• About us
  • Community
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Contact Us
Saturday, June 10, 2023
  • Login
Dubai News TV - Dubai News
  • Home
  • UAE
    • Dubai
    • Sharjah
    • Abu Dhabi
    • Ajman
    • Ras Al Khaimah
    • Fujairah
    • Umm Al Quwain
  • REGION
    • Asia
    • South Asia
      • Pakistan
      • India
      • Bangladesh
      • Afghanistan
    • Middle East
    • GCC
    • MENA
    • Europe
    • Africa
  • Business
    • Global Business
    • Local Business
    • Markets
  • REAL ESTATE
  • Expo 2020
  • Meet The CEO
  • Horoscope
  • PR
  • more
    • Opinion
    • EDITOR’S CHOICE
    • The Big Read
    • Viewpoint
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • UAE
    • Dubai
    • Sharjah
    • Abu Dhabi
    • Ajman
    • Ras Al Khaimah
    • Fujairah
    • Umm Al Quwain
  • REGION
    • Asia
    • South Asia
      • Pakistan
      • India
      • Bangladesh
      • Afghanistan
    • Middle East
    • GCC
    • MENA
    • Europe
    • Africa
  • Business
    • Global Business
    • Local Business
    • Markets
  • REAL ESTATE
  • Expo 2020
  • Meet The CEO
  • Horoscope
  • PR
  • more
    • Opinion
    • EDITOR’S CHOICE
    • The Big Read
    • Viewpoint
No Result
View All Result
Dubai News
  • Top News
  • UAE
  • REGION
  • Business
  • World
  • REAL ESTATE
  • Entertainment
  • ENVIRONMENT
  • Expo 2020
  • FEATURED
  • Horoscope
  • Meet The CEO
  • Road To Financial Freedom
  • Opinion
  • PR
  • Sports
  • Tech
  • Video Posts
Home NEWS

In movies and TV, plus-size actresses finally assume leading roles

by Dubai News
March 17, 2019
in NEWS
161 3
2.3k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

NEW YORK: Long relegated to providing comic relief or playing supporting parts, plus-size actresses are finally getting their due with juicy front-and-center roles in a sign of shifting attitudes towards diverse body types.

New Hulu series “Shrill,” which debuted Friday and is adapted from the best-selling autobiography of Lindy West, is the latest example of studios willing to depart from the tried and tested formula of slender leading ladies who have dominated the small screen since its creation.

To be sure, curvy actresses like the Oscar-winning Octavia Spencer and Mo’Nique, or hip hop icon Queen Latifah, blazed an early trail starting more than decade back with a string of starring film and television roles.

In more recent years, Chrissy Metz has gotten attention for “This Is Us,” Danielle Macdonald starred in the Netflix movie “Dumplin’,” while in cinema, Rebel Wilson (“Pitch Perfect”) and Melissa McCarthy (“Spy,” “Ghostbusters”) have made themselves regular fixtures.

“I think the American public, and probably the public in general, is not used to seeing fat women on TV,” Aidy Bryant, the star of “Shrill” who has been a regular on late night comedy show “Saturday Night Live” recently told Elle magazine.

“I do think we are starting to see somewhat of a shift,” said Rebecca Puhl, a professor at the University of Connecticut where she is deputy director Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

Heavier actresses are also taking on new types of roles.

“In the past, people with obesity were often cast in more of that comedic role than a serious one,” said James Zervios, of the Obesity Action Coalition, which fights against weight bias.

“As of very recently, we have begun to see people with obesity, such as Chrissy Metz, cast in more dramatic roles.”

But, he adds, the progress is more marked for women than it is for men, who struggle to find leading roles outside of comedic performance.

According to Puhl, research conducted by her institution has found decades worth of evidence documenting weight stigma in the entertainment industry, where characters with a larger body size “are often ridiculed, depicted engaging in stereotypical behavior like eating or binge eating.

“They’re also less likely to be shown having positive social interaction,” she adds.

