Reed is a fan of old Hollywood and who, I guess, expects every actress to look like Ava Gardner or Lana Turner. The world has changed over the last sixty years, and 'hippo' and 'tractor-sized' are not the first words that come to mind when I look at Melissa McCarthy, one of the stars of Identity Thief. She's certainly a plus-sized lady, but it seems to be more of a big deal because McCarthy is a woman. I wonder if Rex Reed would refer to John Goodman as a 'hippo.' Taking shots at large women is cheap and stupid, but it's also a reminder of the double standard that still exists in 2013-fat women deserve to be ridiculed. I like watching-I'm not ashamed to admit-Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, and Mama June could be perceived as disgusting for a lot of reasons; but if she was thin, would anyone care as much about her sneezing or forklift foot? The older I get, the more I appreciate the imperfect in other people, and maybe I'm becoming more sensitive to other people's imperfections and struggles, including my own. When someone is obese or overweight, they wear their struggle on the outside, and some wonder, and even say out loud,"Don't they have any pride? What's wrong with them?" Some people are just made big; broad shoulders, large breasts, wide hip bones, or barrel-chested. The mass brainwashing of how everyone should have washboard abs and firm asses, no matter their age, is now complete. It's a hopeless ideal, but everyone keeps longing for it, like an eleven year old girl yearns or Justin Bieber. I wish I was as thin as I was twenty years ago, when I wanted to be thinner. When is this social disease going to end? The pressure is on, and every medical expert has an opinion. I have high cholesterol, but my blood pressure and blood sugar are very normal. I don't know what Melissa McCarthy's numbers are, or Chris Christie's, but the cheap shots need to stop, because it's just another kind of bullying. Journalists and bloggers and other celebrities know to keep their mouths shut when it comes to race(Django Unchained, anyone?), religion, and some controversial political matters, such as same sex marriage and abortion, but the obese and overweight are still the witches being burned at the stake. If an overweight child is being bullied at school, the parents are advised to put their fat kid on a diet. The child will be so much happier, right? But it's not just the overweight kids who get bullied; however, there is always that air of insensitivity, and this puts the child on the road to low self-esteem and eating disorders. Everyone thinks they have the answer, but everyone has to eat. The emphasis on appearance, especially in Hollywood, is a lifestyle. Public people like Melissa McCarthy or Roseanne are not part of that status quo. As comic figures, they may be perceived by others to be less threatening, especially by male TV and film executives. But if McCarthy, for instance, were to play a serious dramatic role, like Gabourey Sidibe in Precious, would this make critics like Reed shut their mouths and silent the bitchiness for a while? They would have to find someone else to take their prejudices and frustrations out on. :)
I have blogged about my own struggle with my weight, and I am typically sensitive about my size, considering that one of the last targets of ridicule in a politically correct society is the obese or overweight. This was never more evident than in the recent review of the movie Identity Thief, written by film critic Rex Reed.
Reed is a fan of old Hollywood and who, I guess, expects every actress to look like Ava Gardner or Lana Turner. The world has changed over the last sixty years, and 'hippo' and 'tractor-sized' are not the first words that come to mind when I look at Melissa McCarthy, one of the stars of Identity Thief. She's certainly a plus-sized lady, but it seems to be more of a big deal because McCarthy is a woman. I wonder if Rex Reed would refer to John Goodman as a 'hippo.' Taking shots at large women is cheap and stupid, but it's also a reminder of the double standard that still exists in 2013-fat women deserve to be ridiculed. I like watching-I'm not ashamed to admit-Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, and Mama June could be perceived as disgusting for a lot of reasons; but if she was thin, would anyone care as much about her sneezing or forklift foot? The older I get, the more I appreciate the imperfect in other people, and maybe I'm becoming more sensitive to other people's imperfections and struggles, including my own. When someone is obese or overweight, they wear their struggle on the outside, and some wonder, and even say out loud,"Don't they have any pride? What's wrong with them?" Some people are just made big; broad shoulders, large breasts, wide hip bones, or barrel-chested. The mass brainwashing of how everyone should have washboard abs and firm asses, no matter their age, is now complete. It's a hopeless ideal, but everyone keeps longing for it, like an eleven year old girl yearns or Justin Bieber. I wish I was as thin as I was twenty years ago, when I wanted to be thinner. When is this social disease going to end? The pressure is on, and every medical expert has an opinion. I have high cholesterol, but my blood pressure and blood sugar are very normal. I don't know what Melissa McCarthy's numbers are, or Chris Christie's, but the cheap shots need to stop, because it's just another kind of bullying. Journalists and bloggers and other celebrities know to keep their mouths shut when it comes to race(Django Unchained, anyone?), religion, and some controversial political matters, such as same sex marriage and abortion, but the obese and overweight are still the witches being burned at the stake. If an overweight child is being bullied at school, the parents are advised to put their fat kid on a diet. The child will be so much happier, right? But it's not just the overweight kids who get bullied; however, there is always that air of insensitivity, and this puts the child on the road to low self-esteem and eating disorders. Everyone thinks they have the answer, but everyone has to eat. The emphasis on appearance, especially in Hollywood, is a lifestyle. Public people like Melissa McCarthy or Roseanne are not part of that status quo. As comic figures, they may be perceived by others to be less threatening, especially by male TV and film executives. But if McCarthy, for instance, were to play a serious dramatic role, like Gabourey Sidibe in Precious, would this make critics like Reed shut their mouths and silent the bitchiness for a while? They would have to find someone else to take their prejudices and frustrations out on. :)
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