GWSS 3307: Feminist Film Studies, Fall 2008

What I find problematic with this statement is the notion that Race could be placed under the category of “solved problem�. It is always difficult to make connections to race and size in such rigid ways. Assuming that size is the last “acceptable prejudice� puts race, class, gender, and sexuality in a vacuum in which our society has already overcome the damaging effects of the social creations of these identities. While some people might believe that we live in a post-race world, I strongly disagree that this society has arrived at such a point. Even though some might argue that racism is not de juro, it is obvious that there is still de facto racism. Race prejudice might be unacceptable in many social settings, in many other environments and spaces it still flourishes and lives. I do agree that there are strong intersections between race and size issues, I don’t think we can fully conceptualize those by making such broad, and simplified statements. In both these types of oppressions we have larger powerful institutions that play a vital role in keeping these constructions alive.
I believe it is unfortunate that fatness creates this hypervisibility in our world that allows some people to believe the have the right to put judgment on something so personal. In the movie Shallow Hal, the relationship between the lead roles became completely public due to the size of Rose. In any other “normal� relationship it would have become a social faux pas to pass judgment on a relationship in such a vicious manner. Until the end the relationship had to be constantly defended and explained by the kind, and warm hearted nature of the fat woman. Even though she is “repulsive� I will be with her because I am a “good� person, she has an exceptionally “good� character. This message that was reified in this movie made sure that there wasn’t any normalcy in this relationship. First it never complicated the fact that some outside force was asking for an explanation to be with somebody of a “abnormal� size. This diverted from the fact that there don’t have to special circumstances to fall in love with a fat woman. Second it created the image that only a very forward thinking, good hearted, and geniunly nice person could be in such an abnormal relationship. Third the fat love interest had to be a witty, intelligent, successful, and rich woman in order to overcome her size. At the end, being with her created an entry into a wealthy class bracket and culture of leisure and success.
I do agree that the oppression of size can be more blatant and accepted at times, I don’t think it is the only prejudice that is still in use. A fat black, poor, lesbian, woman will have a very different experience than a white fat woman.

Posted by hass0257 at 1:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fatness is certainly not the last form of prejudice in our society, but it may be the most prevalent. This may be why Emme refers to it as 'acceptable', though acceptability is a subjective opinion. As to the panel selected by People magazine to discuss "Shallow Hal", there are some interesting discepancies. None of them seem to be a reasonable 'expert' on healthy body images in severly obese bodies. First, at 5'11' and 200 lbs., reportedly a size 14/16, Emme is on the lowest end of the obesity scale. She is a plus-size, and she surely knows how it feels to be made fun of for her size, but being a 16/18 myself, I know how much worse the prejudice is for women much larger than me. The other two women, Jennifer Holliday and Carnie Wilson, are not fat. They both underwent surgeries to not be fat anymore, which I deem is just as radical as extreme dieting or purging to lose fat or maintain a slim figure. Most women, regardless of their size, have internalized our society's expectations and ideals as to how our bodies should look. "Shallow Hal" just brings them into a wider discussion.

Continue reading "Fatness" »

Posted by Ms. Chevious at 7:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I think Emme's claim of fatness being the "last acceptable prejudice" is somewhat true. Some people are still racist but those people are looked at as totally ignorant. It is Not acceptable in be racist in our society anymore. Yet it does seem somewhat acceptable to people to be prejudice against obesity. Weil on supports this point in part because she's white. Holliday however says nothing and probably doesn't think the statement is true because she is African American and also older. She was an actress when African Americans were not that commonly seen in film. She probably experiences racism or notices it while the other two don't because they're white. Emme's statement is definitely problematic because I think a lot of people feel that they're made fun of or prejudiced against and it's looked at as acceptable. Like people with psychiatric problems; while this isn't a physical trait pople still look at these people as 'crazy' and that's accepted. People who are handicapped are also prejudiced against in some ways and movies and shows attack them to make people laugh like in South Park's "Special Olympics" episode. I think it is completely unacceptable to judge anyone by their appearance or be prejudiced against a specific group or type of person.

Continue reading "Prejudice" »

Posted by marsh410 at 6:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Emme used to be a plus-sized model and very prominent broadcast journalist for E! Entertainment news. I agree with her statement that far is the last bastion of acceptable prejudice to an extent. I believe it is because the degrading stereotypes and language that surface from the prejudice come from the belief that being fat is a choice. It is a similar type of discriminatory behavior that the gay community has experienced when society wrongfully accepts the belief that sexual preference is a choice. The underlying problem in both fat and gay appreciation is the reluctance of our society to grant lifestyle choice to its citizenry. The more freedom of choice the body politic is given, the less ability any institution (social, religious, political) is given to control individual behavior. Therefore, less control means less power. I think the particular issue of the marginalization of overweight people is troubled in our society because much of it is done not only under the guise of choice, but under the guise of choice for unhealthy behavior. When bodily acceptance is intermingled with a health issue, it becomes easier for people to discriminate against someone whom they presume to be “choosing� an unhealthy lifestyle in the same way they would isolate a drug addict or a criminal for the “betterment� of society.

Posted by J Kriegs at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I believe that Emme’s claim of fatness being the “last acceptable prejudice� is somewhat truthful, yet slightly inaccurate. Fatness certainly is an accepted prejudice, but the same people who make fun of/judge fat people are likely to be the same people who use the word “retarded� when referring to something stupid and are the same people who call others “fags� or “girls.�

I think we have to examine the definition of acceptance. Not everyone appreciates fat jokes, just like not everyone finds racist remarks intolerable. Perhaps fatness is the MOST accepted prejudice, but it is definitely not the LAST. While it is crucial that we examine the prejudice surrounding fat people, we can’t forget about the other prejudices.

