MovieChat Forums > The Martian (2015) Discussion > and Hollywood's fat female phobia contin...

and Hollywood's fat female phobia continues....

posted 9 years ago by Jupiter555555
225 replies | jump to latest

The Spanish guy was overweight, Jeff Daniels is old and not in the best shape, Chiwitel could stand to lose a few pounds (come on, let's do this by BMI: Let's say his BMI is 25.5. If a woman had that BMI, that would place her at a size 6-8 and she'd never get a role in most films.)

Damon had a good body but notice how they wouldn't make him lose weight for the role. Yeah... we're gonna have you play the role of some guy who gets stranded on mars with only potatoes to eat for 3 years but don't worry, you don't have to lose a pound, you're perfect as is..you're a man after all...

Meanwhile, all four women were emaciated. And TWO scenes (in a movie that took place 99% on a space ship,) featured women on tread mills sweating their faces off...you know...just in case you forgot a woman's duty, dear viewer. We really have to drive the point home.

Seriously, Hollywood, you have a severe psychological issue. Get help.

"Matthew McConaughey lost 45 pounds for his role in Dalas Buyer's Club...or what actreses call being in a movie." --Tina Fey

[–] SethOfTheFields 9 years ago

Seriously, Hollywood, you have a severe psychological issue. Get help.

I think you're looking in the wrong place for those psychological issues...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FE9SLJ2Xoc

[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Jupiter555555 7 years ago

r u sayin they shud have sent Gabourey Sidibe to space or somethin.

No, I'm not saying that at all and thank you for illustrating the problem. People who watch too many movies are actually brainwashed into thinking that there are no female body types in between Jessica Chastain and Gabourey Sidibe. When there are, in fact, many.

either they send all plus sized to space, or they send all the fit folks.

I doubt if Jessica Chastain and that tubby space pilot wear the same size.

thats why plus sizes stay on earth bro.

The 3 Earth-bound women were waif-thin too, Bro.

[–] marock-24093 9 years ago

Oh woe is me, DEH PATRIARCHY IS OMNIPRESENT AND ALL-POSSESSING~*~*~*~

HOLLYWOODIAN CONSPIRACY~*~*~*~*~*

Get a grip. If the movie was primarily made by a team of women, the depictions are more realistic. If the movie was primarily made by a team of men, then the depictions of women are going to be less realistic.

Seriously, get over yourself. Or gain some common sense, whichever one works for me.

[–] rjl023 9 years ago

The astronauts are the elite of the elite, including physical condition. The pilot, although a little heavy, was not obese. I suspect they gave him a pass because of his piloting skills. Daniels and Chiwitel played administrators, in particular you would expect the head of NASA to be old and not in top physical condition. Wiig, playing NASA communications chief, wasn't the most slender cast member, but did not need to be.

[–] jamasian_man 9 years ago

Yeah, this is the wrong movie to be picking arguments with. There are plenty of other movies this year that were able to defy general culture stereotypes. Such as Melissa McCarthy as a secret agent, and Amy schumer in Trainwreck. A lot of people give her heck over her body but she did the movie anyway and is a positive role model.

Not to mention Keira Knightley and Demi Lovato's nude photo sets that were not touched up in any way.

[–] bambinoson12 9 years ago

I'm going to agree with OP here just because I feel like I owe fat girls my support. I'm in great physical shape but my face is below average. Yet I've never had any problems getting laid because of chubby/fat girls. And while other girls are like whatever to me, these girls are freaks for my hard body. So big thanks to porkers out there and I will continue to give max pleasure.

[–] Jupiter555555 9 years ago

The astronauts are the elite of the elite, including physical condition.

Okay but how about all the other earth-bound female cast members? They all seemed the exact same size to me.

The pilot, although a little heavy, was not obese. I suspect they gave him a pass because of his piloting skills.

I suspect they gave him a pass because of his d/ ck.

Daniels and Chiwitel played administrators, in particular you would expect the head of NASA to be old and not in top physical condition. Wiig, playing NASA communications chief, wasn't the most slender cast member, but did not need to be.

Wiig is extremely slender... the fact that you don't consider her so is horrifying. Congrats--Hollywood has succeeded in brainwashing you.

[–] DavidVilla 9 years ago

But... they weren't emaciated? Like, at all?

