Netflix's 'Insatiable' looks like it does more, and worse, than fat-shame
The trailer for Netflix's Insatiable has already made quite an impact on social media, though perhaps not for the reasons the creators may have anticipated.
The show, which stars Debby Ryan and Alyssa Milano, tells the story of Patty, an overweight girl known as (ugh) "Fatty Patty" at her high school. After she is (UGH!) punched in the face and has her jaw wired shut for a summer, she returns to school thin and therefore conventionally attractive, and so decides to exact revenge on the bullies who made fun of her before.
And yes, Debby Ryan wears a fat suit for her portrayal of "Fatty Patty."
Many people on Twitter and otherwise immediately reacted to the premise of the show, calling it a fat-shaming opus. Others rightfully pointed out that the movie does more than fat-shame, and that the premise also legitimizes several harmful and disingenuous conceptions about size. BuzzFeed's Kristin Chirico pointed out the difference in a series of tweets:
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Other people attempted to lay out in simple terms exactly why the base narrative of Insatiable is harmful.
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Alyssa Milano, who stars in Insatiable, responded to these criticisms by tweeting that the show is not meant to fat-shame Patty's character but rather show the effects of bullying:
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It's clear that Insatiable's premise embodies several harmful stereotypes about bodies and size, at least based on the way the show has been marketed. While it may be an attempt to satirically explore bullying, its comedic execution and social message may not be enough to offset the perception that it misrepresents body positivity.
Alexis Nedd is a senior entertainment reporter at Mashable. A self-named "fanthropologist," she's a fantasy, sci-fi, and superhero nerd with a penchant for pop cultural analysis. Her work has previously appeared in BuzzFeed, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Esquire.
