Alyssa Milano has jumped to the defence of the new Netflix show Insatiable after it was heavily criticised over allegations of 'fat-shaming'. On Thursday, the global streaming service released the trailer for the programme, which follows a character called Patty, played by Debby Ryan, who’s relentlessly mocked at school for being overweight. Patty loses weight over summer following a procedure where she has to have her jaw wired shut and seeks revenge over her classmates, a premise that’s been widely condemned on social media. Many felt incensed over the implication that a person is only perceived as being worthy of reverence and admiration once they’ve lost weight and become what others would deem as conventionally attractive. “You have a chance to make creative, engaging, original content from fat people about fat people’s lives and you choose to… put a skinny person in a fat suit and make jokes about how sad her life is and about what a crazy bitch she turns into. That’s so lazy and pathetic,” one person wrote on Twitter. “Honestly, did anyone who worked on this show talk to a fat person? Like ever?” another person commented. “This pushes disordered eating AND the fact that you have to lose weight to be ‘better’. Shame on everyone who was involved with this project.” Adam Cox, a clinical hypnotherapist who specialises in weight loss, explains to The Independent why the show may have an especially negative effect on those who suffer from body image issues. “The series seems to be entirely based around negative connotations to do with weight, which is inherently harmful to anyone who has struggled with body issues,” he says. “While we’ve seen many shows and movies encourage body positivity, unfortunately there are still some which aim to perpetuate already harmful stereotypes which do nothing to address these issues at best, and at worst knowingly pursue controversy to gain viewings. Recommended Jameela Jamil sums up body pressures put on women in viral tweet “To do this when people’s mental health may be compromised by such a tactic, especially young people, strikes me as irresponsible and dangerous.” Toby Ingham, a UKCP registered psychotherapist, explains how the original intention of the show likely became lost in translation. "The criticism is powerful, passionate and hard to argue against. It does seem as though the programme makers may not have thought this through, though that seems unlikely," he says. "The criticism picks up on the show making fat a phobic issue that demands 'female obedience,' in Woolf's words. It is hard to come back from that kind of comment. This will stick. Recommended Mental health education to be made compulsory in England schools "It is likely that the programme will put pressure on the mental health of young viewers," he continues. Liam Preston, head of YMCA's 'Be Real' campaign, says that while it's too early to judge the show in its entirety, "the trailer for Insatiable does appear to reinforce the notion that society prefers you when you're slim." He remains optimistic about the positive influence that the show could have, telling The Independent: "Hopefully, the show will try and tackle this issue sensitively, rather than be an opportunity to roll out tasteless jokes." Alyssa Milano, who stars in the show, has expressed her opposition to the immense criticism that the programme, which passed on by TV network The CW, has received. “We are not shaming Patty,” she wrote. “We are addressing (through comedy) the damage that occurs from fat shaming. I hope that clears it up.” However, critics of Insatiable have responded to Milano’s comments explaining why they believe her view is misguided. “Lacking identity as a fat person and not feeling like you can pick who you want to be until you become thing? So harmful,” one person replied. “Fat people have identities, fat people are not these miserable humans, and we deserve more.” Recommended 5 tips to help someone suffering with an eating disorder Another person wrote: “I think you need to take a step back and listen to people who have lived the experience of being overweight and take into consideration what they are saying without being so defensive. Their words are important.” In June, an artist from Oregon wrote a lengthy thread on Twitter outlining the judgement that he is forced to cope with on a daily basis for "being fat". He explained that he had become self-conscious of almost every single action, from how he chews his food to the way in which strangers look at him in the street. In April a 19-year-old from Indiana was praised online for the way in which she handled being fat-shamed in a bakery. The Independent has contacted Netflix for comment.<doc-sep>NETFLIX dropped the first trailer for teen comedy series Insatiable over the weekend — but the lead actor’s dramatic transformation has some viewers fuming. Insatiable tells the story of Patty (Debby Ryan), an overweight high-schooler and social reject who’s dubbed “Fatty Patty” and teased mercilessly by her school mates. 11 Insatiable tells the story of Patty, an overweight high-schooler and social reject who’s dubbed 'Fatty Patty' and teased mercilessly by her school mates Credit: Netflix Until, that is, Patty has her jaw wired shut over her summer holidays, loses a lot of weight and returns to school conventionally “hot”. Suddenly popular, Patty uses her new-found social standing to seek revenge on the teens who used to make her life hell. The trailer’s earliest scenes — showing Ryan shuffling around in a less-than-convincing fat suit, grimly shovelling food into her mouth — have sparked a backlash from viewers, many of whom have asked why Hollywood is still putting thin actors in fat suits, some 17 years after Gwyneth Paltrow got cheap laughs playing a morbidly obese woman in Shallow Hal. Others have expressed disappointment at the series’ apparent depiction of drastic, enforced weight loss as a path to success and popularity. 