Fat or Die?

Published October 08, 2009 @ 01:14PM PT

As the new Funny or Die video featuring ex-Baywatch babe Nicole Eggert demonstrates, America is scared to death of fat.

These boys find Eggert repulsive. The very sight of her has ruined their fantasy. They find her so repulsive, in fact, that they almost let themselves drown before asking her to save them. And apparently, being called fat is so insulting it warrants letting these guys die.

If this is supposed to somehow empower women to walk away from the abusive standards of our society, it loses any credibility by promoting Eggert's participation in Celebrity Fit Camp. The VH1 show is all about competitive weight lose and public shaming people for their appearance. Not exactly a supportive environment for healthy body image.

The primary thing that stands out to me is that Eggert is beautiful. I don't remember what she looked like during her days on Baywatch, though I'm sure she has gained some weight - but that does not mean she is unhealthy, ugly or obese. If anything her body is reminiscent of the models that Glamour is proudly promoting in their latest issue, which is receiving a lot of positive feedback:

What do you think of the video? Did it make you laugh? Did her attitude in the video make you feel empowered? Did it make you feel bad about your own body?

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Comments (25)

Yes! I laughed when she refused to rescue them! But, I didn't exactly believe they were drowning, either. Whoa Mama! That's fat? I'd kill to have her body, her strength, her stamina. She's gorgeous to me because of her athleticism and the power in her body. The women in the photo? They're fat??? Veys mir. I'd kill to...no, wait a minute...I'm working on accepting my fatness, so let me take that back. Like I've said many times, many places, I've been every weight on the scale between size 8 and size 22. I've taken it ALL off! Several times!! I'm insulin resistant, which puts me, according to my doctor, "a couple of pounds and a big Italian dinner away from being diabetic." My older sister died of diabetes, so did my grandfather. It's serious metabolic dysfunction. Do I like to eat? Sure do. And I LOVE to binge on carbs, my first choice of narcotics, bar none! But carbs are poison to my system, my system can't process them or use them for energy, and packs them away as fat. I'm supposed to swear off carbs (and ice cream) to be healthy, live a long life and...be beautiful? Have a killer figure? Not be seen as an out-of-control, lazy fat freak? You know what? When I was a thin babe, I was hit on and sexualized and objectified all the time. When I'm fat, I get respect. Yes, indeedy, when I'm fat and open my intelligent mouth, I take up space. And that's what I intend to do for the rest of my life: piss people off by saying exactly what I think and take up space doing it.

Posted by Madama Ambi on 10/08/2009 @ 03:51PM PT
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This is ridiculous. She's average size. The average person is not stick-skinny. And we continue to wonder why young girls are starving themselves to death. This video is not in any way empowering to real women. It perpetuates the myth that we should all have the bodies of eight year old boys with water balloons implanted in our chests. It made me angry to view it.

Posted by Lily Strange on 10/08/2009 @ 04:16PM PT
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I agree Lily! It made me angry too - but then you made me laugh! Eight year old boys with water balloons implanted in our chests!! Its a good mental image though too cause it reminds us all how unrealistic the media ideal is

Posted by amy mcandrew on 10/09/2009 @ 07:16PM PT
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Madama Ambi, I agree with you about being respected for my opinion more at this point. I hated it when I was nineteen and slim (though I thought I was fat because I wasn't a size 2) and the disrespectful jerks would whistle and cat call when I was walking to the bus or home. One of them even snapped his fingers at me like he was calling his dog! Then he said "at least look at me!" I said "why the hell would I want to? How dare you call me like you were calling a dog!" I then went into my apartment. I never wanted to come out again. I am not a piece of ass. I guess that's one thing growing a big ass has done for me--made people hear my voice, not just look at my body. And that really is a good thing.

Posted by Lily Strange on 10/08/2009 @ 04:21PM PT
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I actually felt a little better about what they were trying to do when I read the comment by one of the guys who was in the video at Funny or Die. He said that they were trying to point out how ridiculous it was that people were saying she was fat. People seemed to be pretty supportive, actually, most of them saying that she looked good. Sometimes my outrage tends to get the better of me. I've been battling eating disorders since I was 13 so it's a touchy subject for me.

Posted by Lily Strange on 10/08/2009 @ 04:32PM PT
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Hi,

I am Wendy.I did not find the video funny.One thing that I did not understand is why she got so tired?I look similar to her and I would not necessarily get so tired because of my size.Another thing I did not understand is she called herself "fat" but when the guys called her fat in the end of the video she says "That's what you get for calling me fat."Why did she call herself fat but was offended when they called her fat.And another thing I did not agree with was "real women gain weight".What about all of the women who already have that weight on them??Is that bad to already have that weight?Are real women skinny and then they gain weight? I just thought the video could have been made differently.I do give Nicole much credit for loving her body the way it is and not being afraid to show it the way it is now.Expecially being in Hollywood.Alot of stars are probably gasping while they are eating their lemon wedge. On a more personal level I have had relationships where the man has been"obese" and I have been 120 pounds and they told me I was not perfect enough or thin enough or blah blah blah!! I noticed alot of unattractive men want their women to be models!! I find that fascinating.One of the guys in the video was a little chubby I noticed.The standards of beauty that men put on to women are disgusting to me.Women are jeolous and in constant competition over looks because of men!! Let's put a stop to this nonsense,find ourselves beautiful the way we are,get rid of any ,and I mean any man who tells us different,and live a life of beauty!!My advice.Stop watching so much television and stop reading beauty magazines and you will start to feel better about your looks!! I guess that this is all I have for now.I thought I had one more thing to say but can't remember it so I may comment again.Thank you!Have a GREAT DAY.

