Full Figured Women On TV (My daily Rant)

NomNomCupcakes

What about Christine from Yes Dear?? She was pretty full figured in my opinion.
But then again she was married to Jimmy who wasn't all that skinny either...

gonzang

Thanks for brining up this topic. I can't say anything that hasn't already been said. But I wonder what you think of Mike and Molly. I don't like the show much because the writing is one note (as most sitcom writing is). However, the actress Melissa McCarthy is fantastic as Molly. She's fantastic in all her roles (Gilmore Girls, Bridesmaids).

AmyMK

This is why I love Mad Men. Christina Hendricks' character is a full figured woman, men find her hot, she knows she's hot, and it's just really nice to see once in a while.

I love Christina Hendricks - a body like her's is what a hope to have one day...maybe a bit smaller in the chest though lol

beccyleigh

google the uk tv show miranda, she is lumpy, very tall, graceless, a bit ugly, funny as hell & her love interest is a very attractive man. helps that she writes the show though so gets to chose. lol

30yearssincebikini

Haha, it's funny you mentioned that. I used to always think it was funny how George on Seinfeld always got these amazing hot girlfriends all the time. Like, in real life, there would be no way!!

Carl01

While we're at it, why are so many men portrayed as complete idiots? King of Queens is a good example ... The husband couldn't make it a day without his 'hot wife' ... why? It's like Homer Simpson in the flesh ... why can't there be more shows that portray a couple that respects each others' strengths and weaknesses, and uses them to be awesome, good people??

I don't watch a lot of television because I think the average prime time television show sucks *kitten*.

Political correctness from Hollywood trying to make amends for a male dominated society.
It is not reflective on reality but prescriptive as how they think things should be or to get even for their perception of men as domineering ogres.

cryspetstalerson

I would love to see more full figured models. Ones that are good role models. Or if they are going to be skinny, please make them a healthy skinny like some of the older movie stars.

carlie_carl

I like this post, I agree with it, although, Doug Heffernan gave guys like me hope lol

dmpizza

If you don't like what you see, make your own show.

castadiva

On sitcoms big guys always have skinny wives (King Of Queens, According To Jim, and so one) I mean every time there is a plus size female character her husband is just as big (Rosanne, Mike & Molly) or in the case of Drop Dead Diva the full figured character is really a skinny model who dies and is returned to life stuck in the body of a big girl (Ouch)

Does anyone else find the unequal prejudice in this trend profoundly irritating? The message I get from this is that it doesn't matter if a man is big - he can still find himself a "hot wife". However, if a woman is big, she will never have a conventionally 'hot' husband, but will have to 'make do' or 'settle' with someone of an equal size to her - that's if she can find a boyfirend/partner/husband at all!

Sianarella

Ok but what about shows where thin attractive women are treated like they are fat and ugly? I am thinking of Liz Lemon on 30 Rock and Dee on Always Sunny in Philidelphia. It's weird.

With 30 Rock there was also the 'Me want food' thing when Jenna 'got fat'

Sianarella

This is why I love Mad Men. Christina Hendricks' character is a full figured woman, men find her hot, she knows she's hot, and it's just really nice to see once in a while.

I love Christina Hendricks - a body like her's is what a hope to have one day...maybe a bit smaller in the chest though lol

Did you ever see Firefly? Christina Hendricks was in that as a guest star and she was really thin. I was shocked to see her in Mad Men and all curvy.

Bahet

I get more irked by women on TV in the news than on sitcoms. Yes, the fat man/hot wife thing is annoying. Has there EVER been a show with a ft, average looking wife and a hot, thin husband? Drop Dead Diva is probably the closest with some of the guys she's dated. (I also love that show!) But on the news it's supposed to be about professionalism and intelligence. You need people who can do more than read a script but can actually understand what they are talking about. Fox "News" is the worst. The men are people like Rush and Beck and there are so many thin young blonde women that I can't keep them straight (of course I don't watch that "news" as I prefer facts over rhetoric but that's a different topic.) My parents came to visit recently and my dad watched it. I was actually a bit confused because the same woman seemed to work 24/7. In reality it was different women, the just all followed the same formula.

Our local news has some pretty women, some cute guys, some older, average weight women and some older average weight guys. I love it. It's like watching actual people rather than someone who was hired for her looks co-anchoring with someone who was hired for his intelligence and talent.

