The truth is many Americans are fat; but you wouldn't know that by watching American TV-would you? We're used to the Eva Longoria's, Courtney Cox's and Blake Lively's lighting up the screen.
New on CBS this season is the sitcom Mike and Molly and it's doing quite well and will probably be doing better now thanks to Marie Claire blogger Maura Kelly. Kelly, a freelance writer and blogger for MC wrote a posting on Monday titled, "Should 'Fatties' Get a Room? (Even on TV)?
In the post Kelly dogs the sitcom for premise and admits although she hasn't watched it but wouldn't because she would probably be 'grossed out' by the couple.
The show's characters meet in overeaters anonymous and fall in love. Yes, this is very different than anything we have seen in the sitcom realm. Most shows with weight issues of usually of the reality genre and focus around weight loss rather than weight acceptance.
Kelly ask the audience to weigh on in whether or not they think the fat jokes are too much to handle. Is it funny to be laughing at this 'obese' couple?
As a result of her brutally honest blog Kelly received a lot of grief from the blogosphere. She posted a formal apology under her original posting saying that she never intended to be a bully. Kelly and Marie Claire declined to comment on the segment surrounding the issue on the Today show this morning. Several people have made mention that Kelly has battled anorexia and the posting was unfair considering her own body issues.
The fact is mainstream television is far from diverse. Look at all the CSI's, Law and Order's, primetime drama's; every character fits a mold and they are mostly the molds we like to look at white, thin, fit, blonde, etc. I hope this conversation escalates to a discussion on the bigger picture.
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