Posted by wendy hammond on 10/08/2009 @ 06:06PM PT
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I didn't think it was funny either, and I also found it annoying that she called herself fat-so incredibly damaging to any impressionable person watching. How irresponsible. What I also didn't like was how she said, "real women gain weight". Are thin women not real? I do understand why she said that, but everyone should feel good about his/her body. There are so many different body types and one type shouldn't be put down to promote acceptance of another. Although I do appreciate the photo of the models in Glamour, they still all look the same to me. So now we have two acceptable body types instead of an infinite number. I guess two is a good start.

Posted by J C on 10/08/2009 @ 10:46PM PT
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She's "fat?????" Jesus. Today's standards are NUTS.

Posted by Marcy Hogan on 10/08/2009 @ 08:30PM PT
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Marcy--you wanna hear how nuts??? When I was at my absolute thinnest EVER (like the naked women in the photo, pretty much), my then boyfriend asked me to lose weight...that was the beginning of the end...he also wanted me to wear high heels...like the young idiot I was, I tried...yep, there I was sprinting to the subway in my high heels, and the very first time my ankle wobbled and I caught my high heel in a ventilation grate, I woke up...what the fuck am I doing trying to please this moron????

Posted by Madama Ambi on 10/08/2009 @ 08:39PM PT
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Anybody else think those dudes aren't exactly knock-outs themselves?

Posted by sarah karp on 10/09/2009 @ 09:38AM PT
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I don't see anything wrong with her. She's normal size to me. Those models in the Glamour shot are also very beautiful. Finally I'm seeing normal people in magazines. It feels refreshing.

Posted by Juan Portillo on 10/09/2009 @ 12:56PM PT
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The video angered, hurt and frustrated me. It just makes me realize that it will always be like this until the Lord Jesus returns. There are some who wake up during their lifetime, but in general people are always judging one another. It is a sad thing to see the human race do this to one another. It has been said that the two men that made the video was trying to make a positive statement about women, but it didn't seem to fulfill that objective very well. For example, we are supposed to Forgive, and so the woman should have rescued the morons. Even if they were playing another joke on her she should have made sure they were safe. This is a good example of how people should not treat one another. There will be consequences to this kind of abuse but we are not to exact those consequences on anyone. There is only one True and Righteous Judge. There is only one that is Worthy to be our Judge and that is Jesus Christ, the Creator and Savior of the world.

Posted by Kim Arrowood on 10/09/2009 @ 01:34PM PT
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I just watched enough to get a look at miss eggert and hell yeah...She looks hot.

I agree that putting folks down just for being overweight is wrong...Especially when a few extra pounds makes women look more attractive than they would if they were barby doll thin.

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/10/2009 @ 05:51AM PT
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If you've never been to Europe the portion sizes over there are about *half* of what they are here in the U.S.

And they have far fewer overweight people there as a result.

We simply *eat too much* in this country.

Posted by Thomas Porter on 10/10/2009 @ 05:10PM PT
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I tend to believe that american obsession with being thin or whatever ideal weight and the accompanying psychological bullshit does far more to actually cause obesity than the amount of food we eat or even the amount of fast food we eat.

I used to frequint mcdonalds a lot when I was younger but I didnt have a weight problem untill more recent years when my level of activity declined due to arthritis and my becomming more of a recluse.

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/11/2009 @ 02:42AM PT
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The comments here are great.We need to stop obsessing over weight.Many pre-teens and teens are having a horrible time with body image at this time.I believe it is much worse than when I was a teen.I am 42 and proud of it! The girls are into make-up,talking about thinness when they are very skinny(My nieces) and talking about boob jobs.I think all of the women in Playboy are starting to look like they have the same body with different heads.Where's the diversity that makes people so unique and beautiful? I want to look unique,don't you?

Posted by Wendy marsaln on 10/11/2009 @ 07:00AM PT
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I agree miss marsaln and as for playboy...

While I like their magazine as a whole...I too wish that they would feature more realistic looking women...

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/12/2009 @ 06:51AM PT
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Oh, wow. That video is WRONG on so many levels... for cryin' out loud.

First of all, as has been said already, that is not fat. Nor is it out of shape, so her stopping to catch her breath? Stupid. And other words I don't want to use.

And is this the Glamour photo of the "real"/"curvy" women we're supposed to be so excited about? Why can't we have these women wearing clothes?

I don't see a group of "healthy"-sized women, I see a lesbian orgy staged for male enjoyment. Seriously, Glamour? Naked women lying on each other? You didn't have any "healthy"-sized clothes anywhere to put on these poor women???

