on body image in comics

[adularia]

I am done reading Questionable Content. Just took it off my syndication list; am no longer going to request any of his T-shirts (I don't own any, and I don't want to

Comments

[caladri]

I can has be doublefat!

Erf?

[adularia]

We humbly request clarification.

Re: Erf?

[caladri]

Adding a multiplier of 2 to the fat threshold.

[catamorphism]

Are you going to write to him to tell him why? If he knows enough people are pissed off, perhaps he'll think twice about doing fatphobic strips.

[adularia]

to jephco@mac.com

[catamorphism]

Good letter! It's forceful without being alienating to the recipient.

[adularia]

Thank you. I'm honestly more bothered by this because, up 'til now, I had a lot of respect for Jeph, which I wanted to get across. I was so pleased he had lesbian and bi characters, and Marten's mom as a fetish porn star who's also a decent person, and mentally ill characters portrayed with more depth than just their disease. So much coolness that I was really surprised he'd go for the fatphobic gag.

[finatronics]

IIRC the buildup to the "fat" title was that many of her mental problems are accentuated by the fact that she doesn't get enough exercise. Not that she's fat, but that there's not enough oxygenation of her bloodstream going to her brain to keep her from being so bitchy. Amongst certain types of friends, the title "fat" would be an understandable tongue-in-cheek way to summarize that fact while also reminding her that exercise would probably do her good.

Could be wrong...

Either way, I liked her attitude before, it gave her character. Sure it may have been a struggle for her, but what is life but a struggle? Aren't mental hurdles important to learn from? What's she going to end up like once she's debitchified? Though the woe-is-me attitude is kinda a downer, maybe she won't debitch, maybe she'll dewoe...?

[finatronics]

I gotta say, though... it's kindof a boring read if only reading one strip a day. It was much more interesting when I spent several days catching up...

[adularia]

I guess I could sort of see your point about the criticism being that she doesn't get enough exercise, but you should read the strip in question (#1049). Penelope's choice of insults doesn't leave much to the imagination.

[finatronics]

maybe P's just a bitch :)

[adularia]

A lot of the humor value in QC (and a lot of comics) comes from people playing their insecurities and imperfections off each other. I don't think that's a problem in itself. Comics would be boring if they depicted only idealized interactions. You do bring up another point though... Penelope's a bitch, but that's infinitely more acceptable in QC-vision than someone who gains weight and is cranky about it.

I'm not actually buying Jeph's rebuttal. QC lately has been erring very much towards hating 'fat' people. It seems like there's a limit that people will pick on some of the other troubled characters before deciding their flaws don't really matter, but the weight one is fair game for everyone to beat to death.

Huh.

[stolen_tea]

It seems to me that Faye has a problem where her desires are not in sync with reality, and exercising is one of the two solutions. (Also, it does help with some forms of depression, by generating endorphins.) The only medical strip I recall was this one, which more or less seems like common sense to me. (Really, IMO, none of this is a substitute for a careful examination of what she actually wants from her body, and how much effort it takes to get there, and whether she's willing to make that effort. But that's a bit much to ask, I suppose.)

The insults were, to me anyway, part of Faye's running schtick. She's mean and unhappy, and her temper is a thing of legend. So having Penelope the fitness freak poke her in this particular soft spot of her psyche, seems like a perfect motivator.

*shrug*