Continue reading "Acceptance" »

Posted by bute0023 at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There are some interesting things said in the People Magazine article that had Jennifer Holliday, Carnie Wilson, and Emme discuss their thoughts about the movie Shallow Hall. Emme seems to try to pull out any positive aspects from the movie. She is the only one that thinks any part of it is funny, and the only one that think there can be good that comes from it. I think this is due to her successful career as a plus-sized model. She has found a way to make money off her being a large woman. The other two women, Jennifer and Carnie, have only experienced ridicule and teasing for their sizes. The both of them have struggled to change their size and loose weight, because they are in the performance industry that is accepting of only thin people. I think there is truth to Emme’s statement about fatness being the “last acceptable prejudice.� In our current society, it truly is no longer acceptable to be openly racist, sexist or homophobic, but people still do make fun of fat people. I think this is because people don’t take it seriously as oppression against a group of people. I think many people understand fatness to be something that a person could change, if they tried hard enough, or wanted to. But the reality is that being large is part of some people’s identity, and that will not change. Not everyone is going to be thin, nor does everyone want to be. It is dangerous to say that one oppressions is “the last� one to be fought against, because of course, there are always more. I think we can account for difference and oppression by understanding intersectionality. All people have multiple identities, and this allows for more connections to each other than we can imagine. Understanding intersectionality allows space for inclusion, connection, awareness, and equality through accepting difference and by not striving for sameness.

Posted by AJ at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I do consider Emme’s claim of fatness being “the last acceptable prejudice� true to a point. In today’s culture people are so desensitized to the concept of obesity that it is socially acceptable to make fat jokes or a fat-phobic comments. However, along with obese people, gays, lesbians, and those with handicaps (also made fun of in the film), and others still face desensitized prejudice and experience it every day. Most people associate ‘fat’ with ‘unhealthy’, and this is not always the case and people can’t understand why. The problematic element of Emme’s comment is that she completely ignores prejudice against race, gender, class, and religion, though not purposely. Purposefulness aside, these prejudices are still ‘accepted’ but are instead chalked up to ignorance or just not being “pc�. You’d be hard pressed to find a black person who says that prejudice against blacks is over, or a woman who says that gender prejudice has been solved. I think it’s interesting that Holliday did not speak to this point

Continue reading "Shallow Hal and Prejudice" »

Posted by Mel at 11:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The idea of beauty as one particular body type has been so deeply ingrained into our culture that often times we forget how prejudicial and marginalizing this can be. Yet people like the Farrelly brothers come along and make horribly offensive films that remind us of this sad fact. Shallow Hal was simply one fat stereotype after another, and it seems hard to believe that anyone could see a positive message mixed in with the constant insults. It was surprising to see that two out of the three women interviewed for the People Magazine article were victims of this system and went under the knife just to change their body in an attempt to conform to the ideal. Emme made some good points about making an effort to change perception, but I did not agree with her when she said that fatness was the "last acceptable prejudice". That statement, and Carnie's comment about how reactions would have been different if it inner beauty was portrayed as white, just seem to pit marginalized groups against each other, which gets us nowhere. Prejudices are just not something that can be compared.

Posted by allora at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Emme's claim that "fat is the last acceptable prejudice" is certainly a fair statement coming from someone who obviously knows. I don't disagree with the fact that she feels that way but I do however recognize that there are a lot of ways people can be prejudice and being prejudice against fat people is not acceptable by my standards! Her point is well received but not well articulated because I think the point she is trying to make is about the ridiculous taboo set up around weight in this American culture that is indeed outstanding in comparison to other social taboo's. Also important to note is the fact that prejudice messages are something people often internalize after so many years of hearing how (supposedly) other people feel about you. People begin to hate themselves for what "they think" other people think when really they are the active agent in the "hate game" and people are way more receptive to difference than media makes them out to be. Despite my understanding of internalizing prejudices and forming insecurities as a result, the culture we live in still portrayed the negative messages and is still ultimately responsible.

Continue reading "Beauty is difference!" »

Posted by Revolutionary at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The beginning of this article quotes, "PEOPLE turned to three celebrities who have publicly battled weight issues". Already this article is leaning towards the idea that i fat person must battle their weight. I think that's an unfair assumption and as Emme later points out that she is happy and content with her body size. It doesn't sound like she is battling. She goes on to say, " If we start saying, 'I want to be happy with myself and whatever shape I was given at birth,' I think it's going to change." I also found it interesting that they chose to interview two celebrities that had undergone stomach-reduction surgery. The was definitely a contrast between Emme and the other two women. Jennifer Holliday and Carnie Wilson are now considered thin after their surgeries. While it may have been what they wanted for themselves I don't believe that it's sending the right message. We shouldn't have to fix our bodies to fit inside of society's norms. Society should change to include everyone and stop grouping people and projecting a "norm". Wilson said, " The end message was good". I disagree with this. Hal said, "You're beautiful" but that is the onlly thing that is offered and right after he says that they pull the last joke when Rosemary gets in the car. Please. This is offensive.

Posted by Tina Fey at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The People Magazine article was very interesting to me because it shows the kind of dysmorphism we have culturally about weight. These are three women who have been particularly damaged by our culture's obsession with women because they are in the public eye. No doubt the very magazine who was interviewing them in the context of critiquing 'Shallow Hal' has run articles targeting their weight as an object of spectacle!

