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TV's New Super-Sized Heroine
Bob Mahoney
Lifetime’s new hit Drop Dead Diva celebrates the life of an adorable plus-size woman. But does it promote positive body images in an obesity-obsessed culture?
On Sunday night, 2.8 million viewers (OK, 2.8 million women) tuned into Lifetime to watch the premiere episode of Drop Dead Diva—in which size 0 model Deb dies in a car crash and is reincarnated as size 16 Jane—making the show the network’s biggest hit in almost three years. Even up against HBO’s surprise ratings bonanza True Blood, Diva did an admirable job of enticing the coveted 25-35 female couch brigade— an advertiser’s dream demographic, especially if the women are watching to feel inspired. What better way to sell a deodorant or mascara than by buttressing a show that screams girl power and body pride? How better to push shampoo than by supporting this show—the first show in recent memory to feature a plus-size actress as the lead, not the comic relief, but the show-carrying, scene-stealing lead?
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Because of this mission, Diva seems to have an extra coat of buzz on it—Rosie O’Donnell, Liza Minnelli, Paula Abdul, and Delta Burke have already signed on to guest star. The L.A. Times and The New York Times both raved about lead actress Brooke Elliott, and women’s blogs have exploded with conversation about the debut episode. Is it good or bad for feminism? Does it preach fat acceptance with too heavy a hand? It is not easy for any network to generate this kind of media heat around a summer show—and Lifetime has done it.
And all by casting a woman in a size-16 suit.
Americans have long been obsessed with food, but recently, we have also acquired a voracious interest in the people who eat it with abandon. In this week’s New Yorker, Elizabeth Kolbert asks, “Why Are We So Fat?,” arguing that corpulence has ballooned in the past decade, and now, literature examining weight gain is overtaking diet books. We simply can’t get enough of deconstructing the results of overeating. This summer saw two full-figured reality-TV debuts: More to Love (a plumper version of The Bachelor) and Dance Your Ass Off (a super-size Dancing With the Stars)—on top of hits like The Biggest Loser, Bulging Brides, and Celebrity Fit Club. If, as Kolbert argues, it’s now “possible to go to the grocery store and purchase enough sugar or vegetable oil to fulfill the average person’s energy requirements for a week,” and we are devouring those calories, it is no wonder we are completely fascinated with our fellow zaftig Americans. We want to know why we eat butter almost as much as we want to eat it. And later, we want to see people in various stages of working it off, or at the very least, grappling with heaviness.
It was only a matter of time until a plus-size actress got her own show—the demand is at an all-time high. The question now should be: Is the resulting show a success, without promoting either obesity or weight mockery? In the case of Drop Dead Diva, the answer is…sort of. The show offers a refreshing image of an overweight character, but with little help from the script. Brooke Elliott is sunny and mischievous, and a joy on screen—one just wishes that her prowess had a little room to move beyond the trite confines of the plot.
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Benjamin Sarlin is a reporter for The Daily Beast. He previously covered New York City politics for The New York Sun and has worked for talkingpointsmemo.com.
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Rachel Syme is culture editor of The Daily Beast.
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Rachel Syme is culture editor of The Daily Beast.
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Rachel Syme is culture editor of The Daily Beast.
Please, Hollywood, please don't glorify being fat....too many women already die young from obesity related diseases.
It wasn't all women who were watching; there are plenty of us men who prefer women who don't resemble 11-year-old boys.
The scene with the plate of donuts bothered me. It's not overeating that causes one to be fat, it's stress. Research shows almost everyone eats calories in proportion to their lean body mass. Temporary gains of up to 10% can be due to overeating, but your body adjusts, and soon sheds those extra pounds. (It's not what you eat, minus what you exercise. It's what you eat, minus what you exercise, minus what you contribute to the white porcelain fixture at the end of the hall.)
Yes, too many women - and men, too - die young from obesity-related causes - but the most common cause is dieting. When you try to lose weight, you tend to throw off your electrolytes, and you lose muscle - and each of those is a prescription for heart failure.
You're in denial. Funny. I thought the leading cause of obesity related deaths were hypertension and heart disease. Um... and I'm sorry but EATING TOO MUCH is the leading cause of obesity.
And just like it's not okay to make deogatory statements about overweight people, it's not okay to make derogatory statements about skinny people. Don't hate me cause you ain't me.
OMG .... if I hear or see one more thing that says - "dont glorify being fat" ... does that mean we should continue to glorify the unnaturally thin that usually show up on the T.V. ??... because that does SO MUCH for a young girls and their self -esteem.
