Insatiable is the new Netflix show of questionable premise. A fat girl gets punched in the face, which somehow leads to her jaw being wired shut (I’d like to see the stats on how many face punches end in a wired jaw, but I digress).
The jaw wiring leads to her starving herself and losing a bunch of weight (because nobody told her about Ensure or Shake Shack?).
This leads to her become thin (temporarily, based on all the research,) which leads to her getting “revenge.” The character’s “transformation” is achieved by a thin actress wearing and then taking off a fat suit.
As has been said by many fat people in many ways: Fuck. This. Noise. The idea that responding to fatphobia by manipulating our bodies to conform to a stereotype of beauty is “revenge” is terrible on its face, more terrible when you dig deeper, and even if it was a good premise (and OMFG it’s not), it’s been played out already. Seriously — played all the way out.
In response to the massive blowback, Alyssa Milano decided that instead of addressing fat people’s concerns, she should instruct us about how to feel. She took to Twitter…
Read the rest of this piece here!
If you value my work, you can support my ability to do more of it with a one-time contribution or by becoming a member.
Like this blog? Here’s more cool stuff:
Wellness for All Bodies Program: A simple, step-by-step, super efficient guide to setting and reaching your health goals from a weight-neutral perspective. This program can be used by individuals, or by groups, including as a workplace wellness program!
Price: $25.00 ($10 for DancesWithFat members)
Click here for all the details and to register!
Book and Dance Class Sale! I’m on a journey to complete an IRONMAN triathlon, and I’m having a sale on all my books, DVDs, and digital downloads to help pay for it. You get books and dance classes, I get spandex clothes and bike parts. Everybody wins! If you want, you can check it out here!
Book Me! I’d love to speak to your organization. You can get more information here or just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org!
I’m training for an IRONMAN! You can follow my journey at www.IronFat.com or on Instagram.
If you are uncomfortable with my offering things for sale on this site, you are invited to check out this post.
Dances With Fat 
i so agree with you
Hey there – I wanted to look up more about Ellen Maude but I can’t find anything. Can you share that story?
“I think I may start calling this the ScarLeto Effect.”
Thank you for this line!
It’s amazing how people try to take our stories and sell them back to us all wrong and then have the nerve to tell us it’s our fault for not understanding their “vision”.
I love the “ScarLeto Effect!”
One of many things that is bothering me about that trailer is that sucker punch. A coworker of mine was hit in just such a way by a random man who was hopped up on drugs. He literally just stepped out in front of him, said “hey” and gave him a pile-driver blow to the face.
No, he did not have to have his jaw wired, but he had to have $10,000 worth of facial reconstruction which includes three titanium plates, a concussion, permanent facial numbness, and life-changing PTSD. From a single completely unprovoked punch. The attacker was mistakenly charged with a misdemeanor rather than a felony because the extent of my coworker’s injuries was not obvious at the scene, and my friend had to deal with inadequate justice as well.
*I* had flashbacks seeing that punch, and to think of it being a humorous way to initiate a *teenage girl’s* weight loss about gives me hives. The last thing we need is more “har har har, fat girl get punched!” bullshit. I don’t care what justifications they use: it is obvious to the view that she got what she deserved for being fat.
Last paragraph edit: got punched, and obvious to the viewer. Sorry.
Yeah, the punch- how it was framed, its ridiculous results- was the deal-breaker for me, too. It was the exact moment I knew they didn’t consider that fat people actually exist and that their “zany over-the-top” scenario is quite real to us.
I’m sorry about what happened to your friend.
More and more i learn we have to fight to get a prope healthcare ….
1) i went to doctor about my weird migrating joint pains and got a lecture about only old people having joint pains …. after verifying on webmd about 5 times i went to another doctor about having examplary symptops of rheumatoid arthritis and of course it was confirmed
2) heavy legs for years with no other treatment then telling me loose weight, then pointing it out when i visited hematology for some blood test i finally got ultrasound and lymphedema was found … and i was shocked how effective venous support supplements (as if heavy weight is lifted from you and suddenly there is much more energy) and compresion garments can be and wondered why i did not got all of this years ago (which could save me lot of days when i had to stay at home due to leg pains and feeling tired)
3) I actually had a doctor lecture me about lege artis medicine when i dared to disagree with her and then try to lecture me about weight causing all kind of ilnessess when i was there with stomach aches … after pointing out weight loss is not proven cure for anything she kind of finally shut up and finally wrote the referals …
etc etc etc ….
Let me whip out my Hollywood Dictionary here… *flip flip flip*
Fat character: slovenly glutton
Sympathetic fat character: slovenly glutton with sad leitmotif
Heroic fat character: slovenly glutton with sad leitmotif who turns thin by end of story
Relatable fat character: slovenly glutton with sad leitmotif who turns thin by end of story and spends whole time fat bending over backwards to reinforce audience’s misconceptions about fat people