I think Emme is on the right track with her statement, but that it is quite problematic in other ways. I believe that fat is one of the last acceptable prejudices - something that is so codified into our culture, it leads nearly everyone to believe that health, body size/mass/weight and beauty are all inextricably linked, that bodies which are too large cannot possibly be considered beautiful. The fat positivity movement is still gaining visibility and momentum. For many people, it is hard to 'take it seriously' because it is interpreted as something people of size can change regardless of genetic makeup, economic class, and a million other factors - making it even harder to address. Emme's statement probably comes from the fact that we are conditioned to pit ourselves against other oppressed and marginalized groups to gain that visibility. (I could draw correlations here to the awful "Gay is the new black!" trend in the media since Obama winning the general election and Prop. 8 passing in California along with similar bills elsewhere...) To combat this, the marginalized must work together in solidarity, to draw commonalities between our experience, instead of driving in various wedges between groups.

Posted by allison at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I think Emme’s claim is unfortunately true. However, people who talk openly about fat in a derogatory sense know it is not okay, but they still do it because they know they can get away with it. The “fat jokes� which circulate in our society are considered acceptable, because weight can fluctuate. A fat person can become a thin person, unlike someone of color becoming white. I think it would be a lot different if everyone was born into a specific body type, which physically could not change from its original state. Then I don’t think people would be as derogatory about fat appearances, because its permanent. I do not mean to say race is not an issue, but it is at least recognized, now, as prejudice to make racist comments. I found it interesting that Emme was so relaxed about the film, compared to the other two (which had both undergone gastric bypass surgery) who were deeply offended by the film. Emme was not set on becoming “thin�, but embracing her figure.

Continue reading "Shallow Hal" »

Posted by kerli006 at 8:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I think that because Emme is shown in a different light than everyone else she gets the brunt of many jokes. She is out there showing off her body by modeling clothes, so she knows that no matter how hard she tries, this is something that isn’t going to change. Either you are big or you are small, and the industry that she is in, there is this idea of what a model should look like, skinny and beautiful. As hard as it is to say, society and Hollywood don’t want to see a larger person walking down the runway, it is just unnatural, and how could a large person be beautiful. Also, for a singer you are not there to see how she looks you are there to see how well she sings, but there is still this idea of because you are on screen you have to look a certain way. Especially in Hollywood there is this idea of what beauty is and what it takes to look good on the camera; there are few women and men that have broken this mold but it still does not change people’s ideas (although some have taken a different perspective to the idea of large). Personally, I think that no matter who says it and how they go about saying it there is always going

Continue reading "Shallow Hal Wants a Gal" »

Posted by week0065 at 8:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I really see truth in Emme's statement that fatness is the "last acceptable prejudice." I think it's interesting that the other two women interviewed are not fat anymore. On some level, I think that Wilson and Holliday hold this prejudice because they couldn't accept themselves as fat women. From the very beginning of the interview, Holliday says she had a difficult time watching the fat Rosemary. Wilson makes a great point that if this movie were about race and not weight, "it would be shocking."
When asked if anything in the movie made them laugh, Emme was the only one that said yes. The fact that she was proud of her cannonballs as a kid shows that she wasn't ashamed of her size the way the other women are. Emme has embraced her size and made a successful career for herself being who she is. The other two women still have issues with their weight, even though they are thin.

Posted by Natalie at 7:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I think that Shallow Hal did a good job displaying how many people in our society view women based on their outer appearances. This isn't exactly a good thing though becuase the way many people treat others who are fat isn't very nice. They tend to focus on the things the movie hinted on like breaking furniture and eating a lot of food all the time. This in turn reinforces the stereotypes that many people hold to be true. Other stereotypes the movie emphasized other than how bad it is to be fat sometimes is how mean the "beautiful" people are. As a whole I enjoy Shallow Hal purely as a film meant to be comedy. However I can say I enjoy it because I realize that the comedy in the film is based on the stereotypes that I know not to be true for all people. I do agree with many in the class though that this is a very discriminating film but I think it is important to realize that the film was intended to be a comedy and how it is interpreted is all in how the viewer perceives the writers intentions.

Posted by bergm154 at 3:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Shallow Hal was a highly disrespectful film. It exaggerates and horribly displays the various false misconceptions and stereotypes perceived about fat people. In the article read in reference to this film, Emme states that fat people are the "last acceptable prejudice." In my opinion, I agree with this statement on various levels. For centries America has dealt and struggled with discriminations of all kinds. Movements, protests, and riots have constantly occurred due to this unjust, cruel society that has formed their standard 'normal' expectations over decade upon decade. We as people have overcome and made progress in many areas such as segregation, the right to vote, and equal pay for women. Although there still remains discrimination in accordance to these and other issues, it is on a different level of being a bit more discrete than in the past. One of the last standing prejudice issues that remains more vulnerable than others is the issue of being 'fat.' Unfortunately, people still tend to openly talk negative and joke around about fat people. Extremely negative comments and looks are given so openly toward

Continue reading "Shallow Hal" »

Posted by hendr324 at 12:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Emme’s statement that fatness is the “last acceptable prejudice� seems to me to stem from the fact that society is conditioned to associate fatness with laziness, bad eating habits, and thusly poor health. And as horrifying a statement as it is, I believe that she is (sadly) correct. Society’s acceptance of the ideology that thin is “normal� and “healthy� allows movies like “Shallow Hal� to be made in the first place. The fact that it did will financially, playing to men and women alike serves to remind us that we as a society absolutely share this irrational and unfounded prejudice. Additionally, celebrities like Carnie Wilson, Jennifer Holliday, and most notably Oprah endorse this ideology by undergoing gastric bypass surgery or by dieting on and off for 25 years with a national audience all supporting and approving of the shared goal of thinness.