How is showing what millions of women actually look like, and depicting some of the ways in which fat people struggle, glorifying the issue? Having sympathy for why these problems exist is actually part of solving them, it seems to me. I'd love to see more attention to emotional eating and what people face -- in this case, literally in terms of the plot -- trapped inside a fat body. Saying shut up fatties and disappear until you've solved your problems hasn't worked tackle obesity issues. (More comments below.)
Huh?
Real women have curves. Guys who like skinny women are gay. They want women to resemble boys.
I say it's not gloryifing fat, it's just realizing everyone isn't slim, young and beautiful. We need to give starring roles to more plain, fat, and old people. They all are watching the shows, too.
Umm... This is TV right? I don't want to look at ugly fat people on TV. That's what real life is for. Pretty things are fun to look at. That's the point.
I was looking at the picture of Jessica Simpson and, aside from that unforgiving horizontally striped dress, I thought, wow, she's my size. Didn't think that was obese. You know, it's not even entirely a question of fat -- I may not be a size 2, but I work out and eat (mostly) right and my BMI is in the middle of the healthy zone. How is it that the world is entirely divided into sizes 2 and 16, when there are so many healthy people in the middle? That in itself is a weird, screwed-up fantasy; maybe we shouldn't be glorifying fat, but we also shouldn't be glorifying the success of anorexia, with its own slough of health problems, either.
Yeah, me too. I'm about the size that she is--I'm a 4, and totally fine with my body. I totally agree--it's like we only recognize people who are too fat, or too thin. What is TOTALLY missing on television (except maybe for Mad Men, which is supposed to be "period") are women who are size 4's, 6's, 8's--totally healthy, totally attractive, and just right. Those are the sizes women should aspire to be: not 0's, nor deciding it's healthy to be a 16 or up.
Learning dominatrix skills is a strategic asset for plump ladies to compete gals with sharp figures. Most women don't just how idiosyncratic male sexality is. Looks count for little women who understand.
Call it "Plus Size, Full Figured." Whatever.
For those who live in reality, it's called OBESITY.
There is NOTHING healthy about being "Plus Size,"
a politically correct term created to excuse obesity.
If you're into heart disease, diabetes, and other
physical ailments, "Plus Size" is the way to go.
You want to know one of the reasons medical costs
in this country are out of control ?
Because we have an obesity problem.
We didn't have this problem until the late 80's so spare
us the obesity is a "disease" COPOUT, unless
there is a sincere hormone issue.
Otherwise, it's all about eating habits and lack of exercise.
Couldn't help noticing the photo of the columnist,
who appears to be quite gaunt, bordering on anorexia with
some sort of heroin "chic" appearance.
Maybe it's the photo.
Didn't that whole heroin look go out in the 80's ?
Under eating is not healthy either.
The columnist doesnt' look anorexic at all.
Well, she doesn't look healthy. She's going for the gaunt look.
Have you actually met any Plus Size people? Not all of us Plus Size are this way because of overeating and lack of exercise. It could be thyroid issues, genetics, etc. Don't judge a book by its cover.
Plus size can be a tall, large boned girl.It can be a girl that just had a baby, one that has some extra around the middle.It can be a middle age woman that has filled out some.Be aware that not everyone is unhealthy with alittle meat on them.People are very cruel.
While the show doesn't completely revamp the stereotype of fat America, it does take a step in the right direction by giving a non size 0 actress a leading role. But donuts and cheeze whiz, really? That's not only cliched, that's just bad scripting.
Kate Winslet a plus-size fat lady? Only the woman-hating Daily Beast would think so. Even at her highest weight a few years ago, Kate wasn't even plump. Just a beautiful curvy woman, like any 1950s movie star you see in films. For the last few years, she has been downright slim. The Daily Beast is sick and full of self-hatred when it comes to women. It is also consistently out of date.
Yes. A size 0 is usually not very healthy and honestly, not attractive most of the time. The same can be said for a size 16. Try a size 8. That's probably healthy. Its not about beauty. Beauty is subjective, health is not. If you're a man and your jeans are a size 42, you're not healthy. It goes for both sexes.
I hope they pay you by the word, Rachel Syme, because you can't even see how much of a stinking pile of shit this show is. It's an extremely stupid idea and it's hardly fat acceptance. But it's obvious, Rachel, that you're not fat enough to understand how demeaning this show actually is.