11 She comes back from school break skinny and ready to exact revenge Credit: Netflix 11 Actress Debby Ryan wears an unconvincing fat suit at the beginning of the show Credit: Netflix There’s even a Change.org petition demanding Netflix cancel the series, which has already amassed over 83,000 signatures. “For so long, the narrative has told women and young impressionable girls that in order to be popular, have friends, to be desirable for the male gaze, and to some extent be a worthy human … that we must be thin,” the petition states. “This series will cause eating disorders, and perpetuate the further objectification of women’s bodies. The trailer has already triggered people with eating disorders. Let’s stop this, and protect further damage.” The wave of backlash has forced several people connected with the series to defend it — including Ryan, co-star Alyssa Milano and Insatiable creator Lauren Gussis. 11 People have taken to social media to criticise the controversial new show Credit: Twitter 11 Some thought Debby Ryan, lead actress who plays 'fatty Patty', was personally responsible for her character Credit: Twitter 11 Thousands have called for the 'fatphobic' show to be taken off Netflix Credit: Twitter 11 Debby Ryan posted a heartfelt message about the show after the controversy occurred Credit: Twitter 11 The show has received massive backlash for its depiction of overweight people - and the message behind being skinny and popular Credit: Netflix 11 Actress Debby Ryan talked about her own body image issues in a statement defending the show Credit: Getty Images - Getty 11 Stars of the show have come to its defence, posting heartfelt messages about the characters on social media Credit: Netflix 11 In a lengthy social media post, Ryan explained that it was her own body image issues that attracted her to the project Credit: Netflix In a lengthy social media post, Ryan explained that it was her own body image issues that attracted her to the project. “Twelve years into my own struggles with body image, struggles that took me in and out of terrible places I never want to go again, things I choose every day to leave behind, I was drawn to this show’s willingness to go to real places about how difficult and scary it can be to move through the world in a body, whether you’re being praised or criticised for its size, and what it feels like to pray to be ignored because it’s easier than being seen,” she adds. 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"I hope that clears it up.” A version of this story originally appeared on News.com.au.<doc-sep>This is trash. Netflix I expected a company that’s prided itself on changing the faces in entertainment and inclusivity to be better to fat people. This story like is uncreative and fatphobic. It’s also incredibly insulting to attempt to tell an story of a fat women with a thin<doc-sep>
The trailer for Netflix's Insatiable has already made quite an impact on social media, though perhaps not for the reasons the creators may have anticipated. The show, which stars Debby Ryan and Alyssa Milano, tells the story of Patty, an overweight girl known as (ugh) "Fatty Patty" at her high school. After she is (UGH!) punched in the face and has her jaw wired shut for a summer, she returns to school thin and therefore conventionally attractive, and so decides to exact revenge on the bullies who made fun of her before. And yes, Debby Ryan wears a fat suit for her portrayal of "Fatty Patty." Many people on Twitter and otherwise immediately reacted to the premise of the show, calling it a fat-shaming opus. Others rightfully pointed out that the movie does more than fat-shame, and that the premise also legitimizes several harmful and disingenuous conceptions about size. BuzzFeed's Kristin Chirico pointed out the difference in a series of tweets: Like this is technically correct in a broad sense but doesn’t address the core problematic issues of the premise of the show being about needing to be thin to get what you want (and doing it in an extreme deprivation-based way)/using fat bodies as costumes, etc. pic.twitter.com/jRz9CNXeEq — Kristin Chirico (@lolacoaster) July 20, 2018 Other people attempted to lay out in simple terms exactly why the base narrative of Insatiable is harmful. it • promotes fat-shaming • teaches young people that if you don’t eat, you’ll become skinny and desirable • romanticizes revenge fantasies • shows that you’re only deserving of love and popularity if you fall into society’s definition of beauty — jenna 106 (@jennajozeph) July 20, 2018 this is a good example of why i grew up insecure and thought i would never be loved because of my size. give us a story where the fat girl stays fat, struggles, but learns to accept her body and overcomes societal standards. #insatiable https://t.co/v9WchYgKVG — lacey (@geamxs) July 19, 2018 As someone who studies fat stigma I can unequivocally say that this series will do serious damage to the lives of fat teenagers who may watch the show. @netflix — Amanda Levitt (@FatBodyPolitics) July 19, 2018 Alyssa Milano, who stars in Insatiable, responded to these criticisms by tweeting that the show is not meant to fat-shame Patty's character but rather show the effects of bullying: We are not shaming Patty. We are addressing (through comedy) the damage that occurs from fat shaming. I hope that clears it up. Also, this article does a good job of explaining it more: https://t.co/WoR8R7TjqR #Insatiable https://t.co/GFkDdsn1uh — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) July 19, 2018 It's clear that Insatiable's premise embodies several harmful stereotypes about bodies and size, at least based on the way the show has been marketed. While it may be an attempt to satirically explore bullying, its comedic execution and social message may not be enough to offset the perception that it misrepresents body positivity.