Rebel Wilson has recently received backlash after stating that she was the ‘first-ever plus sized rom-com lead” on the Ellen show. Wilson is starring in the upcoming movie Isn’t It Romantic, about a New Yorker who hits her head and wakes up stuck in a world full of romantic comedy tropes.“I’m proud to be the first-ever plus-sized girl to be the star of a romantic comedy,” she told Ellen DeGeneres.
Wilson’s comment quickly went viral, and she received a lot criticism, with people pointing out on Twitter that she is not the first curvier lead, with movies like Beauty Shop, Just Wright, and Last Holliday with Queen Latifah, and Phat Girlz with Mo’Nique. “I love @RebelWilson as much as the next girl, but she isn’t the first plus-sized woman to play the lead in a romantic comedy. Queen Latifah and Mo’Nique have both played romcom leads,” wrote Twitter user @Halfapintdoll. “Hey girl! Yeah I of course know of these movies but it was questionable as to whether: Technically those actresses were plus size when filming those movies or 2.Technically those films are categorized/billed as a studio rom-com with a sole lead. So there’s a slight grey area.” Wilson also received backlash regarding that tweet as well, with people accusing Wilson of erasing the accomplishments of black women.
This statement has lead to a lot of discussion about plus-sized women in film. It is not very often that we do see them as leads, and when we do, their size is considered a part of their identity and who they are. It is almost like it has to be justified or used as part of a joke throughout the movie. People find it hard to look past someone’s size when they don’t fit into the ‘norm’ of how women should look like. When an average sized or skinny girl is in a film, their size is hardly ever made fun of or made a joke out of.
I’ve also noticed that plus sized women are considered less desirable or ‘not worthy’ of finding love. I find this very problematic because your weight does not define you or your worth. What defines someone is their actions. It’s disappointing because Hollywood and society tend to focus solely on someone’s looks, and puts people into boxes in regards to what they can do and their worth. Hopefully, as we progress we will be able to look past body weight and looks, and let people be defined by their qualities and morals.