designed to bring about an understanding of them to the audience. Instead of reviews focusing on films and the storylines within them, they end up giving too much focus on the fat actresses and this is usually because these individuals always stand out as a result of their weight. The end result is that people in society become obsessed with pointing out the negative aspects of the actresses’ physique rather than appreciating their talent in dealing with complexities of emotions as well as being able to handle quite difficult parts in the films. The negativity that comes about as a result of these reviews is a constant reminder that being fat or overweight is considered to be a bad thing in society and this has made it difficult for fat people to attain full acceptance. Fat people being looked upon with pity or being the subjects of jokes as a result of the influence of films on society has made it important for the development of a new movement designed to ensure that their rights are protected so that they can live in dignity. This discussion has sought to show that despite the good intentions behind the making of films about overweight individuals, these films have ended up having the opposite effect and this has been to the detriment of fat individuals. One argument that has been made it that most films that are made about weight gain are not made with the intention of bringing about fat bias, but in most cases, this is what they end up doing, and an example of Super Sized Me has been given. Moreover, an argument has been raised that the representations of fat characters in films are a great contributor to the manner in which weight discrimination develops in society. Furthermore, film reviews have also become spots where the bias against fat people is increasingly becoming rampant especially in situations where they involve fat actresses. Therefore, it has become essential that filmmakers have to take into consideration the effects of their films on fat people have on society and ensure that they take steps to help in the development of a better attitude towards people who are overweight. This is the only way through which it will be possible to bring weight bias and discrimination in society to an end and allow fat people an equal opportunity to other members of society. Works Cited Brown, Ian and Thompson, Joanne. “Primary care nurses’ attitudes, beliefs and own body size in relation to obesity management.” Journal of Advanced Nursing, 60.5 (2007): 535–543.Print Laurance, Jeremy. "Fast food is addictive in same way as drugs, say scientists." The Independent, 30 January 2003. Print Puhl, Rebecca.M. and Brownell, K.D. “Bias, discrimination, and obesity.” Obes Res, 9 (2001): 788–905. Print Puhl, Rebecca, Andreyeva, Tatiana, and Brownell, Kelly. “Changes in Perceived Weight Discrimination Among Americans, 1995–1996 Through 2004–2006.” Obesity, 16.5 (2008): 1129 – 1134. Print Wigton, Robert S. and McGaghie, William C. “The effect of obesity on medical students approach to patients with abdominal pain.” J Gen Intern Med, 16 (2001): 262–265. Print Read More