13 years
Fat suits
As I said there, I like them.
However, I also agree that it is silly to use them in movies when there is so many perfectly capable fat actors.
I think though, it is a more delicate issue then we realise. As an actor, I can imagine someone being told they are hired because they are fat could not be the greatest feeling if they aren't already secure in themselves. Most actors want to be hired because of thier skill and talent, even if thats not how it really works.
I know people will say that its no different to hiring someone cause they are tall or short or thin or different skin tone. But I think the film industry has this idea that rather then try a hit and miss approach of finding a comfortable fat person to be the butt of jokes in a movie, they'd rather just get a well known actor and make them up.
The same thing tends to happen with old characters these days, although to a lesser extent of course.
Personally, I think they are a poor way to portray fat people (not that fat people are portrayed well anyway.) But I also think they are a good way to show people what its like. Maybe i'm just fooling myself, but I can't see how one can spend time in a fat suit and then go and slag off fat people, I even read an article once where Paltrow went out down the road in the suit and was so shocked and disgusted at how she was treated that it left her in tears.
As a gainer though, I find the best way to have a well known actor play a fat character is to adopt the Bridget Jones method. I know Zellweger fought hard to lose what she gained, but she still gained as opposed to wear a fat suit, and I think that is an incredibly bold thing for an actor and a woman to do in this day and age.
tl;dr: Fat suits aren't the problem, they are just a way of avoiding the real problem, the treatment of fat people on screen.
However, I also agree that it is silly to use them in movies when there is so many perfectly capable fat actors.
I think though, it is a more delicate issue then we realise. As an actor, I can imagine someone being told they are hired because they are fat could not be the greatest feeling if they aren't already secure in themselves. Most actors want to be hired because of thier skill and talent, even if thats not how it really works.
I know people will say that its no different to hiring someone cause they are tall or short or thin or different skin tone. But I think the film industry has this idea that rather then try a hit and miss approach of finding a comfortable fat person to be the butt of jokes in a movie, they'd rather just get a well known actor and make them up.
The same thing tends to happen with old characters these days, although to a lesser extent of course.
Personally, I think they are a poor way to portray fat people (not that fat people are portrayed well anyway.) But I also think they are a good way to show people what its like. Maybe i'm just fooling myself, but I can't see how one can spend time in a fat suit and then go and slag off fat people, I even read an article once where Paltrow went out down the road in the suit and was so shocked and disgusted at how she was treated that it left her in tears.
As a gainer though, I find the best way to have a well known actor play a fat character is to adopt the Bridget Jones method. I know Zellweger fought hard to lose what she gained, but she still gained as opposed to wear a fat suit, and I think that is an incredibly bold thing for an actor and a woman to do in this day and age.
tl;dr: Fat suits aren't the problem, they are just a way of avoiding the real problem, the treatment of fat people on screen.
13 years
Fat suits
chubbyhoney wrote
I know I'm going slightly off-topic here, but what a huge shame that gaining a small amount of weight for a role is considered a bold and brave thing to do, it says so much about Hollywood's/the world's view of fat people.
Renee Zellweger is usually skeletal and you can see every bone, muscle and sinew on her fragile-looking frame. She usually looks dangerously underweight to me. Then she gains a couple of stones to play Bridget Jones which take her to a 'normal' weight for her height and she looks like dynamite! Yet everyone is talking about how she 'piled on the pounds' and 'fattened up' when she's done nothing of the sort. That scene where she walks into a garden party poured into in her little bunny outfit, the camera lingering on her bunny tail as goes, she looked fantastic! Then as soon as filming is finished, she goes back into starving and exercising to force her body back to that unatural shape. But if she'd stayed 'fat' (ie: very attractive at a 'normal' weight) she probably wouldn't play the leading lady again and get relegated to the 'fat' best friend roles. How very, very sad that such a powerful medium can constantly promote thin as beautiful and desirable and fat as completely unattractive and undesirable. It's so boring and I'm really tired of it.
Maximum wrote
As a gainer though, I find the best way to have a well known actor play a fat character is to adopt the Bridget Jones method. I know Zellweger fought hard to lose what she gained, but she still gained as opposed to wear a fat suit, and I think that is an incredibly bold thing for an actor and a woman to do in this day and age.
As a gainer though, I find the best way to have a well known actor play a fat character is to adopt the Bridget Jones method. I know Zellweger fought hard to lose what she gained, but she still gained as opposed to wear a fat suit, and I think that is an incredibly bold thing for an actor and a woman to do in this day and age.
I know I'm going slightly off-topic here, but what a huge shame that gaining a small amount of weight for a role is considered a bold and brave thing to do, it says so much about Hollywood's/the world's view of fat people.
Renee Zellweger is usually skeletal and you can see every bone, muscle and sinew on her fragile-looking frame. She usually looks dangerously underweight to me. Then she gains a couple of stones to play Bridget Jones which take her to a 'normal' weight for her height and she looks like dynamite! Yet everyone is talking about how she 'piled on the pounds' and 'fattened up' when she's done nothing of the sort. That scene where she walks into a garden party poured into in her little bunny outfit, the camera lingering on her bunny tail as goes, she looked fantastic! Then as soon as filming is finished, she goes back into starving and exercising to force her body back to that unatural shape. But if she'd stayed 'fat' (ie: very attractive at a 'normal' weight) she probably wouldn't play the leading lady again and get relegated to the 'fat' best friend roles. How very, very sad that such a powerful medium can constantly promote thin as beautiful and desirable and fat as completely unattractive and undesirable. It's so boring and I'm really tired of it.
I agree, mostly anyway lol. I always hoped that she would realise how sexy she is at that size and just not bother to lose it, she is so skinny normally that it is really unattractive when compared to "Bridget Jones".
I also agree she didn't really get fat, more like borderline chubby. But you really shouldn't get down over the fact that the world is like that.
Hollywood is what it is, and like it or not, it dictates alot of societal norms. Sure its not such a big deal for us the gain she did, but for the rest of the world it is and its small steps like that, which lead things in the right direction.
At any rate, an actor willing to gain several real pounds for a role and look like a normal person on screen does more for fat acceptance then films like Shallow Hal and Big Mommas House do, i.e. using fat suits.
13 years