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Posted by kafka at 12:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I basically agree with the statement that fatness is “the last acceptable prejudice.� (I would argue that prejudice against atheists remains much stronger because it cuts across all gender, race, class, and sexual orientation lines, but that’s a topic for a different class.) While no one could possibly argue that no other prejudices exist (racism and homophobia obviously still exist), a person is least likely to be told off for making fun of a fat person. Wilson’s point about how this film would have evoked outrage if it were about a black woman whose “inner beauty� was white shows this perfectly. Of course there would be people who would laugh at such a film, but the general public would find it revolting. The outrage over “Shallow Hal� does not match that level.

That Holliday didn’t comment on this issue is not surprising because she is clearly prejudiced herself. She admits at the end of the interview that she struggles day and night to be thin because that is who she wants to be. She likes being thin because she finally has men’s attention now that she’s not “helpless and pitiful,� implying that she was

Continue reading "Overcoming prejudice" »

Posted by Katie Green at 11:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Let me first just say that I really don't think the Farrely brothers would expect this much debate and criticism over a movie they made. They are known for their raunchy and outrageous comedies, but when it comes to this film, they are just known for making asses out of themselves. Now to Emme's claim that fatness is the "last acceptable prejudice." I guess for the most part I have to agree with her. Skinny, chubby, and fat people alike can make a fat crack just like that others. For some reason there is no shame in making fun of fat people. We act like it is not a problem. There is no consideration into health, how they are treated or anything, for some reason people of all shapes and sizes find it ok to poke fun at the overweight. I think the real question is who to blame?

Continue reading "What the Hal?" »

Posted by keilh004 at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I would have to agree on some level with Emme on how fatness is the last acceptable prejudice. I like how they add that is the movie was a white person playing a black person it would be much different. People would be very angry! Even though they are a lot different concepts, they both affect the way we view people. I do agree with Emme on how weight is a prejudice but not how it is the last. There is still a lot of racism, classism and racism out there; we just do not want to accept it. I did not find Jennifer Holliday to talk much. I have seen Dreamgirls and know that she is African American. Therefore, I think that she just wants to stay silent because she knows that weight is not the only “acceptable prejudice� left because racism still exists.

In America we are supposed to be thin to be considered feminine and are sadly looked down upon if we are not. I do not consider my self as over weight but am constantly watching my figure because I do not want to be what America sees as “fat.� People are brainwashed to find “fat� jokes as funny because they are a form of “queer� in this country. When this movie first came out I found it funny like most viewers but taking this class changed my ideas on what is considered normal to the American eye. Although it does have Hal ending up with Rosemary, they had to push it a step farther and have the car slant sideways as she rides away with Hal. To some it is just another joke in the movie but it does really show that weight matters to American society. They are both happy and it is a good ending until they had to prove that she still is “fat� and nothing can change that.

Posted by lemme021 at 10:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The People Magazine article really provoked a lot of thought about ‘fatness’ being such a huge issue in society today. To me, it was interesting that Emme is the heaviest of the three yet had the most humor about the movie. In my opinion she comes off the most comfortable with her body. Holiday and Wilson were both obese and then proceeded to lose a ton of weight. Having to watch the film, Shallow Hal, really disturbed them because it made them relive embarrassing events in their lives when they were obese and once again see the ridicule obese women receive in their everyday lives and the stereotypes of obese women put into a film.
I find some agreement with the statement that fatness is the “last acceptable prejudice.� People use the word fat like it means nothing, and doesn’t offend anyone; when in fact it tends to be considered a very derogatory term, especially when referring to women. It is interesting that the black woman, Holiday, is the only one that remains silent when this is said.

Continue reading "Shallow Hal" »

Posted by sulli396 at 10:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The People Magazine article really provoked a lot of thought about ‘fatness’ being such a huge issue in society today. To me, it was interesting that Emme is the heaviest of the three yet had the most humor about the movie. In my opinion she comes off the most comfortable with her body. Holiday and Wilson were both obese and then proceeded to lose a ton of weight. Having to watch the film, Shallow Hal, really disturbed them because it made them relive embarrassing events in their lives when they were obese and once again see the ridicule obese women receive in their everyday lives and the stereotypes of obese women put into a film.
I find some agreement with the statement that fatness is the “last acceptable prejudice.� People use the word fat like it means nothing, and doesn’t offend anyone; when in fact it tends to be considered a very derogatory term, especially when referring to women. It is interesting that the black woman, Holiday, is the only one that remains silent when this is said.

Continue reading "Shallow Hal" »

Posted by sulli396 at 10:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I would agree with the statement that Emme made with saying that fat-ness is the last acceptable prejudice. In the U.S. is seems we have accepted everyone as equals, or made strides to do so in the past except for overweight people. Our nation is so fixated on the fact that being thin is beautiful and that being overweight is ugly. As a nation we have come so far in accepting differences, with race, gender, and sexuality, but it is so ridiculous that we can’t socially accept someone because they are overweight, or “considered� overweight. So many people pay too much attention to what is considered beautiful by Hollywood’s standards. What about everyday standards and normal non-celebrity people. I think that for someone to be successful in Hollywood or in the movie business they should not have to be rail skinny, because that is not what most people look like. It’s just giving people a perception that that is what perfect should be, when in reality who has the right to say if someone is perfect or not. I think that if people, especially Hollywood, was more accepting of normal looking people then the rest of the U.S. would follow along, because that’s what most people have been doing up until now; following the Hollywood trends, and I am sure people will continue to do that long into the future.

