Fat Rant

[kchuplis]

No: HPFGUIDX 150564

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "potioncat" <willsonkmom at ...> 
wrote:
>
> Potioncat here, a little taken aback by JKR's website. She rants, 
very 
> appropriately, about the push for girls to be uber-thin.  Here's a 
> quote from her piece found in "extras":
> 
> >>>His bemusement at this everyday feature of female existence 
> reminded me how strange and sick the 'fat' insult is. I mean, 
is 'fat' 
> really the worst thing a human being can be? Is 'fat' worse 
> than 'vindictive', 'jealous', 'shallow', 'vain', 'boring' 
or 'cruel'? 
> Not to me; but then, you might retort, what do I know about the 
> pressure to be skinny? I'm not in the business of being judged on 
my 
> looks, what with being a writer and earning my living by using my 
> brain...<<<
> 
> 
> I agree fully with JKR, don't get me wrong. And yeah, I know Molly 
is 
> plump. (She's one of the good guys, for the record.) But really, 
take 
> a look at how JKR generally portrays overweight people in the 
series. 
> Dudley? Crabbe? Goyle? Vernon? Umbridge?
> Yes there are bad thin guys too: Snape, Dark Lord, Petunia... 
> 
> My 10 year old once pointed it out, because at the time he was 
chubby. 
> One of the bad guys was being made fun because of his weight, not 
> because he was a real jerk.
> 
> I just wonder if JKR knows she's doing all most the same thing as 
the 
> media she complains about?

kchuplis:
 
Well, to be honest, I think we are talking about "gluttony" as 
in "greedy" when it comes to the characters you refer too, which is 
different than this constant pressure to be Kate Moss that girls 
undergo and yes, being called FAT at 130 lbs. I believe that her 
point was what is actually "normal" weight for girls is now often 
looked upon as being "fat" and that yes, it is something people seem 
to abhor. Perhaps it is dawning on her now (after all, she is quite 
the attractive lady, but has now had to fight the battle of age and 
getting back in shape). Oddly enough, my supervisor related seeing a 
relative she had not seen in a long time yesterday and the opening 
comment her relative had was "you look great for your size". Now, my 
super is maybe 30 lbs overweight. This really is a problem. I have 
seen it for years (mostly men) saying how this actress or that is FAT 
when they are skinny. Finally, I have begun to see a bit of turn of 
tide on the internet for the most part. I now am seeing comments 
like "feed that girl a hamburger". HOwever, it is a slow tide to 
turn. 

I can see the apparent dilemma about her characters in Potterverse 
and these statements but you also must recall that these characters 
were conceived a very long time ago. Like everyone else JKR is 
allowed to grow and learn. I suppose there are more baddies who are 
described as overweight, but there is also skinny Piers Polkiss and 
Lucias is certainly urbane and portrayed as slender as well as the 
Mrs., Draco, Bella, LV himself is always described as slim. So 
really, she is focusing on the character. THere are plenty of slender 
villains as well. She may easily become more sensative to that 
particular part of writing from here on out but I don't seeing as 
being directly hypocritical. (and I am one of those buxom girls who 
was thought fat because she was 38-29-38 and not a twig. I know NOW 
that they were oh so wrong, but I truly believed it in High School).