Yes, its been a while, but I feel compelled to say a few words on Dreamworks Studios. Specifically – Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar 2.
I just got back from seeing Madagascar 2, so I’ll start there first. My girlfriend and I went to see it because she loves King Julian, but I was very impressed on the fat-positivity they portrayed through the hippos, especially Moto Moto and Gloria. WARNING: Spoilers Follow.
It is clear right from the start that all hippos are of the rotund variety, and like it. Not only that, but Moto Moto goes after Gloria because of her size, and embraces his chubbiness too. They do not dance around the issue at all. He calls her chunky and plump, and though she responds wittily, his attraction to her shape works for her (at first). Considering how many movies skirt around the size of bigger-bodied characters, or make a joke out of them, I thought this was really awesome. I was even happy with what happened to this fat-positive attraction. When Gloria asks Moto Moto what he likes about her, and he can’t offer any explanation other than her size, in comes Melman to show how beautiful she is on the inside as well as out (despite the fact that I don’t want to think about the mechanics of hippo/giraffe lovin’). So that takes it beyond sexual fetishism (which I’m not saying is bad) to a level of whole personhood in interest of relationships, building a really strong message about this fat girl (albeit non-human) character. Plus, Gloria gets to do some pretty athletic things in trying to stop Melman from sacrificing himself, showing that us big folks can move it move it too. So, like I said before, I am quite impressed.
Now, onto Kung Fu Panda.
If you are into size-positive movies or messages at all, go see this movie NOW!!! I mean it, run don’t walk!!! WARNING: Spoilers Follow, again.
Po, the main character, is a big fat Panda, and again, Dreamworks doesn’t skirt around this fact. They call him what he is – fat. The assumption is made very early on, when he is declared the Dragon Warrior, that he is unfit because of his size. However, after he is trained and shows that he too can be athletic (albeit in a more bouncy way), he does NOT lose any weight. He stays the round, squishable size he naturally is. So a BIG yay for that. The fact that he eats when he’s upset is a little annoying, because it points to the stereotype that fat people eat way more than thin people. But in general, how they handle him, and his weight, is a very positive thing. The message of the Dragon Scroll also plays into this. The fact that “there is no secret ingredient,” no one thing that makes any one person more special than another, that each person is special and unique, is carried for the first time in that world by a fat character. Much yay! So, the fat Panda delivers a positive message that affects all people, overcomes stereotypes, and changes the minds of other characters (and hopefully the viewers’) about size and its limitations. More thumbs up than I have thumbs for, I say.
So yes. If you have not seen this movie yet, go see it NOW!!!
And on a less positive and not so cartoony note…I spent the recent holiday of turkey-eating with my girlfriend and her family. They traditionally go out shopping on Black Friday, even if just for a couple of hours, and I get pulled along with them when I’m there (which is not always a bad thing, I got a great new winter coat out of it this time). Anyway, there were several clothing articles we had to hunt for, which meant looking through the female-oriented sections. We were in Sears when I realized that the Women’s section and Plus section had become the same thing.
……..?
My girlfriend explained that this had happened a while ago, though I hadn’t noticed (probably because I avoid clothes shopping). But wtf? We go from Children’s, to Misses/Junior’s, to Petite, and then to Women’s which = Plus’s now? On the one hand, this blatantly shows that the average woman will not fit into the tiny tiny clothes we are expected to wear, so that’s good. But no one is saying anything about this, either, and the Plus-now-Women’s section is still shoved next to the Maternity section, and in this Sears, that was all the way on the second floor in a corner, far far away from the Misses and Petite’s. I’m really not sure how I feel about this. It should be a positive, change-making observation – that people are bigger than society wants, and its okay. But its not, is it?
*shakes her head in confusion*
There was also bra-shopping involved, and to that I’ll just say that its really annoying that only girls with tiny boobs and tiny chest circumference get to wear cute underwear. But that’s a rant in and of itself, so I’ll leave it at that.
Goodness, I missed blogging.
