Black Widow: It’s Foolish to See Fat-Shaming

There’s nothing more annoying these days that the internet when it comes to new and exciting things, than the people that have to jump on the internet to tear it down. The latest iteration of utter bulls—t is the internet’s fake outage at Marvel and Disney with their supposed latest round of fat-shaming. I mean people aren’t really mad about this are they?

In the first trailer for the Black Widow movie (seen below) there’s a brief mention of weight gain on Red Guardian’s character played by David Harbor and apparently in the more offended corners of the internet, people are not happy.

According to comic book.com certain fans aren’t happy still with the “fat shaming”.

https://comicbook.com/marvel/2019/12/03/black-widow-movie-red-guardian-fat-shaming-marvel/

First of all, can we start with the fact that this is quite possibly the dumbest nonsense I’ve ever heard. People with this much free time need to find a hobby. Yes, there is a real problem with portrayals of people of color, females, and a whole magnitude of real issues in Hollywood that need to be tackled but Marvel and their jokes about weight isn’t one of them.

The most important thing that people aren’t taking into account when they’re b-thing and moaning about the “fat shaming” is the actual underlying positive message they’re actually missing. Take the example of “Fat Thor” in Avengers: Endgame. Yes, Marvel does make a series of jokes regarding the weight Thor has put on since the events of Infinity War. At face value, that is wrong if you’re going off an instant reaction. But there’s actually a positive message that these temper-tantrum throwing fans are missing.

In his entire arc in Avengers: Endgame, Thor is dealing with the fallout of his failure at the hands of Thanos. In a very real and genuine moment, it shows his decent into his depressed state coupled with his weight gain. Later in the film, Thor goes back and retrieves Mjolnir claiming “I’m still worthy”. In that scene it creates a relatability to anyone who’s felt their physical or mental health has made them any less of a person. The message isn’t “hey look at this fat guy lets make fun of him” instead the intent is to say no matter our failure’s we can still succeed.

More Black Widow: Black Widow – Is it too Little, Too Late

And that’s the problem with the internet. Everyone’s so quick to jump on their first opinion that they miss the underlying message being portrayed. In Black Widow, Red Guardian might be a little bit older and out of shape and at first knee-jerk reaction we can all get bent out of shape but this is common thing that as you get older and start to slow down, you gain weight. But the very next part of the trailer is him kickin’ butt.

Have you ever been to a Thanksgiving at a family members house after putting on a few pounds? Your family will most definitely make comments about the weight you’ve put on, just like it showed in the movie! Despite the weight gain, and despite the jokes the character still is pretty bad ass. Relatability is what makes most humor funny, since weight gain as we get older is something a lot of people can relate to, it makes it funny. What’s not relatable? The message saying “despite your changes, you’re still good”. Why is that? Because of the tantrums, we’re no longer allowed to portray things most people struggle with. Sensitivity keeps creative minds from finding lighthearted ways to show these things are a part of more than just your life and you can overcome them. Nope, not according to the internet.

Its not about “shaming” like the whiny internet wants you to believe, but rather taking a sensitive subject and trying to make it relatable to an audience. Sending a message of “hey this person is overweight or struggling in their own way, but still has value” is a hell of a lot different than “lets pick on fatty” like the internet will have you believe. Put down your digital pitchforks folks and try and pay attention to the message they’re sending.

Marvel and Disney aren’t making billion dollar franchises to call people fat. As a matter of fact, Disney has actually tried to include more characters of color, weight, and different backgrounds into all their franchises more and more as of late. Lately, they’ve actually pushed the message that it doesn’t matter your differences you’re just as good as the next person and people are still complaining.

There’s the old saying “you can’t judge a book by it’s cover” and that’s exactly what these knee-jerk reactions are doing. They’re taking their initial first impression and trying to bury everything into the ground because of it. If you’re one of these people, do us all a favor and turn a few pages before jumping on the bandwagon. Chances are the story is a lot different by the time you reach the end.