Size Matters

Interesting. Very interesting. Not sure how i feel about this question. I mean, I don't think that shows should necessarily have quotas for overweight people, because that's just silly. On the other hand, folks are insecure about their own body images and seeing only skinny plastic people on TV and in the media just makes things even worse. What I have noticed, and maybe I am just missing something major, is that folks on TV are often either way skinny or sizably big - like the extremes are often represented, but most of us people are somewhere in the middle. Jordan Sparks, for example, is neither skinny nor fat. She is a realistic and healthy size (although good lord I heard something about people calling her obese and got pretty upset). The chick from Grey's Anatomy that is dating T. Knight's character is a healthy size, and I remember seeing a healthy-looking lady on October Road (the bartender). I guess I would like to see more girls that look healthy, and that look like real people - curves and all. But to say that there aren't enough "people of size" on shows is too oversimplistic. Hmmm.

@Jen C:

Actually, probably a more significant question--which, to be fair, it seems like this group has also paid attention to--is how overweight people are portrayed; i.e., are they more often characterized as lazy, evil, etc.

That TV focuses on people who are considered conventionally attractive isn't shocking. (Especially among women; if you're Kevin James, you've got a better shot.) But a study on the kinds of portrayals would be more interesting than pure counting.

It's too bad they counted Ugly Betty in the less favorable category. While few in the cast are "people of size," the attitudes on the show about bodies and beauty and fashion are generally supportive of diverse shapes and appearances. When was the last time the title character of a show was an adult woman with braces?

24 would have done better last season... at least until poor, pathetic Edgar was killed.

Overweight people do tend to get kicked around a lot on the tube (awful representation of the overweight is a big part of why I don't watch Family Guy anymore), though I think going so far as to call them "Persons of Size" and then complain about their lack of representation in prime time seems absurdly oversensitive and naïve. Of course you're not going to see many shows parading fat people on prime time TV; advertisers want to pay money for pretty people, because viewers want to watch pretty people.

Overweight people are just that: overweight. It's not a condition anyone strives for, and it's not ideal from a health standpoint. I'm about 20+ pounds overweight myself, but I don't connect with over "Persons of size" like we belong to some race or religion or exclusive club. In fact, this is a club from which most people want out.

One show that deserves special recognition for its handling of obesity: Lost. Hugo "Hurley" Reyes (played by the undeniably obese Jorge Garcia) has played a major role in the series for the entirety of its three-year run, and the story, coupled his acting, addresses the issue of his weight with the maturity and complexity it deserves.

Conversely, does anyone remember that FX dramedy of a couple years back, Starved? That certainly didn't help matters.

There are two points to consider. Research shows that overweight people are one of the few groups which may be acceptable to people to stereotype negatively and have prejudices towards. In and of itself, a group that addresses negative stereotypes and prejudice is a good thing. However, it doesn't seem like that this was that groups intent. Rather it seems like they were complaining that "people of size" (what an inane term) are not present on TV shows. Moreover, obesity is not a static condition like race or sexual orientation (in fact this is also the reason why people may be comfortable stereotyping overweight people).

There is also the health issue. Being 20+ pounds overweight (excepting athletes for whom weight must be balanced with muscle mass) is an objectively unhealthy existence. Current medical practice leans towards putting obesity in stark but fair terms when dealing with patients, including children.

As an aside, I've come to dislike the Biggest Loser because it doesn't show people how to lose weight in their daily lives, but rather takes them out of their lives. Granted it tries to give them tools for daily living, but when you look at the contestants a year or two after the show, most have gained back at least some weight.

However...isn't America Ferrera just incredibly cute? Same goes for Kelly Clarkson.

Hey folks - thanks for considering this issue. TV reflects life and we just want to be a part of that.

Do you think adding diversity could make a better show for both fans and advertisers?

Actors like Angus Jones/Conchatta Ferrell (Two and Half Men), Camryn Manheim (Ghost Whisperer), and Edward Herman/Melissa McCarthy/Sally Struthers (Gilmore Girls) all made those shows better. And even though many of these roles were minor, we were glad to see ‘em.

Yeah we also love to watch shows like CSI NY, Ugly Betty, and 24. But with barely one person of size in casts of about 20, it sure looks like discrimination. (and that’s week after week after week after week).

If you’re inclined, watch a rerun and let us know if you’re seeing something we’re not.

We’re hoping that opening a dialog with show producers and networks will make them aware of the issue and maybe consider expanding their casting plans. Yeah maybe it’s naïve to think we can change things – but we’re gonna try anyway. Join us if you believe in our mission.

Thanks - peter

Peter,

The thing to keep in mind is that TV does not reflect life. If you want life reflected, you need to watch a documentary or a nature film.

I would argue that the actors you list didn't make the shows better because they're overweight, rather they make the shows better because they are top-notch actors/actresses.

Quite frankly, what you're requesting is likely asking a show setting in 10th centure France to include more African-Americans. It's a little out of place. The shows need to hire the best actors for the job. This is especially true with Ugly Betty, a show about "pretty people." That's what makes Ugly Betty interesting.

Also, having been the fat kid myself, I'm concerned about the problem of obesity in children and their future health. While it's important to not denigrate them, it needs to be made clear that being overweight is bad for them.

