In an in-depth interview today with Fat Brenda (we tweeted her, she tweeted back) she says that "Fat Brenda Bravo" is her Streetcars call sign, not her dress size!
Anyway, it doesn't matter what size Fat Brenda is, does it? It might even be an ironic moniker in the style of Curly Watts.
Follow fatbrenda on the tweeter; she likes it when you do that.
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9 comments:
So true..Corrie has no problems making fun of 'fat' characters on the show and holding them up for ridicule..Brian is always made fun of every time he goes into the cafe. Sylvia always has a go at him but nobody says anything about her ever expanding girth.
We are horizontally challenged not fat, thank you. Seriously though, the difference is Brian and anyone else who is obese can do something about it for the benefit their own health and well being. A black person cannot change his skin colour or facial features, nor his history and heritage. That makes all the the difference.
IT's true though. Making fun of fat people is one of the last acceptable forms of prejudice. As a fat person, I have taken back the F word and even now, when i tell someone i'm fat, they think i'm putting myself down. I say it's no different than being tall, or having brown hair. I don't make fun of myself for it, it's just another characteristic. Nobody can hurt my feelings by calling me fat. By taking away the sting, you take away the reason for people to think negatively about it. Alas, it's a losing battle (pun intended!) Society isn't ready to be accepting of us generously proportioned people.
Tonight, in Canada, Carla is checking Peter's books. She's alarmed by what she sees and says she's "seen better figures in a plus-size catalogue." So it would seem digs at fat people are "acceptable".
There are double standards at work here.
We can assume Fat Brenda is fat. 'Fat' isn't a fun term used in the same way as Lofty (short people) or Shorty (tall people). The double standards hadn't sunk in with me because of the hilarious blogposts here. Take them out of the equation and you're left with two blokes making fun of a big woman.
Brian is a target for comments because he stuffs his face, but not everyone who's got a weight problem over-eats. Presumably why no comments are ever made about Mandy. The writers think 'Fat Brenda' is OK to say because we never see her. When you think about it, though, it's still an iffy term. After all, how many Brendas are there on the switch?
One thing that is good about Corrie, though, Is that the actors aren't all skinny and even the ones that aren't find people that love them for who they are not what they look like. Julie and Brian are a good case, neither is stick thin.. Tyrone and Fiz both were always chubby until recently and they both found love both with others and each other. Elsie Tanner was always curvy and had more fellas than anyone!
what would you rather have:
Big Brenda
Overweight Brenda
Plump(ish) Brenda
Slightly on the chubby side Brenda
salad dodger brenda
plus size Brenda
xxBrenda
all not bad variations (except maybe 'salad dodger', what do you think?
Anon 14:39
We don't say Black Lloyd or Ex-con Steve or 2 Baby Daddies Eileen. What would be so wrong about just calling her 'Brenda'?
Dropping in olives or bad pottery is a fun link to the past. Name calling isn't. It's about as sensible as assuming Sophie Webster still eats fish fingers and has to be be told to wash her hands. Move on.
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