They were athletic, part of the job of you being, you know, an astronaut is physical fitness, and the women who weren't in space weren't "emaciated" either.

How does not being overweight = emaciated? You're probably trolling anyway, but getting annoyed about a lack of overweight women and in the process somehow spinning somebody else's lack of being overweight as a negative (RE: calling them "emaciated") seems a bit odd to me.

[–] Jupiter555555 9 years ago

Why bother taking the time to respond when you won't take the time to watch the movie? Only 2 out of 5 were astronauts and therefore had to be rail thin. And 1 male was also an astronaut and was not anywhere near tip-top shape.

Amy Schumer's character wasn't against cultural stereotypes. She wrote the screenplay. She wrote it to play it, and it's a very convincing portrayal of 30 year old women in nyc. Get out more and stop depending on movies to be your glimpse into the outside world .

[–] DavidVilla 7 years ago

I really don't understand your issue here.

Even the characters that weren't astronauts weren't "emaciated" or thin to the point that it was a noticeable distraction to anybody but you.

I don't see how it's indicative of some "phobia" of overweight people that the actors in this film just don't happen to be particularly overweight? Jessica Chastain wasn't "rail thin" or "emaciated"! in this, nor was Kate Mara, nor was Kristen Wiig and nor was Mackenzie Davis. It's ludicrous to say they are. Are they slim? Yes. Are they unhealthily slim (or emaciated to use your word)? No. To think any of these actresses are or were "emaciated" really just tells me you can't have ever seen anyone that actually is emaciated before.

They were their own, perfectly normal size. That this was a distraction to you says more about you than it does anybody else, so too does your rudeness and hostility over this. They're actors, they're cast to be just that with the view that they are the right people for the role. They're not then required to gain weight for a role where it doesn't call for characters to be of a particular size or to make it look inclusive to viewers of all sizes.

Your issue here is preposterous. I also don't know why you're suddenly talking about Amy Schumer. I'm not even saying there isn't a problem in general that applies unnecessary pressure on women in media to look a certain way, but that's a criticism that should be aimed elsewhere, to criticise a film because the people in it aren't overweight enough for you is nonsensical.

[–] Jupiter555555 7 years ago

I really don't understand your issue here.

That much is abundantly clear.

I don't see how it's indicative of some "phobia" of overweight people that the actors in this film just don't happen to be particularly overweight?

Because I didn't say they should be overweight.

Jessica Chastain wasn't "rail thin" or "emaciated"! in this, nor was Kate Mara, nor was Kristen Wiig and nor was Mackenzie Davis. It's ludicrous to say they are. Are they slim? Yes. Are they unhealthily slim (or emaciated to use your word)? No. To think any of these actresses are or were "emaciated" really just tells me you can't have ever seen anyone that actually is emaciated before.

You apparently haven't seen any women size 6-10. My point is that every single woman who appeared in the film didn't need to be "slim." Emaciated is a subjective term like beautiful. Granted, it's in the eye of the beholder. However, they were all the exact same size. Yes 2 of them were astronauts, but in the casting of the men, a whole plethora of body types and ages were represented. Do you think every man who appeared in the film could share pants? I don't. I do think all the women in the cast could share pants. It's annoying.

That this was a distraction to you says more about you than it does anybody else

Which is always the case. Your reaction to things says more about you than about anybody else too. That's called the human condition. We react to things based on who we are. Human behavior 101. Thanks for the obvious insight though.

They're actors, they're cast to be just that with the view that they are the right people for the role. They're not then required to gain weight for a role where it doesn't call for characters to be of a particular size or to make it look inclusive to viewers of all sizes.

That's one explanation. Another is that women in Hollywood deny themselves a LOT of the pleasures of life (food-wise) and push themselves to the extreme at the gym because, as they all say, they won't get cast if they aren't "slim" (using your word so it makes you more comfortable.) What's wrong with that? After all, being overweight is unhealthy! (presuming your predictable response.) What's wrong with it is that your predictable response is predicated on the notion that there are two types of women: slim and overweight. You indicated as much in your post to me. You conceded the women in the film were all slim, and assumed my problem is that they weren't overweight. That's Hollywood's influence on your feeble, easily pliable mind. If the women cast weren't slim, then they must be overweight. Thank you for illustrating my point: there is a forgotten in between. The same is not true about the casting of males.

