Fat Suits- A Rant

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 10:16 pm

Somebody decided to test America's perception or discrimination against *fat* people by what they think is a legitimate test of dressing up some *attractive* person in a *fat suit* and applying tons of makeup and trying to pass them off in social situations and judge people's reactions.

Am I the only one who sees what's wrong with this picture?

When Dr. Phil's son decided to go to a mall looking as he usually does and the salesgirls wanted to wait on him, yet when he spent 3 hours in *makeup* getting really kind of creepy looking, he seemed to think the avoidance of the salesgirls means they are prejudiced against strange looking people. Well... YEA!

On EXTRA tonight they were sticking some *cute* reporter into a *fat suit* and trowling on the makeup and sending her out to do who knows what as an experiment.
I didn't watch. I saw her freakish looking get-up and wondered who the heck thinks this stuff up?

Dr. Phil's son looked like a creep. Young girls working at the mall in these modern days, are going to have their *Something's not right- avoid this freak* detectors up, big time! That doesn't prove anything.

These phony get-ups only prove that people have good instincts when something seems phony or not right about a person- it probably is.

This is just a rant. Whew- glad that's over. Wish these *social experiments* were more valid. All it did was show the *attractive* person inside the weird get-up that they are not traeted the same if they no longer are *gorgeous.* That is what is really being learned, I think- that they can't expect their *attractive* looks to get them anywhere when they dress up like that.
I know Dr. Phil's son found it very strange and almost shocking- but for the wong reasons.

Kashesan · Post by **Kashesan** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 7:12 am

Also, why do we need to put the cute person into a fat suit to prove that fat people are treated like second or third class citizens in this superficial society these days? Wouldn't the testimony of real fat people do? Do we need a slim cutie to validate this?
I agree on the creepy guy look-its just an example of how the media pushes the feeling that women should not judge men by their looks-(how many tv shows or ads feature a tubby balding middle aged character with a slim and hot looking wife, but we never see the reverse) yet its perfectly okay to point the finger with horror at a Kirstey Alley (?) No one makes a comment about how tubby John Travolta or Alec Baldwin have become as they age. They still get million dollar job offers.

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 8:23 pm

Tyra Banks just did this on her talk show last week, dressed in a fat suit and went out in public to see people's reactions. She had the audacity to break down and cry about how hard it was to two overweight women she had on her show who comforted her. She could obviously remove her fat suit in a matter of minutes, these two women can't and she was looking to them for understanding, yeesh!

Audrey · Post by **Audrey** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 10:24 pm

I firmly believe that people treat you like you treat them.. and act.

If a person is brimming with confidence (from good looks, a great job, great intelligence, etc) they come off as confident and self assured and are treated as such.... If a person is all down of themselves (from being unhappy, perceive themselves as ugly, fat, etc) they do not command the respect of others...

It's all about the aura...

Princess Diana is a good example of this-- how her looks and perception of herself changed over the years....

Audrey · Post by **Audrey** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 10:25 pm

PS... I find Kirstie Alley offensive at any size...

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 5:46 am

I agree Kash! The cute people who are temprarily *funny looking* are the ones who are freaked!
This kind of TV has got to stop. It's so pseudo!

And I also agree about the aura of confidence- but Dr. Phil's son seemed pretty confident- he really did act like himself in his get-up. But he was SO weird looking AND they had him asking about bathing suits - so it was kind of an intimate thing he was dealing with in his *fat suit.* The girls did not want to wait on him. They were very young. I think the intimate nature of his shopping slanted that whole experiment at that store.

I know it took my mother living in a wheel chair for me to look people in the eye automatically in wheelchairs- in acknowledgement. They sit below your normal vision range and so I don't know if they receive a lot of eye contact naturally.

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 7:29 pm

One thing I've learned from the wheelchair bound people in my life is that they preferred people to sit down or crouch down next to them when you talk to them. They said it gets quite tiresome always looking up, gives them a crick in the neck.

Yes, I too believe that confidence can go a long way towards how others perceive you. But, I have to wonder how much of Dr. Phil's experiment ended up on the cutting room floor to slant the findings in the direction he wanted them to go? There may have been things his son said to the girls to creep them out totally before they showed him "innocently" just asking for a bathing suit.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 11:55 pm

It does seem fishy enough to be suspicious.
But I think this was Dr. Phil's son's idea and I don't think he has a psychology degree.
I had the feeling that because Jay went to all this trouble, his father let it on his show, but when the show was ending, it seemed like Dr. Phil thought of it as pseudo-science. It was in some comment he made.
I think Jay is a media-baby and thought this experiment would be active and *reality-show* based.
I do think Dr. Phil knew better.

nbcatlover · Post by **nbcatlover** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 9:10 pm

They abuse the "fat" people 'cuz you can't wear a skinny suit.

