Obesity&Precious
On the internet, a new discussion has emerged about the weight of the lead actress in Precious Gabourey Sidibe. Sidibe is morbidly obese and I think this is one of the reasons the film Precious has generated so much discussion. One of the reasons why Sidibe’s weight is discussed, is because it is very unconventional for a Hollywood movie to have an obese actress in the lead role. Some people say the director Lee Daniels is exploiting Ms. Sidibe because she is extremely overweight. Meanwhile, other people say she was simply cast for the role because she can act. I think Sidibe was cast because she was obese but she can act.
I have read some comments on the internet that since Sidibe is obese the film promotes an unhealthy lifestyle.
Some comments I have read are extreme, so people are saying they are disgusted by Sidibe since she is so overweight. According to the internet comments, some folks say Sidibe has low self esteem, poor eating habits, and is living a very unhealthy lifestyle. I don’t know about Sidibe’s life obviously, but I got to admit Sidibe’s obesity is alarming and shocking. Sidibe should be concerned about her weight and she can now afford a fitness trainer and a nutritionist. It is simply very unhealthy to see Sidibe be so morbidly obese and yet people will claim she has a good body image. How can people say Sidibe has a good body image when the woman is so obese?
However, I don’t think people need to be politically correct here, I believe the issue of weight is a central theme of the movie. My view is it is disingenuous NOT to discuss Ms. Sidibe’s weight because it is panifully obvious to me that Lee Daniels cast Ms. Sidibe because he wanted to generate controversy and obtain attention for his film. Sidibe was picked for the lead role because her appearance is not in our normal gaze. In North America obese people are invisible and this movie forces the viewer to actually look at Sidibe. Is Sidibe a victim of exploitation? Does it matter?
Gayblackcanada 