Posted by jcareykc at 9:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I agree with what Emme says about fatness being the “last acceptable prejudice.� They make a good point when they talk about how if the movie was about race, it would entirely different and people would be outraged. However, comparing race and body size is not entirely relevant because these have two very different histories and effects. For some reason, people think that physical attributes are okay to make fun of. People have a notion that if a person is obese than they are unhealthy, unattractive, and that its their fault because they eat too much. However, recent studies have shown that being overweight cannot always be attributed to how much a person eats, and a lot of it is genetic. Who cares anyways?! Just as people have deconstructed notions of race, gender, class and sex, people should deconstruct notions of body size. I think the fat-positivity movement is doing this, but it

Continue reading "Weight and Health" »

Posted by Alias at 9:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In an attempt to produce a movie with the message of the true nature of beauty, the Farrelly brothers end up completely contradicting themselves while proving with fat jokes, empty swimming pools, and broken chairs that appearances are everything. Rosemary was only seen as beautiful when Hal was hypnotized to believe she was slim. It was after the hypnosis wore off that he convinced himself that big actually is beautiful. In People Magazine’s article “Weighing in on Hal�, former fat women discussed the film Shallow Hal. While they were disgusted by the portrayal of obesity, they were also hurt by the memories it brought up. They all agreed that the film was unrealistic and hurtful yet Emme pronounced the more positive comments than those of Holliday and Wilson.

Continue reading "Fat Politics" »

Posted by savor004 at 9:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I thought the three women provided very interesting arguments. A reason I see it making a difference who vocally responds to such issues is to hear personal accounts, which can be very persuasive in an argument. I especially liked Emme’s attitude about seeing the bigger picture. Communication needs to happen on the subject of weight and attractiveness within society but I don’t think this movie in particular was seeking to take on that responsibility. I think there are better ways to stimulate such a discussion without the insults.

Continue reading "Shallow Hal Impacting Society" »

Posted by luco0005 at 7:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The diversity of People Magazine panel of three "celebrities who have publicly battled weight issues" which included two women who had taken (extreme perhaps) actions of stomach reduction surgery towards "thinness", and a plus size model is more than a little problematic. This is not to say that their opinions on the question of images of “fatness� is invalided -as the discussion proves. But it's important to consider what kind of conversation is being advances? What is revealed in their comments like “I still work day and night to be thin, because that's who I want to be� (Holiday) or “I feel better about myself physically, but I still have skin that's just hanging because I lost 155 lbs. So that makes me uncomfortable,� (wilson) which, in the context of this particular article, seems to suggest a certain problematic idea about thinness and beauty in their opinions (and by extension People's).

Continue reading "Moving beyond Defense: Prejudice in Conversation" »

Posted by Sofia at 7:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I do agree that this country definitely has an issue with how it views overweight and obese women and men. I don't agree that it is the "last acceptable prejudice." There are so many people that are still racist and sexist and so many other types of "isms" that I don't believe people are only just prejudice about weight. As far as people speaking out about weight as an issue, you don't hear about it a lot from people who aren't overweight or didn't used to be overweight. I'm not sure why that is but it seems that as of right now, socially, this country isn't as concerned about the feelings of overweight people as they are of people of color or the multiple other rights people are fighting for.
None of the women in the article were thrilled with this film, and neither was I. Although they did try to show that inner beauty is what matters, they still overly emphasized her weight and her inability to go anywhere without getting mocked or made fun of. The movie was distasteful and completely rude, but that's my opinion.

Continue reading "Shallow Hal" »

Posted by izzy at 6:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I personally was not offended by the movie even though I was teased by my parents, other parents, a former elementary teacher of mine, my peers and everyone I can remember from my youth. I would consider myself medium build now but I am not "fit" or "sexy" by any means. I remember being young and thinking to myself, "if I was skinny no one would make fun of me," and I remember being afraid of my body. However, as I grew up I learned to enjoy my body as it is more and more. Even though I remember my past, I was still not offended because Shallow Hal is a comedy movie. I didn't find anything so extreme or taboo that I thought it was disgusting. However, I do think what was said in the article is still valid. It is a prejudice and it is acceptable for people to talk about fat people openly. I also understand that jokes are hurtful to some people sometimes, but that is where being comfortable about one self comes in. When ever I debate about comedy using stereotypes in their material, I always think about how I feel when people make fun of Asian people, since I am Asian-American. I can't say I was ever deeply offended people a comedian poking fun at Asian stereotypes because I understand they are jokes. Things are funny...

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Posted by leex2356 at 5:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I feel that it is significant who remains silent in regards to when Emme said, “Fat is the last acceptable prejudice. People still think they can talk openly about fat people in a derogatory sense.� Jennifer Holiday, remained silent because she knows that “fat� is not the last prejudice because she is a black woman. If I were her I would have been highly offended by Emme’s comment. I feel that Emme’s statement is problematic because she sounds very self-righteous
in regards to being “fat� (and she is only a size 12 which I don’t consider plus-size). There are many other prejudices still in place (racism, sexism, classism, etc.) and I feel her comment completely disregards other forms of prejudice. It is hard for me to re-imagine a way of accounting for difference and oppression without pitting marginalities against one another because this too often occurs in our society and throughout the world.

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Posted by thoughts at 5:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I feel that it is significant who remains silent in regards to when Emme said, “Fat is the last acceptable prejudice. People still think they can talk openly about fat people in a derogatory sense.� Jennifer Holiday, remained silent because she knows that “fat� is not the last prejudice because she is a black woman. If I were her I would have been highly offended by Emme’s comment. I feel that Emme’s statement is problematic because she sounds very self-righteous
in regards to being “fat� (and she is only a size 12 which I don’t consider plus-size). There are many other prejudices still in place (racism, sexism, classism, etc.) and I feel her comment completely disregards other forms of prejudice. It is hard for me to re-imagine a way of accounting for difference and oppression without pitting marginalities against one another because this too often occurs in our society and throughout the world.