Has anyone seen those anorexic twins on The Insider?

http://insider.tv.yahoo.com/celeb/3284/

My mother had malignant cancer with cachexia. She wasted done to 59 lbs. when she died. It makes me crazy to see people so obsessed with thinness that they do this to themselves. I can't imagine what Holocaust survivors think.

We need a sane U.S. society that promotes a healthy body image.

So many so-called "stars" have lost their looks with this skinny fad. Julia Roberts used to be so pretty. Now she looks like she's out of American Gothic.

And Lindsey Lohan! She's gotten so thin, and she's so young. I hope she looks in a mirror and realizes she's not as pretty as she was a little heavier.

Why just abuse the so-called "fat" people? There are metabolic diseases Western medicine can't understand, so they just ignore them. Many of these people have medical problems that are beyond their ability to control.

Then there is the person who has lost a tremendous amount of weight and has mounds of loose skin to deal with. There was a story on some news show this past week of a woman who had to have 40 lbs. of loose skin removed (at a hugh cost) because she had been obese and had finally been
able to lose weight by having her stomach stapled. Then she needed a full-body lift.

Here's the story of a man who lost 400 lbs. His first surgery removed 25 lbs. of loose skin and he still needs more surgery.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3972656/

When Dr. Phil's son and Tyra Banks are running around pretending, you have to wonder what really heavy people are thinking when they want to lose the weight but don't have a small fortune for the cosmetic surgery to make them look good afterwards.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 3:37 am

That lady's skin reduction was $40,000!!

I recall the first episode of "Medium" where Ms. Arquette did the whole show with a regular body shape and no makeup. At one time she was soaking wet with no makeup. That hooked me. She looked so normal- and I was so pleasantly surprised that a star would appear that way on her debut TV show.

BTW: Monday night at 10. It's in 3-D this week. I had to buy a TV Guide to get the glasses. It was only 99 cents tho. I'm ready!

nbcatlover · Post by **nbcatlover** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 8:27 pm

I agree, Kat. Though it may be hard for some people to believe that a show about a medium has probably the most normal family on television.

I love the fact that both parents work and the kids need to be jockeyed around and they have a loving relationship which doesn't mean that they don't occasionally butt heads.

Unfortunately, I have no 3-D glasses, just my normal 4-eyes...but I'll be watching anyway.

Audrey · Post by **Audrey** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 10:04 pm

As per the show Medium..

This morning I saw one of those call in contests on the local morning news.

Apparently this evening (21,Nov) the show was broadcast in 3D. They asked "which show will be in 3D tonight?" The lady who called in didn't know and they always see to it the person wins so they give VERY good clues...

They gave clue after clue and finally resorted to "If you want a pizza and do not want a large or a small, what would you order?" She responded "Thanksgiving dinner". MON DIEU!

The prize wasn't too bad either... $20 in Chamber of Commerce 'bucks' that can be spent in virtually any business in town!

Sher never did get it... and to my way of thinking didn't deserve those Chamber Bucks!

theebmonique · Post by **theebmonique** » Mon Nov 21, 2005 10:30 pm

I searched for some of the TV Guides with the 3D glasses, but unfortunately, the free glasses had been removed from the few copies I could find. So, I went to our local party supply store, and they had packs of 12 pair of 3D glasses for $3. So I bought a pack, delivered a few pair to friends and am now sitting home waiting for Medium to start. And no...I am not wearing a fat suit.

Tracy...

Audrey · Post by **Audrey** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 12:19 am

LOL!

Getting that package of 3D glasses is classic Tracy! generous, kind and just a little bit extravagent! It is just like her to get the glasses for her friends as well!

I would like to see a picture of you in them my dear....

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 12:50 am

I hope they work. Not all 3-D glasses are made the same.
Stef tried to find the TV Guide and there weren't any in her part of town. This is too weird.
~ ~ ~ ~
I have some glasses that make regular TV shows 3-D. They were a catalogue item several years ago.
It seems with these, you can turn them upside down for some people. The emphasis is on a certain eye and I found they work fine for me the way they are designed, but my brother has to have the opposite eye dominate so he has to turn them upside down.
It might be a male/female brain thing. These aren't red/blue glasses, BTW.

theebmonique · Post by **theebmonique** » Tue Nov 22, 2005 1:31 am

The glasses were OK...not great...just OK.

Auds...be careful what you ask for...LOL.

Tracy...

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 4:31 am

Really! She's right! That made me go look in the mirror. The glasses which came in the TVGuide had an eyeball in the centre of the glasses so I looked like a cyclops! Very weird. I think it was supposed to be my "3rd eye."
Of picture of that would not be cute!