As if women didn’t have a hard enough time feeling good about our bodies, the new NBC dramusical, Smash, has their main character wishing she didn’t have to play “sexy” but instead be “fat.”
In the pilot episode of Smash, the main character, played by American Idol alum Katharine McPhee, auditions for a part in a musical where she feels she’s not sexy enough. Complaining to her boyfriend, McPhee’s character says she doesn’t want to have to be “sexy” because she is “light” and type-casted as “the girl next door.” This is followed by her statement,
Why do I have to be sexy all the time? I wish I was fat.
Pause.
Rewind.
Play again.
Why do I have to be sexy all the time? I wish I was fat.
Plus, I’m hungry; I’m gonna start eating more.
(See the scene from Smash
A woman can be thin and not be sexy, or she can be overweight and sexy as hell.
While neither incredibly thin or overweight, Marilyn Monroe is one of the most notably sexy women in entertainment. She was very curvy and voluptuous, with an accentuated hourglass figure, and is often seen topping the lists of the sexiest women of all time.
Ironically, later in the episode, McPhee’s character auditions to play Marilyn Monroe in a fictional Broadway production. While Monroe was and is still seen as an ideal sexy woman, her measurements suggest she would wear between a 6 and 10 in current Women’s sizings, placing her in the size range of what we dub our current “plus-size models.”
To suggest that her character needs to be fat to avoid the annoyances of being seen as sexy is damaging and inaccurate of the Smash writers.
What about Kate Winslet, Natalie Maines, Jessica Simpson, Emme, Christine Hendricks, Martine McCucheon, Sara Ramirez… is this the message we want to replay over and over in front of teens and young women? That there is one mold for sexy, and you either squeeze into it, or you don’t?
The show itself is just underway, coming off weeks of heavy promotion by NBC. It made a strong showing among TV viewers and critics.
But, with a demographic of 18-35 year olds, when does it become irresponsible for a television show to regurgitate the same bigoted sense of beauty?
Angie Lynch is the founder and managing editor of the powerhouse women’s literary community, Smut Book Club. She is a Native Floridian without a tan, probably because she spends her days hard at work on the magical internet. For the past several years, Angie has worked way too hard at building clout as an influencer in food and margaritas as well as being a source for laughable pop culture commentary. You can read more from Angie on her blog, A Whole Lot of Nothing.
image credits MARK SELIGER/NBC & 20th Century Fox
Love you and love this!
I was bothered by this also. And? Didn’t McPhee have an eating disorder back in her AI days? She should be ashamed to make such a statement after going through that.
She had an eating disorder for years – well before AI, apparently. Which is why I would hope that they will have her come to some realization on the show that is healthy. But, that’s probably wishful thinking.
Yes. All of this.
Agreed. So glad you wrote this. That line really set me off.
Totally missed that line. I know some sexy ‘fat’ chicks that’d want to break her in half lol
I missed it too. I was kinda excited for this show, but it was a huge letdown for me. I tuned out.
I DVR’d the show but haven’t watched it yet. I’m astounded by that comment. How naive of those writers to make such an inflammatory statement. And shame on McPhee for going along with it.
SO bothered by this. Ugh. But thinking it is probably a pretty accurate attitude in the world in which the show takes place. Had the show queued up to watch this weekend. Now I’m undecided.
Wow, sad and disappointing.
I also caught that. I was like WTF?
Agreed. Well said, and a reminder that is needed. Sexy is not a size.
I hesitate to comment because I’m sure many will disgaree with my viewpoint, but I think it is a very interesting issue. In watching the show, I honestly didn’t cattch the offensive nature of the line. After reading your post, I certainly understand and think the writers had a misstep. However, I don’t think the intention was to say that you can’t be fat AND sexy (you most certainly can and many women are) . I think they were trying to communicate something about the nature of the acting profession – if you are beautiful and have a “good figure” (which everyone defines differently but Hollywood/Broadway definitely has a definition), then you can sometimes be typecast and expected to play up your sexuality all the time, when you’d like to be recognized for more. I think the way the writers chose to communicate this was terrible, but I do think it’s a misinterpretation of the intention.
Thank you so much for saying something. I was so offended by this comment. Stereotypes are wrong, no matter which one you are perpetuating.
I caught that line as well! Ironically, McPhee’s ‘competition’ for Marilyn has a far more accurate body type (and she’s a bit short too!) For those reasons alone I hope to see a real struggle on Smash between the two characters that emphasizes (at least to some extent) that there is *no* need to be a wafer to be successful, or sexy! Of course, this could be wishful thinking…still I have hope.
Well that’s just unsettling. I missed that part, but I don’t like it. Sexy has NOTHING to do with what size ANYTHING you wear. It’s all in your mind and your presentation.
Sigh.
Wow. I was upset that I accidentally forgot to watch. Now I’m glad, because no doubt it would have left me seething.
Incredibly sad.
Rough.
I am just shocked that McPhee didn’t reread that line a couple times and think “Now won’t this offend some women?”
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