The only thing I can agree with in your egregious attempt to promote Lifetime's new 'show' is that it's 'Freaky Friday' on twinkies... or for better those with better knowledge of 1980s plot summaries, 'All of Me' and 'Chance Are' on twinkies(which makes you wonder why a story-line with a complete lack of credulity that ended 20 years ago is being picked up on now).
Roseanne was that last show that really gave into fat acceptance. If you think this show is one of the best show churned out on television than you've probably been living in a cave for the last 15 years. Why does a soul of a super model have to be stuck in the body of the lead for us to watch a show about a fat woman lawyer? Give me a fucking break.
Television has been stuck in a perpetual state of suck for a while now. If you think this show is at all a step in the right direction, it's obvious The Daily Beast needs to get it's head out of Walt Disney's ass(not to mention Hearst Corp). This show got barely more views than "Anchorwoman" which was a reality show about a WWE Diva trying to become a news caster in Texas for God's sake(cancelled after one episode).
If Television has become more open minded, than why have they nearly banned Kirstie Alley from TV because of her weight? Oh, but don't worry.. I'm sure her agent already has a guest appearance on this Lifetime abomination already lined up.
You're not helping push past the stereotype of American beauty, you're just promoting a bad show.. And that's just sad.
I can appreciate your anger, but it's directed toward the wrong person.
Actually in the article she criticizes the producers for continuing the stereotype that overweight is about gluttony and basically calls on them to correct this moving forward.
OK, how is it ok to equate being a size 16 with being obese, or even "overweight". It would be really nice if we could stop attaching a size number to "acceptable" body size. Some people who are a size 16 are unhealthy and need to lose weight. Some people are a size 16, in shape, and healthy. But really, why would anyone look past the number on your cloths tag, we all know you are only health and attractive if you fit the single digit fashion box. The actress in the pix looks like a healthy human being who happens not to fit the revolting requirements of anorexic hollywood expectation for women, and only women. I am disappointed in you daily beast, I expected more from you than this.
Samantha Who has a plus size girl in the show.I think it is wonderful.It is real Everyone is so critical of others. Being human causes some people to be thin and some to be chubby.So what.
Ya'll at size 8-10 (and I mean really that size with a measuring tape, not vanity sizes) in middle age I have been accused by friends of starting some crazy late night snack habit because I'm heavier.
I do look dumpy compared to my old days -- even at this size which is still in the 'healthy weight' range. But it's weird they care so much and are so upset about it. And it's weird how it happens. I never thought it would happen to me. And what's funny is frequently the accusers are in the same boat and don't seem to notice.
The reality is middle age changes everything and I monitor calories daily and exercise hard at least three times a week so I don't gain the five extra pounds a year my gyno says is typical of her patients at this age -- she's actually quite proud of me.
I wish all this effort would create weight loss, at an earlier age the pounds would be melting off. Now it just means I don't get heavier.
It's given me a whole new compassion for people whose weight I've been critical of in the past, now I realize I have no idea what is going on with them. And neither do you.
When you're older, you go for slim, not thin. So you're 15 pounds above your ideal "young" weight. Your face needs that extra plumping when you're older. A few adjustments (like wearing T-shirts a little looser) do the trick. You still look vibrant and healthy and you have a good shape. Just know your calories in-calories out balance to maintain. You are able to eat in a satisfying way and still maintain this weight. The baddies, like chips and ice cream, must be occasional. Otherwise, there is no starving involved. Of course, 25 pounds over and it's gone--the figure, the health, the feeling of youthfulness.
Why does showing fat people on TV mean that they are being "glorified"? Many -- if not most -- people struggle with their weight and yet most TV and ad execs uniformly reflect many of the views expressed here, that media outlets are not real life, so no fat chicks (and we all know this doesn't apply nearly as often to men). I watched the pilot and how is Jane being glorified? What it's portraying is the ways in which fat folks struggle -- which is not the same things as saying, go ahead, eat the pastry, I'm sure you won't have a heart attack. I fight to maintain a healthy BMI, but have had several tough spells in my life where I've had to shove my skinnier clothes to the back of the closet and make room for a year of size 14 and 16s from Lane Bryant. That doesn't make me a bad person. It makes me someone who uses food emotionally, like millions and millions of other Americans. Most folks on TV are fit and spray tanned. Are you folks -- like Planetagent -- telling me there's simply no room for an occasional show that reflects the difficulties that real people face with weight?
And if not, that's sad.
Thank you.
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