That bias is even more pronounced in children’s television, with large characters portrayed as “as being aggressive or antisocial or unfriendly.”

– Not there yet –

The phenomenon both mirrors and reinforces real word discrimination, adds Puhl, with studies showing that stigmatizing images in the media increase bias.

Today, Melissa McCarthy is one of the few plus-size actresses whose weight and physical appearance is barely remarked upon during a film.

For others, like Metz and Macdonald, their characters’ obesity may be commented on or are part of the wider story without dominating it.

In “Shrill,” Annie, played by Aidy Bryant, is constantly reminded of her obesity through a series of micro-aggressions in the opening scene.

But the show grows in its complexity, as Annie finds herself becoming increasingly comfortable in her skin despite the inability of others to look beyond her weight.

“In a lot of ways, this is a really traditional television show,” Bryant said in her Elle interview, adding: “It’s a girl with her job and her boss and her boyfriends and her friends.

“But the person at the center is the thing that makes it different. That point of view is what is important.”

Though recent developments suggest a step in the right direction, “I don’t think we’re all the way there yet,” said Puhl. “Diversity of body sizes needs to be just a standard part of what we see in the media.”

“We know that two thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese so it makes sense to see these people on screen.”


Share12Tweet6Share2Send
">
ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

Russian missiles and drones had a 90% failure rate in May and that cost the Kremlin $1.7 billion, Ukraine says
Military & Defense

Russian missiles and drones had a 90% failure rate in May and that cost the Kremlin $1.7 billion, Ukraine says

June 1, 2023
2.2k
Joe Manchin is set to get a big win out of the debt ceiling deal on a gas pipeline that Virginia Democrats and environmentalists hate
NEWS

Joe Manchin is set to get a big win out of the debt ceiling deal on a gas pipeline that Virginia Democrats and environmentalists hate

May 31, 2023
2.2k
Jeffrey Epstein was invited to editorial meetings with Scientific American's top editor, email records show
NEWS

Jeffrey Epstein was invited to editorial meetings with Scientific American’s top editor, email records show

May 31, 2023
2.2k
Wall Street's succession summer
NEWS

Wall Street’s succession summer

May 30, 2023
2.2k
The harness-wearing beluga whale believed to be a Russian spy has popped up in Sweden, puzzling scientists who noted he's traveling 'very quickly away from his natural environment'
Military & Defense

The harness-wearing beluga whale believed to be a Russian spy has popped up in Sweden, puzzling scientists who noted he’s traveling ‘very quickly away from his natural environment’

May 30, 2023
2.2k
UK experts are teaching Ukrainians to make can-sized bombs that can bring down buildings, report says
Military & Defense

UK experts are teaching Ukrainians to make can-sized bombs that can bring down buildings, report says

May 29, 2023
2.3k

Popular News

  • Dubai property market,zoom property

    Dubai property market continues its upward trajectory in H1 2022

    25 shares
    Share 287 Tweet 179
  • UAE remains top choice of investors as FDI inflows to hit $22 billion this year

    29 shares
    Share 429 Tweet 268
  • ‘Start-up guide for Funding’ to resolve financial woes of founders and entrepreneurs

    24 shares
    Share 404 Tweet 253
  • Investors to repose trust on UAE real estate market with more investments

    27 shares
    Share 247 Tweet 155
  • Pakistan: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, UAE Ambassador discuss bilateral economic ties

    27 shares
    Share 11 Tweet 7
  • Pakistan: Balochistan govt declares Gwadar as tax-free zone

    27 shares
    Share 11 Tweet 7
  • Shurooq announces ‘Ajwan’ residential project on Khorfakkan’s eastern coast

    32 shares
    Share 13 Tweet 8
  • Pakistan Association Dubai plans new initiatives for the community

    27 shares
    Share 11 Tweet 7
  • Abu Dhabi: Q Holding, Trojan General Contracting join forces to build 1742 villas

    26 shares
    Share 10 Tweet 7
  • Sheikh Mohammed offers condolences to Indians after Odisha train crash

