Durban - In our Instagrammed, photoshopped, nip and tucked glossy new world, skinny equals beautiful. Skinny equals being in control, being healthy, and being attractive. Sure, no one wants to be a tub of lard, but when did we decide that only skinny can be beautiful?
And, if a woman doesn’t fit into the size zero category, we then label them as either Plus Sized, Big Girls, Curvy, Buxom or Large. And while those terms seems appropriate, they’re really not; because by labelling them as such, we’re effectively calling them less attractive. In an interview last year, Mad Men actress Christina Hendricks was called “fuller-figured” twice, and responded by saying “I think calling me fuller figured is just plain out rude.”
Earlier this year, Karl Lagerfeld got into trouble (rightly so) for calling British singer Adele “fat”, and “roundish”. Asked about it, Adele responded by saying: “I’ve never wanted to look like models on the cover of magazines. I represent the majority of women and I’m very proud of that,” she told People.
And in an earlier interview, the 23-year-old star said: “I enjoy being me; I always have done. I’ve seen people where it rules their lives, you know, who want to be thinner or have bigger boobs, and how it wears them down. And I just don’t want that in my life.”
And to prove the point, here are five size heroes not letting anyone else’s opinions of them stop them from ruling the world:
Melissa McCarthy: 43, actress, comedian, writer, producer
Where You Know Her From: As the lovably klutzy control freak Sookie in The Gilmore Girls for all seven seasons from 2000-2007, and as Molly in the sitcom Mike and Molly.
Her Big Break: Bridesmaids, 2011. Her foul mouthed role as Megan stole the show, and not only did she win a host of new fans, she also scored her first Oscar nomination. Since then, she’s won an Emmy for Mike and Molly, another Emmy for hosting Saturday Night Live, and has scored roles in This is 40 and The Hangover 3. She is currently starring opposite Sandra Bullock in the hit comedy The Heat.
Quote: “Part of being young is you think gaining 6 lbs (around 2.7kg) is the end of the world.”
Rebel Wilson: 27, actress,writer, stand-up comedian
Where You Know Her From: As Kristen Wiigs’s crazy British flatmate in Bridesmaids, or as Fat Amy in Pitch Perfect.
Her Big Break: After high school, Rebel lived in South Africa for a while, until she contracted malaria, which caused her to hallucinate winning an Oscar… She says it sounds crazy, but that’s what got her into acting. Shortly after moving to the US, Rebel was cast as Brynn in Bridesmaids. Since then, she’s starred in A Few Best Men, What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Struck by Lightning and Bachelorette, leading Variety to name her one of their “Top Ten Comics to Watch for 2011”. She has also written a TV comedy called Super Fun Night for the ABC network.
Quote: “”Some roles you get because of your physicality,” she said. “In the script (it'll say) 'this is a fat girl character', and some roles I have missed out on because of how I look.”
“That's just not me (skinny)and I do love eating. I just want to be a healthier version of me, and so far it's good. I’m getting there,” she concluded.”
Mindy Kaling: 34, writer, actress, stand-up comedian
Where You Know Her From: As Kelly Kapoor on The Office (for which she was also a staff writer)
Her Big Break: She made her film debut in The 40-Year-Old Virgin with Steve Carell and in 2007 she held a small part in License to Wed. Recently, Mindy was in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and voiced Taffyta Muttonfudge in Disney’s animated comedy film, Wreck-It Ralph. In 2011, she had supporting roles in No Strings Attached, and The Five-Year Engagement. Last year, she created a TV comedy series, The Mindy Project, in which she starred, produced and co-wrote, that made her the first South Asian-American woman to be the headliner of her own network television show.
Quote: “If someone called me chubby, it would no longer be something that kept me up late at night. Being called fat is not like being called stupid or unfunny, which is the worst thing you could ever say to me. Do I envy Jennifer Hudson for being able to lose all that weight and look smokin’ hot? Of course, yes. Do I sometimes look at Gisele Bundchen and wonder how awesome life would be if I never had to wear Spanx? Duh, of course. That’s kind of the point of Gisele Bundchen. And maybe I will, once or twice, for a very short period of time. But on the list of things I want to do in my lifetime, that’s not near the top. I mean, it’s not near the bottom either. I’d say it’s right above ‘Learn to drive a Vespa,’ but several notches below ‘film a chase scene for a movie’.”
Beth Ditto: American singer/songwriter, model
Where You Know Her From: As the outspoken, lead vocalist of the alternative band, Gossip. Or from her infamous nude cover on Love Magazine in 2009.
Her Big Break: Gossip’s breakthrough album, Standing in the Way of Control, released in 2006. It reached Number 1 on the UK indie chart, and the title track served as the unofficial theme song to the British teen drama Skins. The album also propelled Beth to mainstream culture, with NME naming her as the “Coolest Person in Rock,” in 2006. Openly lesbian, and a fierce advocate for GLBT rights, she has been credited with “challenging dominant conceptualisations of beauty, gender and sexuality and, in the process, has constructed an alternative to conventional standards of attractiveness”.
Quote: “Don’t hang out with people who don’t love you. Don’t try to impress people who aren’t worth it. Focus on yourself, and focus on the people who are really awesome and who love you. Don’t hang out with people who make you feel like shit. Don’t spend your energy on them. There is so much pressure to be part of the right thing: well, you should create the right thing. If you don’t see it, create it. If you don’t see what you want, be the change you want to see.”
Octavia Spencer: 40, actress
Where You Know Her From: The immigration officer who had a crush on Betty’s father in Ugly Betty, and as Serenity Johnson on Comedy Central’s Halfway Home.
Her Big Break: As Minny the maid, in 2010’s The Help. She won a Bafta, a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild, a Critic’s Choice and an Academy Award for the role, and was moved to tears when she was given a standing ovation at the Oscar ceremony.
Entertainment Weekly named her one of The 25 Funniest Actresses in Hollywood in 2009, calling her “sassy, smart and wise beyond her years”.
Quote: “I’m not trying to be a different weight. I want to be a different body type so that I’m not an apple. I just want to be a pear!”
Retta: American actress, stand-up comedian
Where You Know Her From: Her Twitter account. Jezebel crowned her the Best TV Recapper on the internet. “Twitter makes me feel like I have friends over,” says Retta. “I realise that if I talk about television someone will respond. I’ve always been co-dependent in that fashion, and Twitter has fed my sickness.”
Her Big Break: As Donna Meagle on the cult hit show Parks and Recreation. “I have a lot of Donna in me in that I take on a lot of my own idiosyncrasies much like she does. The writers on Parks and Rec though, decide what’s going to happen to her. We get to know the writers and they see your personality and sprinkle it on your character. Donna recently got her own Twitter account.”
Quote: “I was always silly in high school,” says Retta. “I used to always get in trouble because I was laughing. I’ve always thought I was funny but never thought I could use it to make money. In 1996 I decided I was going to use my humour to get on TV to make money. All the people I looked up to – Roseanne, Tim Allen, and Jerry Seinfeld – were stand-up comedians who used humour to get TV shows. I’m on TV now, and I’m working towards getting my own show.”
* Other Size Heroes: Gabourey Sidibe, Christina Hendricks, Adele, Sara Ramirez and Amber Riley (Glee). - Sunday Tribune