MaximalLife

Art reflects life.
People see enough fat ladies in real life; few want to see it on TV. If that was in demand, we'd have more, but it is NOT.
And dumpy, pear shapes guys like to believe they could all end up with a hottie - not the chubby girl down the block.
That's reality.

And that is why I do not watch TV - haven't in years.

sunkisses

(Edited to say: the post above mine is the exact same thing I'm saying, but in MUUUUUCH fewer words, if you don't feel like reading so much )

One of the many reasons I don't watch television.

I had to research something similar in college and, what fuels "what sells" is actually whatever marketing people think men want based on what has sold in the past. Men are still socially considered the breadwinners, household financial decision-makers, etc. While *you* may like plus-sized women, plus-sized women don't "sell" ad spots /commercials the same way that the thinner women do (or, more precisely, a well-defined waist-to-hip ratio). And what "sells" to men is sex. Take Axe ads, which notoriously have women in them despite not being products made for women, for example.

Marketers are selling a lifestyle to men most of the time. While marketers are taking into account that women are changing the face of tv advertising drastically, it's still not the norm. Marketers are trying to make the most money based on a system that has worked for decades.

Who watched Roseanne? Mostly women. While some men found her funny/cool, the show was about a woman's life. Therefore it could have a plus-sized character because marketers were trying to capture women's attention, not men's. They were also playing on the opposite of the norm or stereotypes to catch audiences with "something different" even though Americans were increasingly overweight then and we know that socially it is normal. It was still "different" to television to see the average American NOT pitching a fantasy lifestyle then.

So the "hot wife" (to the majority) is placed in a tv show that's geared toward men because that is what marketers have found best captures the male attention. When something is being sold to women, things change. We're not as easy to pin down. Sex doesn't sell to us, but being sexy does. Plus-sized female characters are used for different things (to be different, to round out a cast and include everyone, etc.). There's a lot more psychology involved than meets the eye.

Bronx_Montgomery

You are absolutely right. I noticed a lot with television as well that the characters who are over weight are always the butt of the joke and / or something is always said about them over eating or always feeling hungry. I think that is just we have grown up as a society. Not that its right but its been around for decades. I mean just take a look at a movie classic The Goonies. The fat kid is called Chunk and he does the truffle shuffle which is him squeezing his belly fat and shaking it around.

Kona54

I understand what you are saying BUT you have to remember that all the extra FAT causes DISEASES!!!! yes women should not be scary skinny but they need to be close to their height/weight..there is a good reason for that....YOU live LONGER..cardiovascular disease strikes people overweight...I am a middle aged women and I hear all the time that people I went to school with are dieing way way too young....diabetes has also increased.....My niece is a massage therapist..she makes all her clients fill out a medical record of the meds they take..she tells me how bad it is...that most PEOPLE are taking LOTS of MEDS!!!!!..I don't want to be among the NORMAL that take MEDS..so I am doing something about it..

Yes curves are nice..but fat is fat..and it makes you SICK!!!!!!!!

UsedToBeHusky

That is why I am such a big fan of Allison Sweeney (Biggest Loser's host and Days of Our Lives character). When she first started in the soap, she was 16 or 17 and she was a big girl. Later, she changed her lifestyle so that she could have a figure more like her co-workers, but if you ever look at her, she really is a full-figured woman. She just wears it right. I hope I look like her when I finally lose all of my weight.

BTW... looking at your ticker, you and your lady make a VERY cute couple!! :happy:

shadowkitty22

I was totally thinking that this morning as I was catching up on some tv. I even sent a text to my friend saying that while I don't actually want to be as skinny as them, I wish that the women on tv were bigger than a size 2. The vast majority of women are not a size 2, and while seeing them be all stick thin on tv doesn't make me feel bad about myself (I actually was thinking about how easily they could break with their twig legs) I just don't think it would hurt if there were women who wore size 10s or 12s on the tv. *Gasp* I know! The scandal of a double digit figured woman on tv.

Hell I'm not even hoping to get down into single digit clothing when all is said and done at the end of my weight loss journey. I'm aware of my body and it's shape. Even at my lowest weight that I can remember myself being in high school, I was still a double digit girl. I just want to be that again.