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Posted by thoughts at 5:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I think that in this interview, that it is most crucial to compare Wilson’s and Holliday’s comments to Emme’s. Emme is clearly very comfortable with her natural body and the other two represent the counter emotions of embarrassment and extreme self-consciousness about their bodies. However, I think all three of them make strong points—especially when considering their concepts of their own self images. As these women express their reactions, I think it is crucial that Jennifer Holliday explains that the film reminded her of past harassments and pain. As an actress she is constantly judged; she is told to fit into this impossibly slim beautiful mold—yet her most famous role as Effie in Dreamgirls called for a woman of her size to play that role! To me this demonstrates that in real life there exist women of all sizes, yet we are rarely shown that in the world of Hollywod film. Emme insightfully remarks that fatness is the “last acceptable prejudice.� I believe this statement is exemplified quite well when Wilson offers the idea of Rosemary being black rather than fat. Her point is that these prejudices hurt people to such an extent that they often try to become a second self that will not be rejected by society. However, no one would dare tell a black person to try to become white, but this is essentially what our culture does to fat people. However, it is interesting that the one woman who does not respond to this comment is Holliday—who has actually experienced what it is like to be both black and fat.

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Posted by lenth006 at 4:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I can understand why Emme makes the claim that fatness is the “last acceptable prejudice�. As a whole people are more likely to deem making fun of a fat person socially acceptable than they are to accept other blatant prejudices, like race. I think this statement is extremely problematic, however, because it could be interpreted to imply that fat prejudice is somehow a bigger problem than other prejudices. Although it’s no longer socially acceptable to be flat-out racist, this doesn’t mean racism doesn’t exist or is not a problem. In movies, for instance, racism and sexism are alive and well in stereotypes. Although I do think prejudices need to be looked at individually to truly understand them, I don’t think this requires that they be pitted against one another in this way. Furthermore, it’s important to consider what happens when these identities overlap.

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Posted by happyfeet at 3:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When I first viewed the movie when it came out, I didn’t really think too much about the negative message it was portraying. I simply saw it for the comedy aspect of it and I laughed along with it. After reading the People magazine article and viewing it again, I have a much different perspective. To some degree I do agree with Emme’s comment that “fat is the last acceptable prejudice.� It is true that it is much more acceptable to poke fun at people for their weight. But it seems that the way that some people deal with their insecurities with being overweight feeds into this acceptance. We all are familiar with the idea of the “funny fat kid� who uses humor to make people laugh with him instead of at him. I understand that overweight people do this to protect themselves from getting hurt but I see that in some way this must make some people feel like it’s okay to make fun of the weight. If they are making fun of their own weight, then it makes it all a joke and opens it up for others to make fun of it. This in no way makes it okay for overweight people to be hurt by this cruelty, but in some way feeds to society's acceptance

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Posted by Jolene Lewis at 3:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The three women responding to Shallow Hal, Carnie Wilson, Jennifer Holliday, and Emme, all had similar views of the movie. I agreed with the way the women reacted to the film. It was disgusting to me that there are people in the world who are so neglectful of others feelings. When Carnie Wilson pointed out how outraged people would have been if they were using a black women instead of a fat one, and when Emme said, “Fat is the last acceptable prejudice,� it really struck me. I myself have dealt with weight issues. Going from training for the Olympics, to breaking my back, and unable to physically do anything, my weight increased 40 pounds. I have finally lost some, and am comfortable, but I can say I know what it’s like to be unhappy about your body. It is truly saddening that such cruelness can be seen as comedy. I think these women who commented on the movie are doing society a favor, by shining some light on the issue of not only weight prejudice, but also the oppression that people struggling with weight can be subjected to. In this day in age, we should be moving on from unjustly hurting others for the sake of comedy.

Posted by ande4840 at 3:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I agree with Emme’s claim that fatness being the “last acceptable prejudice.� Her thoughts about turning the film into a “black is beautiful� message by creating the inner beauty of a black woman as being white would be appalling and would create an uproar in society today. There is such a stigma attached to being overweight that society’s values include being skinny and fit and not obese. I think it is significant that Emme is the one to make this claim while the other two women stay silent because it shows this stigma clearly. The other two women may be outraged by the prejudice against fat people but they still buy into the notion that skinny is better. Holliday states, “I still work day and night to be thin, because that's who I want to be� and Wilson complains about saggy skin after stomach reduction surgery. Emme’s statement may be problematic in the sense that it may suggest that by saying fatness being the LAST acceptable prejudice other prejudices have been resolved. This is obviously false. I do agree though that outspoken prejudice against “overweight� people is more acceptable today than racism but I do not agree that racism, as well as other prejudices, is not still present in today’s society socially and systemically. Prejudice against homosexuality is also very outspoken in today’s society because of the values that have been put in place. I think we should reconsider these oppressions as a web of interlocking oppressions that all stem from the same social structures and not try to rank who is the most oppressed. I still think Emme had a good analogy for the film though. The movie really is degrading to “fat� people and in no way is it eye opening for society to begin to accept everyone’s differences in shapes and sizes.

