Size acceptance, of a sort, where I least expected it (MTV)

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08 March 2009 @ 02:03 pm

The Girls of Hedsor Hall gives every impression of being even more of a trainwreck than most "reality" shows, but I caught a few minutes of it last week while I was getting ready to go to the munch, and was caught off guard by this exchange:

Margie, about Brianna: ...this is someone who has talked about you ... and calling Mrs. Shrager fat.

Mrs. Shrager: Did you call me fat?

Brianna: No, I did not! I never said anything!

Mrs. Shrager: But I am fat! Which is fine. I'm a big lady. I'm an enormous lady! But you know what? Do I look smart?

All the girls: Yes.

Mrs. Shrager: Do I always look nice?

All the girls: Yes.

Mrs. Shrager: Do I turn out well? It's all about what's inside.

6 comments | Leave a comment

6 comments —

( 6 comments — Leave a comment )

epi_lj on March 8th, 2009 09:12 pm (UTC)

That's better than what I would have expected from an MTV reality show, but the, "It's all about what's inside," message has often driven me nuts. I agree that a person's value should be determined by their character rather than their appearance, but too often that's presented in a way that says, "It's okay for me to be horrible on the outside because the extreme goodness of me on the inside makes up for it," which I don't consider to be a size-acceptance message.

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starcat_jewel on March 8th, 2009 11:13 pm (UTC)

I was about to say much the same thing. There's still the implicit acceptance that fat* = ugly, but it's okay to be ugly if you're nice. A better closer would have been, "You can be attractive no matter what size you are."

And yet... baby steps.

* And "fat" is still defined far too broadly, pardon the pun. When models who are size 12 are called "plus-size", something is very wrong.

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janetmiles on March 9th, 2009 12:47 am (UTC)

I see your points, you and If. In the context, though, I think it came closer to "You can be attractive at any size if you behave with dignity."

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tomtac on March 10th, 2009 01:02 am (UTC)

But I find the whole incident exciting. Perhaps it is the note of realism involved, none of that "denial" stuff.

Like "I am the size I am."

It reminds me of Barbara Walter's two points about herself that she wrote about, the ones she repeats to herself every once in a while. "I am the age I am." "I look the way I look."

As I said, none of that "denial" stuff we are supposed to do for each other. ('oh, you're not fat at all!')

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tassie_gal on March 8th, 2009 11:11 pm (UTC)

OH! I just went looking its your version of Ladette to Lady! I <3 Mrs Schrager...

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ideealisme on March 9th, 2009 01:20 pm (UTC)

A big hurrah for Mrs Shrager from me.

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