Is the only way "fat" is acceptable is if she's naked? Please.

Posted by Criss Cox on 10/13/2009 @ 05:21PM PT
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Miss cox...

While I agree with you about the video, I disagree with you on your assessment of the photo of those real women...Not because Im a man but rather because I dont believe that we should automaticaly equate nakedness with sex and/or lesbianism or even orgies...

Nakedness doesnt have to always equal sex or men's prurient enjoyment and in fact, the original linking of nakedness with sin was by the very people who also would deny women their rights...A.K.A. the puritans.

Unfortunatly such puritanical attitudes still survive to this day and also at least in part are behind many people's opposition to mother's being able to openly breastfeed their babies in public.

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/14/2009 @ 04:57PM PT
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I agree that nakedness does not have to equal sex, but there is something very provocative about this group of naked women caressing each other and leaning on each other. The tableau was crafted with a very specific purpose in mind.

And I still ask, why can't we see "real" women with their clothes on? At least give them a bathing suit or something. Both photos in Glamour featuring "real"/"fat" models have shown the women naked. WHY? Do they have to give us their nakedness as penance for their non-stick-thinness?

Posted by Criss Cox on 10/20/2009 @ 10:56AM PT
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Miss cox...

I get an entirely different impression from that picture of the 7 women.

To me, they dont look like theyre carressing each other but rather more like theyre just posing for solidarity.

In any case, theyre not actually showing nipples and/or vagina...Not that I would be offended if they were.

And before you say "Well your a man" I would like to point out to you that I would be no more or less offended if that picture showed 7 men instead.

No...Nakedness isnt required but I believe the photographer might have been trying to equate nudity with freedom and/or lack of restraint by societies standards of whats normal...

At least thats what I got from both the article and the picture.

I take it that your uncomfortable with the concept of nudity ?

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/31/2009 @ 01:01PM PT
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I'm not uncomfortable with nudity, but I find it interesting that when magazines show "fat"/"normal"/"heavy" models, they have to show them naked (I can't remember the other magazine, or maybe it was this same one, who showed thumbnail photo of a "real" model with a teeny-tiny belly pooch... and she was naked. Not in a bikini, not in lingerie, but stark-raving naked. The skinny models get to wear clothes, why can't the "fat" ones?)

I disagree with you about the above photo. The pose and the looks on the women's faces are sexual. The women are looking at the camera with coy, sultry expressions. They're not laughing and smiling, hanging out with each other (as they would be if they were posing for solidarity), but rather they are looking at the camera with pouty, "come hither" expressions. Only one of the women is smiling, but her lowered chin (looking at the camera through her lowered eyelashes) makes this a sexy smile, foreplay for a lover, not a chummy one, a smile you'd give a friend when laughing over a joke or showing solidarity.

The photo cannot show nipples or vaginas because then the photo would be pornography and Glamour would not be able to sell it on newsstands, so instead the photographer shows everything but (and with as much sideboob as some of those women are showing, I wouldn't be surprised if they had to airbrush something out in the final edits).

Also, I hadn't though of this until you mentioned equating nudity with freedom, but the way the women are arranged gives me a feeling opposite of freedom. If the women were wearing bating suits or underwear (as a Dove commercial did a while back), they could stand or sit as they pleased, comfortable, relaxed. But in the pose above, they have to sit in a very exact position to not show anything "naughty." This is limiting and constricting. Since they have to hide their "naughty bits" (nipples and vaginas) they do give the impression that they are hiding something, that they are covering up their bodies, because that's in fact what they are doing.

If the women had been given lingerie, which would still show off their true bodies and body shape, 1) we would be able to truly see their bodies, instead of their intertwined arms and legs, and 2) the women would have been free to pose in much more comfortable, relaxed, freeing positions.

Posted by Criss Cox on 11/03/2009 @ 07:05AM PT
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I must have missed something because I didn't find a single second of that funny - quite the opposite. I have to say the males were protrayed exactly as males really are; shallow and appearance obsessed. I know not all males are like that, but a vast majority have been brainwashed by the media into thinking skinny is the only thing that is acceptable. I'm bigger than Nicole Eggert and would love to have her body as she was in that video and I happen to think she's beautiful just like that. I wish people would wake up and realize it isn't the size of your body that makes you beautiful, it's your personality and your heart.

Posted by Sarah McConnaughey on 10/20/2009 @ 02:20PM PT
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*portrayed

Posted by Sarah McConnaughey on 10/20/2009 @ 02:21PM PT
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Indeed...And thank you for not lumping me in with all the other boys out there.

Something to think about though...

When I was younger and less wise, I too used to be like those types of men but as I got older, I realised that heavier women were actually much more attractive...So maybe if we could start teaching the young that lesson...Maybe we can put an end to such foolish thinking that thinness is next to godliness ?

Posted by Thomas McHugh on 10/31/2009 @ 01:08PM PT
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Julie is a web editor and freelance writer with a master's degree in journalism. A recovering bulimic and anorexic, she is especially interested in the relationship between body image, pop culture and the media.