I'm not even saying there isn't a problem in general that applies unnecessary pressure on women in media to look a certain way,

Oh good! You do see reason.

but that's a criticism that should be aimed elsewhere

Why? I think we can discuss it here and elsewhere :-) No sense shying away from yet another application of a broader issue.

to criticise a film because the people in it aren't overweight enough for you is nonsensical.

Again, I am not demanding that women cast be overweight. Just a representation of a broader range of bodies not just for this film but all films. They act as though the screen will implode if a size 8 woman appears on it. This has caused avid movie fans to believe anything above a size 2 is overweight which has far reaching consequences. But mostly, in the short term, it's just annoying and causes me to roll my eyes that all the actresses look the same with different shades of hair.

[–] DavidVilla 7 years ago

Just to be clear, I don't mean to suggest that there is slim and there is overweight with nothing in between (or either side). So, I'll accept my use of "overweight" might have been poor word choice, but I really just mean something other than "slim" so I'll apologise for just using 'overweight' as the alternative. I understand that there are more body types than simply "slim" and "overweight". (And I don't have a "but it's unhealthy!!!11!!1!!!" mentality either for what it's worth.)

But, as I said, I agree that there is more pressure on women in media to look a certain way when there shouldn't be, and there isn't that same pressure on men. I'm in full agreement that there is a discussion that needs to be had on that subject, I just think it's something that is a broader discussion and critique of the industry as a whole rather than as a critique of a particular film because I feel it becomes a bit circular in that yes, you're right that more sizes and shapes were represented by the male actors in this (and basically any) film but it all just leads back to the point that the industry itself is the issue that results in Jeff Daniels and Sean Bean not having the same pressure to try hard to look good at all times in the same way Jessica Chastain or Kristen Wiig and co do.

I don't really disagree with anything at all that you said in your final paragraph either. I think we generally agree on more than we disagree on with this discussion, all things considered.

[–] Roark_0009 9 years ago

I can see the original poster's point.

But at the same time, how does one change the larger related issue where women are into guys with money/power, and more guys are into women who look physically attractive? The movies show these gender preferences. If one complains about only showing women who are attractive, how about the flip side and having more women choose and prefer men who are poor and powerless.

[–] mephistopheles93 9 years ago

PIGSSS INNN SPPAACCCEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

[–] Bottlebrush 9 years ago

The Spanish guy was overweight, Jeff Daniels is old and not in the best shape, Chiwitel could stand to lose a few pounds (come on, let's do this by BMI: Let's say his BMI is 25.5. If a woman had that BMI, that would place her at a size 6-8 and she'd never get a role in most films.)

Damon had a good body but notice how they wouldn't make him lose weight for the role. Yeah... we're gonna have you play the role of some guy who gets stranded on mars with only potatoes to eat for 3 years but don't worry, you don't have to lose a pound, you're perfect as is..you're a man after all...

I didn't notice anything wrong with the weight of any of the men – and Matt Damon was certainly shown as having lost weight later in the film. Not sure how you could have missed that.

[–] Jupiter555555 9 years ago

It was a body double. A very poorly executed one at that. And why does it not surprise me that you found nothing wrong with the weight of any man in the film? But if a woman had an equal BMI to almost all of then you'd see a problem with her body.

[–] Bottlebrush 9 years ago

why does it not surprise me that you found nothing wrong with the weight of any man in the film? But if a woman had an equal BMI to almost all of then you'd see a problem with her body.

What are you talking about? I thought the women looked unhealthily thin and scrawny – their faces had that unhappy pinched-in look of women who diet too much. They did not look fit and athletic to me at all – astronauts undergo rigorous training and have fit and strong-looking bodies, not the weedy shapes of the women in the film. I also wonder if they were wearing stiff wigs or a great deal of hair gel, given that their hair didn't float about in the supposed zero gravity…

[–] Jupiter555555 9 years ago

I thought the women looked unhealthily thin and scrawny – their faces had that unhappy pinched-in look of women who diet too much. They did not look fit and athletic to me at all – astronauts undergo rigorous training and have fit and strong-looking bodies, not the weedy shapes of the women in the film.

Precisely. They looked extremely pail, weak and unhealthy ... it was very disconcerting. Even more so is the fact that so many people on this board defended their gaunt look because they're astronauts, as if that's "healthy"!...one terribly misguided soul on here even said they didn't look that thin!  The media has managed to brainwash far too many I fear.