Now attractive half naked males on the other hand...I could do with more of them gracing my tv screen. Haha

Bigmomma0u812

I hear your rant. It would be nice if we could find different sizes attractive. Everyone tries to pretend like all the sizes are nice but I've lived a life of holding belly fat in the middle. Normal sized legs and arms and I've always heard "your wrists are so little, or your legs and butt are soo small, can't you just do some sit ups". Its clear to me that all sizes are not attractive as nobody cares what the face looks like. I think you had a good rant though, very nice and respectful.

Anyhow, that being said. I have a tv morning anchor that looks chubby and I was thinking, yay, a chubby girl represented on the news. She came to one of our schools for an interview, NOPE, she's tiny. WHAT, she looked really chubby on tv and here she is a very small woman. Sometimes you just don't know.

cryspetstalerson

I understand what you are saying BUT you have to remember that all the extra FAT causes DISEASES!!!! yes women should not be scary skinny but they need to be close to their height/weight..there is a good reason for that....YOU live LONGER..cardiovascular disease strikes people overweight...I am a middle aged women and I hear all the time that people I went to school with are dieing way way too young....diabetes has also increased.....My niece is a massage therapist..she makes all her clients fill out a medical record of the meds they take..she tells me how bad it is...that most PEOPLE are taking LOTS of MEDS!!!!!..I don't want to be among the NORMAL that take MEDS..so I am doing something about it..

Yes curves are nice..but fat is fat..and it makes you SICK!!!!!!!!

But you can be full figured, and not be "fat" .. There is a difference in the two terms.

castadiva

I understand what you are saying BUT you have to remember that all the extra FAT causes DISEASES!!!! yes women should not be scary skinny but they need to be close to their height/weight..there is a good reason for that....YOU live LONGER..cardiovascular disease strikes people overweight...I am a middle aged women and I hear all the time that people I went to school with are dieing way way too young....diabetes has also increased.....My niece is a massage therapist..she makes all her clients fill out a medical record of the meds they take..she tells me how bad it is...that most PEOPLE are taking LOTS of MEDS!!!!!..I don't want to be among the NORMAL that take MEDS..so I am doing something about it..

Yes curves are nice..but fat is fat..and it makes you SICK!!!!!!!!

But you can be full figured, and not be "fat" .. There is a difference in the two terms.

Or, heaven forbid, of a large build, rather that simply 'fat'. Even if I were skin and bones, I'd still be a US 12-14 (UK 14-16) - that's the way I, and many other women are built.

cryspetstalerson

I understand what you are saying BUT you have to remember that all the extra FAT causes DISEASES!!!! yes women should not be scary skinny but they need to be close to their height/weight..there is a good reason for that....YOU live LONGER..cardiovascular disease strikes people overweight...I am a middle aged women and I hear all the time that people I went to school with are dieing way way too young....diabetes has also increased.....My niece is a massage therapist..she makes all her clients fill out a medical record of the meds they take..she tells me how bad it is...that most PEOPLE are taking LOTS of MEDS!!!!!..I don't want to be among the NORMAL that take MEDS..so I am doing something about it..

Yes curves are nice..but fat is fat..and it makes you SICK!!!!!!!!

But you can be full figured, and not be "fat" .. There is a difference in the two terms.

Or, heaven forbid, of a large build, rather that simply 'fat'. Even if I were skin and bones, I'd still be a US 12-14 (UK 14-16) - that's the way I, and many other women are built.

Exactly!!! Full- figured women are normally not overweight, they just as healthy as women who are skinnier and are on a balanced diet.

UsedToBeHusky

I understand what you are saying BUT you have to remember that all the extra FAT causes DISEASES!!!! yes women should not be scary skinny but they need to be close to their height/weight..there is a good reason for that....YOU live LONGER..cardiovascular disease strikes people overweight...I am a middle aged women and I hear all the time that people I went to school with are dieing way way too young....diabetes has also increased.....My niece is a massage therapist..she makes all her clients fill out a medical record of the meds they take..she tells me how bad it is...that most PEOPLE are taking LOTS of MEDS!!!!!..I don't want to be among the NORMAL that take MEDS..so I am doing something about it..

Yes curves are nice..but fat is fat..and it makes you SICK!!!!!!!!

But you can be full figured, and not be "fat" .. There is a difference in the two terms.

Or, heaven forbid, of a large build, rather that simply 'fat'. Even if I were skin and bones, I'd still be a US 12-14 (UK 14-16) - that's the way I, and many other women are built.

