Fat Slytherins? - Ugly Slytherins? - glasses - Pretty stereotypes

[Amy Z]

No: HPFGUIDX 20469

Catlady wrote:

soon thereafter there were 
> some
> > loathsome fat people among the Slytherins, and I was annoyed at 
the
> > fat-is-evil symbolism. 

Who are the fat Slytherins?

Pippin's point about Draco is interesting.  I use a similar logic to 
conclude that he's neither drop-dead gorgeous nor hideous, because I 
think the narration would comment on either one.  JKR clearly doesn't 
fall into the beautiful face=beautiful self trap (Lockhart, e.g.) so 
I don't think she would hesitate to describe Draco as good-looking if 
he were strikingly so.  After all, Harry doesn't dislike him from the 
very first moment he sees him; he could observe that he's "remarkably 
good looking" a la Cedric, rather than simply "pale with a pointed 
face" (paraphrase), as he does.  Also, when one does despise someone 
who's undeniably handsome, it's as easy to disparage them for their 
looks as if they were homely--the old "brains vs. beauty" lie, which 
causes some characters to think badly of Cedric (but see below).

Catlady also wrote:
 
> > I've noticed about glasses-wearers in HP is that there seem to be 
a 
> lot
> > of them: why can't these magic folks fix their eyesight by 
spells? 

I also noticed during an earlier thread on this question that they 
are all Gryffindors:  Percy, Mr. Weasley, James, Harry, Dumbledore, 
McGonagall (possible/quasi-Gryffindor).

Julie leapt out of lurkdom to write:
 
> What I find even more disturbing than that, though, is the fan 
> reaction to a character like Cho. Is the message we're sending to 
> young women one that says you can't be attractive, smart and 
> athletic? Or that girls who are "like that" are all mean, self-
> centered flirts? I can't count the number of fanfics I've read 
where 
> Cho is evil, vapid, snobby, capricious or all of the above.

Really good point.  JKR's portrayal of Cho is very positive; whatever 
stereotypes fanfic authors may harbor about pretty girls, JKR is 
skewering them, not supporting them.

Ditto Cedric--I don't for a moment think that =she= sees him as a 
dumb "pretty boy."  He is unfailingly nice and intelligent as well as 
handsome.  The only ones who refer to him as a "pretty boy" or 
anything along those lines are irked Gryffindors at particularly 
competitive moments--the twins (maybe it's only one of them) before 
the Hufflepuff match in PA (feeling competitive about the game =and= 
the girls), Ron and Seamus in regard to the Triwizard Tournament, 
Harry when he's just been turned down by Cho. 
 
Amy Z