    26 shares
    Share 10 Tweet 7
Currently Playing

Zoom Property Insights - How Expo 2020 is Shaping up the Dubai Property Market | Dubai News TV

Zoom Property Insights - How Expo 2020 is Shaping up the Dubai Property Market | Dubai News TV

00:03:34

Learn When is Best Time to invest in Real Estate Market

00:08:02

Managing Personal Liquidity in 7 Steps | Shailesh Dash | Dubai News TV

00:11:27

The World Plays The UAE National Anthem

00:02:13

Meet the CEO : BANKING ON RAJEEV KAKAR

00:25:20
United Arab Emirates Dirham Exchange Rate

About US

DubaiNews.Tv is a fast-growing Dubai-based digital platform that covers news, happenings and current affairs with a central focus on Dubai, UAE, Gulf, Middle East. It also features regional and international news activities in addition to exclusive reports, interviews and special videos.

[email protected]

[email protected]

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Abu Dhabi
  • Afghanistan
  • Africa
  • Ajman
  • Asia
  • Bangladesh
  • Business
  • CPEC
  • Dubai
  • EDITOR'S CHOICE
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • ENVIRONMENT
  • Europe
  • EXCLUSIVE
  • Expo 2020
  • FEATURED
  • Featured Stories
  • Forex
  • Fujairah
  • GCC
  • Global Business
  • Health
  • heath
  • Horoscope
  • India
  • International
  • Iran
  • Israel
  • Lifestyle
  • Local Business
  • Markets
  • Meet The CEO
  • Meet The Leader
  • MENA
  • Middle East
  • Military & Defense
  • MORE
  • NEWS
  • Opinion
  • Pakistan
  • Personal Finance
  • Philippine
  • Philippines
  • Politics
  • PR
  • Ras Al Khaimah
  • REAL ESTATE
  • REGION
  • Road To Financial Freedom
  • Russia
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Science
  • Sharjah
  • South Asia
  • Sports
  • Spotlight
  • Sri Lanka
  • Startup
  • STOCKS
  • Syria
  • Tech
  • The Big Read
  • Top News
  • Tourism
  • Travel
  • turkey
  • UAE
  • UK
  • Umm Al Quwain
  • Uncategorized
  • Video Posts
  • Viewpoint
  • Weather
  • World

Recent News

Three killed in Russian drone attack on Odesa overnight

June 10, 2023

UAE-Cambodia sign CEPA to double non-oil trade in five years

June 10, 2023
Pakistan’s youth icon & folk singer Tahir Abbas gets UAE’s Golden Visa

Pakistan’s youth icon & folk singer Tahir Abbas gets UAE’s Golden Visa

June 10, 2023
Trump took secret docs on nuclear and weapons programs: indictment

Trump took secret docs on nuclear and weapons programs: indictment

June 9, 2023
Pentagon announces $2bn Ukraine air defense package - World

Pentagon announces $2bn Ukraine air defense package – World

June 9, 2023
  • About us
  • Community
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Contact Us

© 2022 DNTV - Powered By Dubai News TV.

No Result
View All Result
  • Top News
  • UAE
    • Dubai
    • Abu Dhabi
    • Ajman
    • Fujairah
    • Ras Al Khaimah
    • Umm Al Quwain
  • REGION
    • Middle East
    • GCC
    • MENA
    • South Asia
      • Afghanistan
      • Bangladesh
      • India
      • Pakistan
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Europe
  • Business
    • Global Business
    • Local Business
    • Markets
  • World
  • REAL ESTATE
  • Entertainment
  • ENVIRONMENT
  • Expo 2020
  • FEATURED
    • Featured Stories
  • Horoscope
  • Meet The CEO
  • Road To Financial Freedom
  • Opinion
    • EDITOR’S CHOICE
    • The Big Read
    • Viewpoint
  • PR
  • Sports
  • Tech
  • Video Posts

© 2022 DNTV - Powered By Dubai News TV.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.