I am just under 6" tall and slightly big-boned. There is no way I'll ever be less than a size 12.

Amy911Gray

Here's the reality....

In the work environment, there are employers that look to men that are carrying extra weight to be more adaptable to work, whereas women that are carrying extra weight are looked upon as lazy and incompetent and not smart.

Here's an example...A man weighing at least 275 pounds looked at me up and down, glanced at my resume and told me I had no leadership skills. He also said that I could not sit for 20 hours on an airplane and that I would not be able to keep up with the work load the job required. The job I might add was two steps down from where I had been and I had all of the qualifications of the job. And yes, I turned him in to HR for wasting my time. There were quite a few interviews like this so it really wasn't a one time thing. I even had a lady do it as well.

So you tell me, if he could sit for 20 hours on an airplane at 275, why couldn't I do it at 245?

Television portrays real life, and you can see that by watching old shows. Most characters were smokers in the 70's and now they are few and far between. Same with drinking, same with speeding...

So when you watch television news, you are more likely to see men on the heavier side--the size portrays leadership and experience. The women are skinny--which portrays self-control, attention to detail, and smart about their lifestyle so you trust them more.

With that being said, I would much prefer the leadership skills of "Molly" over "Ally McBeal". Rant complete.

cryspetstalerson

I understand what you are saying BUT you have to remember that all the extra FAT causes DISEASES!!!! yes women should not be scary skinny but they need to be close to their height/weight..there is a good reason for that....YOU live LONGER..cardiovascular disease strikes people overweight...I am a middle aged women and I hear all the time that people I went to school with are dieing way way too young....diabetes has also increased.....My niece is a massage therapist..she makes all her clients fill out a medical record of the meds they take..she tells me how bad it is...that most PEOPLE are taking LOTS of MEDS!!!!!..I don't want to be among the NORMAL that take MEDS..so I am doing something about it..

Yes curves are nice..but fat is fat..and it makes you SICK!!!!!!!!

But you can be full figured, and not be "fat" .. There is a difference in the two terms.

Or, heaven forbid, of a large build, rather that simply 'fat'. Even if I were skin and bones, I'd still be a US 12-14 (UK 14-16) - that's the way I, and many other women are built.

I am just under 6" tall and slightly big-boned. There is no way I'll ever be less than a size 12.

I am 5ft 7. I am sure I will lose weight, but will I ever be a size 8 or below? Prob not. I can't weight to lose weight, because I want to be a healthy full figure.

mblanchard0625

I think there is a lot of pressure in Hollywood. Everyone wants to be the next Jennifer Aniston, or Megan Fox. Look at Jennifer Hudson, she was once a curvy woman that many people could relate to. Now she is a spokesperson for Weight Watchers. I'm sure that had part to do with health, and a big part to do with being in the spotlight. Don't get me wrong, she is beautiful either way, and an inspiration.

MaximalLife

Here's the reality....

In the work environment, there are employers that look to men that are carrying extra weight to be more adaptable to work, whereas women that are carrying extra weight are looked upon as lazy and incompetent and not smart.

Not in our work place.
We just do not hire obese people, smokers or unfit men or women - period.
Our bodies are the one thing we have complete control of, and if a person can't master that, they're not the right fit for our work culture. We only want can-do, result oriented associates who have ownership of their life and health.
People don't realize how much health reflects professionalism.

It sounds so mean, but this goes on everywhere, and it's not just who's last to be team picked on the playground.
The bias in instant.

mblanchard0625

While we're at it, why are so many men portrayed as complete idiots? King of Queens is a good example ... The husband couldn't make it a day without his 'hot wife' ... why? It's like Homer Simpson in the flesh ... why can't there be more shows that portray a couple that respects each others' strengths and weaknesses, and uses them to be awesome, good people??

I don't watch a lot of television because I think the average prime time television show sucks *kitten*.

That show was called 7th Heaven

cryspetstalerson

While we're at it, why are so many men portrayed as complete idiots? King of Queens is a good example ... The husband couldn't make it a day without his 'hot wife' ... why? It's like Homer Simpson in the flesh ... why can't there be more shows that portray a couple that respects each others' strengths and weaknesses, and uses them to be awesome, good people??

I don't watch a lot of television because I think the average prime time television show sucks *kitten*.

That show was called 7th Heaven

I loved that show!!