@Peter:

First, thanks for posting here. If you're still reading...

"Yeah we also love to watch shows like CSI NY, Ugly Betty, and 24. But with barely one person of size in casts of about 20, it sure looks like discrimination. (and that’s week after week after week after week).
If you’re inclined, watch a rerun and let us know if you’re seeing something we’re not..."

To take Ugly Betty for one, I'd love to hear you address the excellent point by Not Penny's Boat (if I may paraphrase): yes, the show has very few overweight people, precisely because it is set at a fashion magazine run by people obsessed with physical appearance. But it is also overtly concerned with superficial standards of beauty, as much as any TV show ever has been. The few characters who don't meet the physical ideal--e.g., Betty and her pal in the wardrobe department--are the most sympathetic and relatable characterrs on the show. If anything, one's likeability on Ugly Betty is inversely proportional to how conventionally beautiful one is.

Any worthwhile assessment of how the show treats body image would have to take this into account, in a way that simple counting can't, wouldn't you agree?

@james

Boy – I hear ya on that. And thanks for inviting me to respond. “Ugly Betty” was a big dilemma for us. First as you say they do a valiant job of letting the average folk be the hero, and second – we love America Ferrera and her character Betty so much that we really wanted to consider her of size.

We asked our site visitors specifically about Betty and the results all suggested that while everyone loves her – she’s not a person of size. If you check out our “on the street” interview video you can see the painful conflicted look one person had when coming to the conclusion that although the show sometimes pads Betty with frumpy clothing, she is not of size.

With that assumption made, the show almost completely excludes people of size. We monitored 13 episodes with a total of 256 speaking roles and found ONLY 10 people of size. Nine of the ten were judged to be small parts – just coming in for a line or two and having little to do with the central storyline. And most of the roles were middle of the road when it came to negative size stereotypes – 8 of the 10 neither reflected nor refuted stereotypes. (Characters like Miranda Baily (Chandra Wilson) on Grey’s Anatomy and Sookie (Milissa McCarthy) on Gilmore Girls often scored extra points by going against stereotype).

Stats like those warrant a failing grade. We did not give it extra points for any messages it sends (such as acceptance of everyday types) because adding that would cloud the grade. People interpret themes differently for shows and even more for each episode. And body image especially carries lots of mixed and conflicting ideologies. To ask our auditors and users to adjust the grade for themes and issue that don’t deal with size would muck it all up.

For example – how many extra points would we give “Friday Night Lights”. They really pushed the norms with a wheelchair enabled lead character. (played wonderfully by Scott Porter - formerly of "Altar Boyz" Off-Broadway in NYC - yah). But then do you take away points from the grade for using an actor who does not need a wheelchair? Judging themes get sticky. That’s why we kept it simple - presence of people of size, issues of size, and negative size stereotypes.

So look – I love “Ugly Betty” so much – let’s give ‘em a bump. So they go from an F to maybe a D+. That still leaves a lot of room for improvement. So Selma – expect a call from us soon. We love the show and think your team does great job – we just hope there’s room for at least one or two more on the set ;-/

Aw mate! Political Correctness is getting curiouser and curioser!
I see a few issues here:

First, the corruption of the King's English - "persons of size"?!?! I assume you are talking about people who are overweight, so why not say that? What is an *underweight* person in your parlance? Or a person of *normal* (healthy) weight? They have sizes too... Obviously one can't use qualifiers such as "of less size" because then a fat person would have to be a person of "more size" - just "of size" doesn't have any modifying adjective, so I would be a "person of size" too, since I DO happen to have a size even though I'm not overweight.

Second, TV is pretty democratic. If lots of people watch a show, its ratings go up and advertisers reward that by buying lots of ads, thus ensuring the show's continuation. If no-one watches a show, it's got dismal ratings, no advertisers will support it, and it will die. Networks are concerned with profits, not social activism. So, obviously even though America has heaps of overweight people, those people like watching shows which feature physically attractive actors for the most point. If networks thought there was a quid to be made by producing a soapie featuring overweight people as fashionable magazine editors, ultra-cool detectives, sexy love-interests, etc, THEY WOULD DO IT IN A FLASH! TV shows are engineered to make money, and not necessarily to reflect the world in which most of us live.

What next, taxation agents or people who play "Dungeons and Dragons" or people with unfortunate hairstyles or with sideburns forming action groups and complaining of discrimination because they're not featured on TV dramas in the exact proportion in which they exist in society?

Third, being overweight or obese is a lifestyle choice (and an unhealthy one at that) unless you have some sort of extremely rare disease. Research consistantly shows that if one expends more kilojoules or calories than one takes in, one loses weight. If one eats healthy meals of reasonable proportion and takes enough exercise to burn calories and raise the metabolic rate, one can lose weight. It's not rocket science, it doesn't cost anything or require special skills...

Sitting in front of the boob tube watching popular TV shows over and over in order to count the number of speaking roles overweight people have so that you can get together with other overweight people to whinge about it seems like a goofy way to live.

Whether you're happy being overweight or not, accepting the fact that profit-based TV entertainment does not reflect the average person's reality, but what the biggest number of people will actually watch, might free up some of your time for more productive pursuits.

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