mike, molly and marie claire

I often wonder at the identity of my blog. Sometimes I think I haven't found it, other times I think it's not something that needs to be found. A blog - or at least this blog - is an extension of its author. If the author wants to take a break from being an author and create visually-inspiring entries with less emphasis on text before turning around and publishing an editorial-style entry, that's her prerogative, isn't it? That's why I feel comfortable brandishing my diversity with posts like Miu Miu by Kris Atomic and Friend Friday: Shapes and Sizes. That's also why I'm here with a few words about the now-infamous blog entry by Maura Kelly for Marie Claire, Should "Fatties" Get a Room? (Even on TV?). If you've missed this bit of weight-centric drama, I'll explain: Kelly was asked by her editor to write a post on the subject of plus-size actors on television. What resulted could be considered an attack on obese people by a woman suffering from anorexia and a blatant obsession with being thin. Kelly targeted CBS's new hit comedy Mike and Molly, which stars Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy as overweight Chicagoans who meet and fall in love at Overeater's Anonymous. My mom and I watched the pilot, both ecstatic about seeing our dear Melissa McCarthy in a starring role after such hilarious and charming pursuits as Sookie St. James on Gilmore Girls and Dena on Samantha Who?. Neither of us could get invested in the comedic tone of Mike and Molly, but it was certainly not for lack of trying on the part of the leads.



In regard to Kelly's article, Sharon Osbourne has spoken out about it, along with a legion of angry readers via Twitter, Facebook, the blogging world and in comments on the original post which have built up to almost 3,000. Kelly has since issued an apology - you can read that at the end of her original post. In my opinion, however, no apology will ever be sufficient for things like this:

Yes, anorexia is sick, but at least some slim models are simply naturally skinny. No one who is as fat as Mike and Molly can be healthy. And obesity is costing our country far more in terms of all the related health problems we are paying for, by way of our insurance, than any other health problem, even cancer.

So anyway, yes, I think I'd be grossed out if I had to watch two characters with rolls and rolls of fat kissing each other ... because I'd be grossed out if I had to watch them doing anything. To be brutally honest, even in real life, I find it aesthetically displeasing to watch a very, very fat person simply walk across a room — just like I'd find it distressing if I saw a very drunk person stumbling across a bar or a heroine addict slumping in a chair.

...I think obesity is something that most people have a ton of control over. It's something they can change, if only they put their minds to it.

The average reader of Marie Claire is thirty years old (source), but it's still Maura Kelly's job as an author to evaluate her writing and thoroughly understand the influence it will have on its audience. Let's face it, there's no age-limit on being impressionable. Even adults can be swayed into believing one thing or another by the media. The first paragraph could easily influence a woman into believing that Kelly thinks being anorexic is okay because it's less expensive, or that there's no such thing as a naturally heavy person. Wording like this, whatever her intention, is very badly done. As to the second paragraph, the fact that anyone could possibly form those words in their mind, translate them to print and not for a moment entertain that they could be in any way offensive is perfect proof of how insensitive our society has become. Again, I fault Kelly as a writer for having such flippant regard for the way her words will be interpreted. My own personal interpretation of them was grossly negative and I was left wondering how someone with such little regard for language - nevermind someone who freely expresses such unhelpful opinions as these - could possibly have a career as a writer. Her obvious disgust at the idea of obese people "kissing", waking across a room or simply "doing anything" reeks of unhealthy body image issues and encourages the reader to notice and judge the appearance of others. I'm of the opinion that a person's weight is their own business and if an obese person makes a decision to be healthier there are specialists to help and discuss that. Our business ought to be to accept the people we share this world with. Publications like Maura Kelly's are throwing the acceptance process into complete reverse and society is impressionable enough to follow their trend. There may be a high obesity rate in this country, but low self-esteem is an epidemic.

While I'm disappointed in the author of the offending article, I also need to express my outright anger at the editor who first presented this topic to a woman with pre-established weight issues and who allowed its publication online.


Regardless of your opinions on weight-related issues, just look at those faces! Melissa is without question one of the perkiest, sweetest, most dazzling women on television right now. I don't understand how anyone could not enjoy watching her.
Mike and Molly co-star Swoosie Kurtz said of the show, "I think it will help people to feel not so alone. We all kind of build these little self-imposed prisons of loneliness for ourselves because of our feelings of inadequacy and insecurity." I agree wholeheartedly with this, and I applaud Melissa, Billy, the cast, crew and the CBS execs for giving this approach a chance.

This brings me to a few other posts I'd like to share which cover subjects relating in some ways to the ones above...


Beautifully Invisible: Can't we all just be Fashionistas?
The stimulating and anonymous Beautifully Invisible approaches the many words that stereotype fashion bloggers - "Plus size", "Curvy", "Fatshionista" - and voices her own opinion on the size issue in the fashion blogging world.



Grit and Glamour: Why I'm Not on Weardrobe, Chictopia, Lookbook or Hypeed
V of Grit and Glamour is the author of many inspiring posts (as are all the ladies I'm mentioning here - with the exception, perhaps, of the very first: Miss Kelly). In this particular piece V boldly acknowledges the favoritism and stereotyping issues of social fashion Web sites. The opinions she gives voice to in this post are some that I share in quite passionately.


ArtFashion: Friday Parade: The Fashion blogosphere - Is hate the new trend?
On a slightly different topic, Bere of ArtFashion has started a revolution to end the hate that has long gone uncontested in the fashion blogging world. She speaks out against those who create blogs for the sole purpose of "bashing" fashion bloggers and encourages everyone reading to embrace kindness. A must-read, as these all are.

I hope this post has been in some way beneficial to you, dear reader. If you're still with me, thank you very much for devoting a bit of your time to such prominent and challenging issues. I hope we can all work to change the negative perspectives that manage to suffocate the creative, unique and independent artists online.