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Cinematic Portrayals of Conventionally Unattractive Body Types
Ladenburger, Megan
Ladenburger, Megan
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Abstract
This capstone analyzes the cultural and social anxieties reflected in the portrayal of fat people in cinematic media. It analyzes how two films, Shallow Hal (2001) and The Whale (2022), display the cultural stereotypes surrounding fat people. Using Jeffrey Cohen's Monster Theory (1996), this project deconstructs the techniques used in these films that portray the fat characters as monstrous. The analysis reveals that tropes such as the fat slapstick, the fat body as a thing, and the fat body as a grotesque body contribute to the othering of fat people. Labeling fat people as the "other" is conductive to the systemic discrimination and bias facing this group. Connecting this with Cohen's seven theses of monster theory, it can be seen that fat people are characterized as monstrous, further representing cultural fears of death, disease, and a lack of control. While the cultural stereotypes surrounding fat people may have shifted over time, internalized biases about the monstrous nature of fat people have not, and this can be seen in their depictions in cinematic media. Ultimately, this project sheds light upon the complex relationship between cinema and the cultural fears that facilitate the depiction of fat people as monsters, contributing to ongoing discussions about fatphobia in the media in a time where the so-called "obesity epidemic" is at an all-time high.
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Date
2026-01-22
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University of Wyoming Libraries
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Keywords
Monster Theory,Fattertainment,Fatphobia,Othering,Cinema,Honors Capstone
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Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International