I Feel Pretty and Unseen: A Rhetorical Analysis of Weight Bias in Film Reviews

Date

April 2020

Description

Of all of the fifty top-grossing films of the 21st century, not a single one features a plus-sized female protagonist; few, in fact, include plus-sized women whose characters are even given names (Listchallenges.com-2019). Why might this be, and how might this affect society’s perception of plus-sized women as a whole? This presentation will explore the relationship between the portrayal of women defined as plus-sized in film and its societal impact on real-life plus-sized women. The topic will first be defined, then analyzed with the tone and word choice used to describe plus-sized female characters in film reviews for the movies “I Feel Pretty,” (2018) and “Pitch Perfect” (2012). Themes to be explored include common character roles and token-ing, importance of weight or appearance to plot, and widely-held assumptions on self-esteem.

Comments

This flash talk is based on an individual research project.

Presentation Type

Presentation

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I Feel Pretty and Unseen: A Rhetorical Analysis of Weight Bias in Film Reviews

Of all of the fifty top-grossing films of the 21st century, not a single one features a plus-sized female protagonist; few, in fact, include plus-sized women whose characters are even given names (Listchallenges.com-2019). Why might this be, and how might this affect society’s perception of plus-sized women as a whole? This presentation will explore the relationship between the portrayal of women defined as plus-sized in film and its societal impact on real-life plus-sized women. The topic will first be defined, then analyzed with the tone and word choice used to describe plus-sized female characters in film reviews for the movies “I Feel Pretty,” (2018) and “Pitch Perfect” (2012). Themes to be explored include common character roles and token-ing, importance of weight or appearance to plot, and widely-held assumptions on self-esteem.