…couldn’t get thru the bathroom door….if you are close to my age, do you remember this playground chant. Do you remember when little boys wore size huskies and little girls wore chubbys…I have always had a weight problem – that is to say my growing up years found me about 10 lbs overweight – sometimes 15 lbs…I’ve always felt like I wore the fat girl sash – especially now that I’m in my 50’s, menopausal and heavier than I’ve ever been in my life….which leads me to the very painful series premier of Desperate Housewives…
In case you don’t watch, the housewives, it is a very “simple” show about the thin, beautiful women of Wisteria Lane and all of their “troubles”. Flash to this season’s premier – 5 years elapsed since the season finale. Eva Longoria who is married to blind Carlos finds herself matronly and overweight and the mother of a large hispanic child. The bitch of the neighborhood, Edie, played by Nicollette Sheridan returns to the neighborhood and notices the changes in Gabby – played by Longoria…Gabby annouces that she has had two children and Sheridan’s character asks her if she had them for breakfast. Enter Gabby’s large daughter – the 4 year old who looks much older due to her size – it struck a nerve in me. I’m appalled by this storyline. This youngster is obese…at one point, I wondered….they wouldn’t have this little girl gain all of this weight just to play the part, would they…and then I thought – what kind of a casting call did they put out….this is TV, but what the hell kind of body image and life changing inner dialogue is in store for this young child. Gabby notices her child is not running around and playing like the other “normal” children so she invents a game where Gabby pulls away in the car each time the child goes for the door handle – thus forcing her to run…she goes home to tell Carlos that he shouldn’t be putting so much cheese on the brussel sprouts because the child has a weight problem yelling that she ate a sheet cake at the party…
To be politically correct in this country, we would never poke fun at a black, brown, yellow, red or purple person, we would not make fun of someone with a physical handicap – I’m sure America would be appalled if they were portraying a mentally handicapped child of Gabbys as something to be ashamed about…why are we allowing children with a weight problem to be put out there for ridicule and snickers. This is wrong!!!!
Until next time…
Ninasusan 
WOW! That’s so terrible and wrong! I hope they get a lot of viewer complaints and stop the story line. That’s really terrible!
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I wondered about that, too. I mean, what are they telling the child? I was very disturbed by the particular scene you mentioned with the car. My husband and I decided we just aren’t watching it anymore.I remember that chant…I was on the merry-go-round, and the kids were chanting as they spun the thing so fast I couldn’t get off, and had to clutch the bars for dear life. I’ve never forgotten that cruelty. But oddly enough, at least around here, EVERYone is now overweight. So I figure all those chanting kids could be looking in the mirror and saying that now!
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I have gained weigh now that I am older and it’s not as bad as people say. I am not always shivering from the cold and I have read that it is not even that bad for people to be chunky. I wonder where the prejudice even came from.
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That is very wrong! I did not watch the show but just reading about it is upsetting. š¦ Poor little girlAbby has already said “I am fat” I was very shocked and asked her who told you that….She said no one…that she just is.I have to wonder if she just came up with that on her own or if some mean ass kid told her that or her bm……..I tell her that she is just fine and she is not the f wordHoly Crap at 7 years old! I had such a complex when I was kid I hope that she does not
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I watched that show and was shocked at what they did. Yep, Iwas a chubby kid and teen and adult. My thought was – what kindof parent lets their kid audition for that part. Shame on the writers! Shame on the parents! Shame on those stars for not protesting! And shame on me for watching that!That was a terrible show but it is very ok in America to make funof overweight people. Often times the nastiness is covered up bythe excuse that someone is just trying to help.I see it in real life and I’ve seen it on Xanga there are some people who have a real disdain for overweight people.Anyway, back to your point – what a terrible thing to do to a child!
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