Posted by Faith Kolstad at 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Emme’s comment about fatness being “the last acceptable prejudice� brings up many interesting discussions. While I think there is some truth in this statement, I don’t think it’s fair to compare one prejudice with another. It’s almost saying that discrimination against people based on ethnicity, physical ability, sexual orientation, etc. does not occur. By doing this, those who experience other forms of prejudice may feel defensive and that their voice is not being heard. Rather than competing for public attention and activism, those who are marginalized need to come together in the fight for equality in every sense of the word. It is also important for all people to advocate for the silenced. Regardless of one’s personal experience with oppression, standing up for equal rights needs to be everybody’s job. For instance, if Gwyneth Paltrow had made this statement about overweight people rather than a plus-size model, it may have been received differently. The women who were interviewed have certain roles in the media that need to be considered when analyzing their comments.
I thought that the comment made by Carnie Wilson makes a good point: “Can you imagine if it was a black woman and there were racial jokes throughout the movie and her inner beauty was white?� Audiences would be aghast. Poking fun at someone’s weight is typically viewed as less severe than telling a racist joke, for example. Calling someone “fat� should be deemed equally as harmful and derogatory. There really is not enough awareness about weight discrimination.

Posted by herma216 at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Looking at the quote about fatness being the “last acceptable prejudice�, I feel that prejudice against fatness is tolerated because there is not a law prohibiting it, like there is for equality for women as men as well as equality between blacks and whites. The reason fatness is not seen in the same light as these other inequalities were is because of the misconception that fatness is a choice, were as being black or a woman is obviously not a choice. A lot of members in society see fatness as a result of an unhealthy life style that could be reversed with a diet plan and exercising. The smarter people know this is not true. Fatness can also be hereditary; it is not always about over eating and not exercising.

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Posted by robes002 at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I can agree with the statement that fatness is the “last acceptable prejudice�, the comment she made about how if Shallow Hal had used race instead of weight the audience would find it completely offensive. Especially within film and the use of skinny actors dressing up as overweight, it’s much like the comparison of Kathleen LeBesco of blackface and I also agree that Emme’s statement that, “People still think they can talk openly about fat people in a derogatory sense.� People still feel that it is ok to make comments about those who are over weight, and within media/the public/etc. people who are over weight are consistently the butt of jokes.

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Posted by lars2805 at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I disliked this Shallow Hal when it came out in 2001 and it has since then escalated to hatred. In my opinion, nothing could save this movie. Bobby and Peter Farrelly make tons of money by making cruel fun of people who deviate from the norm and then they try to end the movie with a message about inner beauty?! Get serious. I agree with Arnoldas, who points out that the “experts� who People decided to interview about Shallow Hal should be taken with a grain of salt. All of these women have somehow given in to the norm of beauty: Wilson and Holliday had surgery to make them skinnier and Emme is a model. I also disagree with Emme’s statement that “fat is the last acceptable prejudice�. I do not think that fat is the only openly voiced and accepted prejudice.

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Posted by Eleanor Roosevelt at 5:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While reading the article “Weighing in on Hal�, I found it very interesting that Emme was the most positive of the three women about the film and also the heaviest. Conversely Jennifer Holliday who has the lowest weight of the three ladies, had nothing good to say about the film and was the most negative. I believe Emme’s claim of fatness being the “last acceptable prejudice� has some truth behind it. In our society words like Fag and the N word are heavily frowned upon, while words like fatty are merely laughed at. However I found it very interesting the Jennifer Holliday the only black women of the three did not vocally support this point. This made me realize that many people might believe that fatness is one of the MANY acceptable prejudices in America. If you turn on T.V. there are still many prejudices displayed toward people of color and the gay community. Emme is considered fat, but she is also white and straight, so perhaps she is blind to the ways other prejudices are still accepted in some way today. I think the only way to accept difference is to get people to see and define things the same.

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Posted by woul0006 at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I watched this movie on cable a couple of years ago and I didn't really like it then, mainly for Jason Alexander's character. Now, after watching it again I noticed more things that bothered me. For example, the jokes that were used in the movie were stereotypical and the personalities of the characters generalized. Not all fat people have good personalities/beautiful inner bodies, and not all skinny/"beautiful" people have ugly personalities. In addition, I thought it was bizarre how those average looking men were expecting to date supermodel women. Neither men appear to skip too many meals or spend much time at the gym, yet Hal and Mauricio wouldn't give a second glance to a woman who is less than perfect.

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Posted by conlo027 at 11:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The article’s “diversity of experts� should be approached with caution. Two of them are “ex-fat� women and one of them is a famous “plus size model.� While the former ones are highly-critical of the film’s representations, we need to ask why only one “plus size model� sees some potential in the film for positive interpretations. One obvious reason could be that Emme is the only one who is really invested in “plus size� representations, while not being too grotesque and threatening.
The “last acceptable prejudice� argument is seriously problematic. Simply establishing a laundry list of unacceptable prejudices and declaring a closure might be a desirable ideological outcome (for some) but history shows that such attempts never truly solve the contradictions. We do not live in a post-racial, post-gender, post-sexuality, post-class etc society (although some would claim we do). Acceptance, or superficial tolerance of some identities always come at the price (e.g. problems with assimilation, (self)policing, essentialism etc). Once identity becomes accepted/tolerated it allows to punish, police, exclude those that do not fit into allowable category.

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Posted by Arnoldas at 5:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While reading this article from People magazine, I thought it was very interesting to read the different thoughts from all three, at one point in their life over-weight stars. I found it interesting that Emme was the only one that was trying to take the best out of the film so people can learn from it, instead of getting completely upset like the other two, when Emme was the only one that is still over-weight. “Emme: If we as women start standing up and using our voices, I think we can change those perceptions. It takes a lot of work for us not to buy into a $50 billion diet-related industry. If we start saying, "I want to be happy with myself and whatever shape I was given at birth," I think it's going to change.� As for fatness being the “last acceptable prejudice� it makes me look at the problem in a completely different way, but with a lot of the statements Emme makes shows us that if people look at the movies in a different light that it can justify as something to learn from and for the world to start moving into the right direction of changing the way people think about over-weight people. You can see that people are watching these movies because it grossed over $41.3 million in the first 10 days in theaters, so in the view Emme is trying to make is that if people can maybe learn from these kind of movies that maybe things can change around in the future and over-weight people can be looked at for who they are and not just for big splashes, breaking chairs, eating a lot, and clearing out pools.

