TikTok calls out 'offensive' representation of fact characters in entertainment

A TikTok trend is bringing light to the upsetting way certain characters were treated in older movies and TV shows. "What is the most horrifyingly offensive fat character in entertainment/media that you have ever seen?" TikTok user @morethantracyt asked in a video. TikTok user @moderaterock pointed out that the fat character named Yancy in the beloved teen movie Sleepover was not only the butt of fat jokes in the film. but she didn't even make the cover of the DVD box even though she was one of the main characters. "She was 16 at the time of filming. Imagine how this affected her growing up," one commenter responded. A common portrayal that users called out on @morethantracyt's post was "Fat Monica" on Friends. The actress donned a fat suit for certain flashback scenes, and her weight was the butt of many offensive jokes. This TikTok trend is an important reminder of the discrimination and oppression fat people face in society, . as well as the fact that fatness shouldn't be treated like an insult or something to be joked about — it's merely a descriptor