So I'm watching and she is in LA and goes for an audition for an acting role. At the last minute they ask her to read for a different role, the character in question is a larger woman, and Kierra (who had a previous negative experience with an acting audition that was weight related (she was much larger)) is worried that she is going to always be typecast as the fat girl. So she says she needs to work out in order to avoid being typecast.
I get that, I'm not deluded about society and the pressures put upon people to confirm and be aesthetically pleasing, and for particular jobs you do need to fit a certain mould.
But god I'm annoyed! Why can't leading ladies be fat and not always fall into the stereotypical fat character? Why can't writers write characters whose strength and humour is not grounded in their appearance?
As a writer and a fat person I feel like I have failed myself.
When your physical appearance doesn't win you friends, open doors for you or get you preferential treatment then you have to dig deep and have something more to offer and make life a success for yourself. The problem with this is that some people can accuse you of trying too hard, or tell you that it's the 21st century and if there is something you don't like then you can change it. All hail plastic surgery!
So it's my aim to write a story before the end of the year that has good, strong, fat, thin, ugly, gorgeous characters who are outside the mould.
Feel free to join me!
Oh! And while I'm at it, what's with all the charity envy? The ALS challenge was to raise awareness, it did, and it also helped increase donations. Of course there are many many more overlooked charities that need more donors and there always will be. So those stamping their feet about ALS getting attention need to realise that it's fun, a great charity campaign as the costs are low, big celebs can get involved for no cost, you don't have to contribute to someone achieving a life dream of some sort, no one gets hurt (only idiots), it's just a bit of fun! And the rewards are good all around!
So please, be happy for the charity and donate to a charity of your choice, but quit complaining!
Oh wait! Hang on a cotton picking minute am I complaining? Damn! Caught in my own trap. **sigh**
I'm not a writer, but I am a fat girl (and no matter how much weight I lose, I will always consider myself so), but I don't necessarily like to see fat girls in lead roles because I'm constantly thinking, "she's too big for that guy" or "that would NEVER happen in real life", etc (and it wouldn't because we fat ones are ignored or put on public ridicule, we don't get Mr. Perfect, we get Mr. Whoever Will Accept Us, we don't get promoted over a skinny girl, etc). I do the same thing if the actress is overly skinny...I don't like that either because I think it's unattractive. It's how society labels the fat and I honestly don't think that will ever change, no matter how much of society in general becomes fat themselves. Besides, it makes for more interesting drama that someone was denied a role due to weight because the general population (which are pretty much all fat), like to feel inferior for being so. I can't say I've ever felt inferior over my weight (just my other issues).
ReplyDeleteRE the ALS thing...it just seems to me there are just as important other charities out there. It's no longer for charity and is now a "cool" thing to do...that minimizes the importance of it, IMO.
We are our own worse enemies! We need to be the instigators of change. **goes off to burn bra**
DeleteWhile we're at it, I'd like to see a female villain in a film who is just plain evil of her volition. Usually, female baddies are working for a much more cruel male character, or they have daddy issues and have made bad decisions, but I'd like to see a woman who thrives off of chaos. Sometimes you get the seductive temptress who kills men, which is a little more along the right lines, but does seem to serve a fantasy of some kind. Let's have some real evil ladies!
ReplyDeleteWomen can be pure evil its true - and i think we are more manipulative and deflect our guilt by saying..he made me do it! (not speaking from personal experience of course! eek! As in the royal we, lol!)
DeleteSome women I know do thrive off chaos, this is a great idea, and now you have me thinking of films with evil women in...hmmmm...
How about a female action hero (whether possessing super powers or not) of average weight and build?
ReplyDeleteOr an average-looking or below average-looking female spy? Seriously - the gorgeous female spies in the movies would capture way too much attention. An average-looking female spy could walk right past the baddies without even getting a second look.
Yeah, I often wonder that too, why do female spies have to be femme fatales. I like the idea of the woman in the background who you hardly notice being the sleuth, my only worry would be that someone would insist she is in love with the unobtainable leading man! But i'm all for a little realism in an action hero.
DeleteYou may want to check out the Corinna Chapman series by Kerry Greenwood. Corinna is a plus-size woman that has no apologies for her size and tends to get overlooked by the evildoers. One particularly memorable scene has her tripping an exercise fiend. And she does get the guy, which although seems odd, the author explains in an acceptable way. And goes on about how people react when they see this gorgeous hunk is hers.
ReplyDelete