Posted by bues0040 at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I hadn't seen Shallow Hall till we watched it in class and my reaction was shocked. I couldn't figure out how Gwyneth Paltrow thought this was a good role for anyone to play. What good message does this movie give out? I would really like to know how this gives a positive message of women or men. In my opinion it does. In the People magazine part of the interview that was interesting was: Emme: Fat is the last acceptable prejudice. People still think they can talk openly about fat people in a derogatory sense.
Wilson: Right—can you imagine if it was a black woman and there were racial jokes throughout the movie and her inner beauty was white? Then they said, "Okay, you're not hypnotized anymore. Black is beautiful." It would be shocking, wouldn't it? Well, this movie is shocking to me.
This is so true, think about it say the situation was not race but sexuality and the plot is a gay women and her inner beauty was a straight women. No one would think that is funny and yet it is the same concept as Shallow Hall.

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Posted by breme071 at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Upon entering any social situation, today’s society has an immediate response to the people around them. We look around and examine the people we are with. The two most obvious signifiers are race and size. The difference between the two is that size is easier to talk about and fits within the politically correct ideal. I agree with Emme’s claim that fatness is the “last acceptable prejudice.� I must clarify that I only agree with it because of the word “acceptable.� I think that there are racial prejudices and others that are considered acceptable to some people, but in a “politically correct� world fatness is still considered acceptable and racial prejudices are not. In the article “Weighing in on Hal,� Wilson agreed with Emme and explained how size is an acceptable prejudice by replacing fat with black. She claimed that the movie would be unacceptable if Rosmary’s character had been black, not fat. At the end of her comment she said, “It would be shocking, wouldn’t it? Well, this movie is shocking to me.� Being black and formally obese, Holliday did not comment on either statements. Her silence may signify that

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Posted by jona0062 at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reading Emme’s claim that fatness is the “last acceptable prejudice� was interesting for me because it lent some much lacking perspective to the problem – before reading the article, I wouldn’t have categorized fatness as prejudice. In not being aware of fatness as a prejudice issue, we are reinforcing negative judgments without being conscious of ways that they are affecting those being judged. The statement Emme makes is justified as long as we see movies like Shallow Hal blatantly using obesity as a punch line. This movie demonstrates the public’s acceptance of (or at least indifference to) fatness as a prejudice because it grossed over $41.3 million in the first 10 days in theaters. The worst part about this issue is that it not only marginalizes a group of people, it also pits people against each other. In Shallow Hal, Jason Alexander’s character brings Hal back to his shallow existence because he refused to believe that Hal could be happy with someone who didn’t fit his idea of perfection. In a similar way, we are inflexible with our views of what normal looks like and we hold everyone else to the standard that we set – even if it is impossible to attain. To move beyond the issue of fatness, we need to (as a society) move past the surface level as Hal tried to do and look past the things that don’t matter. Unlike Hal, we need to understand the consequences of our actions and realize that how we perceive others is important.

Posted by joh02629 at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the People article, Emme raises a good point. Fat jokes and prejudices are often unfairly “justified� by associating fatness as a sign of negligent health or laziness. It’s impossible to tell how healthy or lazy someone is by simply looking at his or her weight. Judging someone on his or her presumed health or physical fitness status is unacceptable and a definite form of prejudice. I think it’s significant to consider who supports the point Emme makes. I believe the article would have been more powerful if People had interviewed celebrities of all body types and let them weigh in on the film. The best way to account for difference and oppression in ways that doesn’t pit marginalities against one another is to have discussions about the issue of fatness instead of ignoring it. Although Shallow Hal offers an offensive portrayal of fatness, it at least attempts to address the issue. I find the failure to even recognize the issue in many films and sitcoms (especially the flashbacks of Fat Monica on Friends) much more offensive than the film.

Posted by Da provida at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fat is in some ways the last acceptable prejudice. As mentioned in the class discussion, fat bodies somehow become collective, public bodies, and invite (mostly negative) comments from outsiders. Somehow this negative commentary is considered normal or even acceptable, since the weight issue is tied closely with health in many minds. Anyone not incredibly skinny is seen as being overweight or unhealthy, and while there are certain heightened health risks with excessive weight gain, there are also certain heightened health risks with dieting and excessively thin bodies. The People Magazine article mentions the extensive dieting and training needed to keep weight off, and this struck me as particularly hypocritical. It is difficult to see such women (with the exception of Emme) as pro-fat or even pro-women since they reinscribe the dictates of patriarchy by feeling the need to be skinny.

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Posted by seitz057 at 6:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I can agree to some extent with Emme’s claim that fatness is the “last acceptable prejudice�, because of the fact that fatness is a physical attribute and therefore is always more or equally visually apparent as religion, sexual orientation and class to name a few. Especially in American culture where popular culture and science stress the unhealthiness of being “obese�, demeaning fat people is very much still widely accepted (although I think progress is being made). However, I think in comparison to other world wide prejudices, fatness is not the greatest concern as people are killed daily for their religion, race and nationality to only touch the surface. I have never seen a news headline saying that someone had been murdered because they were fat.

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Posted by CrazyOldMaurice at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)