What are your feel-good movies??

[AtlanticaDream]

Hi all!

This year I am doing my undergraduate honor’s thesis in Psychology, and have decided to do it on body image, and how different types of films impact it. The problem is, I can’t find any films that aim to promote body image :S Does anyone know of any films that were designed to promote body image? If not, then I will go with movies/tv shows featuring plus size women (I am only going to be studying women in university, so would like the focus to be applicable to them). I have found lots of documentaries giving examples of how the media distorts women’s bodies, but have not been able to find one that focuses on overcoming this and focusing on things other than appearance. In general I’d like it to be 20-30 minutes, but if longer I will just pick clips.

So after that long ramble, basically I’m asking what movies/shows make you feel better about yourself? (you know, other than Once :D)

[RumplesGirl]

Are you looking for positive plus size body images because…good luck with that.

I think all films to a certain extent promote body image, it’s just that the ones films promote are the idealized Hollywood body types. Take our Disney Princess. How long did it take for them to even have a Princess of color, or who wasn’t European in origin? They have yet to have an overweight princess or a plus size one. And if plus sized individuals are in any films, they tend to be comic relief: the best friend of the main hero or heroine who’s sole job is to be made fun and put a positive light on the thinner character.

I really wish I could help but I’m struggling to come up with any movies that do a good job of trying to cast heavier people in a non comic relief light. But that’s what you should be arguing.

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[AtlanticaDream]

Ya that’s been the problem lol, I’m going to use America’s/Canada’s next top model for my emphasis on a thin ideal, and a nature show as a control. But I have yet to find a positive one. Plus lots of ones aimed at being positive have been shown to still have negative effects :S

So far my internet search has come up with:

Shrek, Sixteen Candles, Hairspray, Juno, Nick and Norah’s Infinite playlist, Big Fat Greek Wedding, Penelope, Queen Sized, In Her Shoes, and Gypsey83 for movies.

For TV shows I have seen Girls, Drop Dead Diva, Huge, Mike and Molly, Chelsea Settles, Big Sexy, The Facts of Life, and Touched by an Angel.

If anyone has seen any of these shows and thinks they are good/bad that’d also  be appreciated, I haven’t watched most of them.

Proud Keeper of the Dinglehoppers

[obisgirl]

There’s a great scene from Love Actually.  One of my favorite movies.  It’s the scene where Mark confesses to Keira Knightley’s character, Juliet that he does love her and uses blank cards to show that.   You might be able to use that.  He shows models on one of the cards.  It’s towards the end of the scene.

[RumplesGirl]

Shrek, Sixteen Candles, Hairspray, Juno, Nick and Norah’s Infinite playlist, Big Fat Greek Wedding, Penelope, Queen Sized, and Gypsey83 for movies.

I’ve seen some of those.

Shrek: is that really a positive plus size image or is it an affirmation of true love, no matter what species? I can see where that’s coming from but I’m not sure it’s really a positive one since for most of the movie Fiona is pretty much enamored of her thin self.

Sixteen Candles: Molly Ringwald is NOT heavy. At all. She’s just not the cheerleader.

Hairspray: It’s positive but it’s also presented as, “I love you in spite of you being this way.” So during the “I wanna Kiss Tracy” song (I can’t remember the actual title, sorry) the lead romantic male leads sings, “Tracy I wanna kiss you! No matter what you weigh.” This is not a positive image. This is saying that you love someone despite–not becuase–of who they are, as if there is something wrong with the way you are.

For TV shows I have seen Drop Dead Diva, Huge, Mike and Molly, Chelsea Settles, Big Sexy, The Facts of Life, and Touched by an Angel.

Haven’t seen many but let’s see:

DDD: well, ok, but doesn’t she start off as a rail thin person and ends up plus sized through some sort of magical thing? I’m not sure. It’s about learning to live as a different type of person and how hard it is. That one might be your best shot.

Touched by an Angel: Della Reese is older and I guess not rail thin, but Monica was super Hollywood pretty. It’s a bit of there I guess.

Off the top of my head:

Gilmore Girls. Sookie, Lorelai’s best friend, is heavier and a chef, yet she achieves marriage with the love of her life and a more stable home long before Lorelai gets her act together, despite being incredibly thin.

Grey’s Anatomy: possibly one of the most diverse shows on TV, racial, body type, and sexual orientation. Look at Callie Torres. She’s bisexual, very curvy, and Latina. Miranda Bailey: African-American, short and very round. But…none of the 5 leading interns are heavy: Meridith, Cristina, or Izzie.

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[AtlanticaDream]

There’s a great scene from Love Actually. One of my favorite movies. It’s the scene where Mark confesses to Keira Knightley’s character, Juliet that he does love her and uses blank cards to show that. You might be able to use that. He shows models on one the cards. It’s towards the end of the scene.

Awesome thanks! *goes to youtube* awhhhhhhhhhh that’s adorable!

Proud Keeper of the Dinglehoppers

[RumplesGirl]

There’s a great scene from Love Actually. One of my favorite movies. It’s the scene where Mark confesses to Keira Knightley’s character, Juliet that he does love her and uses blank cards to show that. You might be able to use that. He shows models on one the cards. It’s towards the end of the scene.

First off, great scene and great movie. But the caption that goes along with that particular card of the model is, “hopefully by this time next year I will be dating one of these women” and then there is the whole storyline about the “overweight” housewife who is jilted by her husband for the office vixen in her too short skirt and open blouse.

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[RumplesGirl]

I thought of another one.

Season 5 of Mad Men. The infamous Fat Betty season. Betty Draper, on her second husband and living in dull suburbia has really let herself go and the whole season, her arc at least, is about how self conscious she feels as a woman living int he mid-late 1960s and being overweight. It is the ONLY time in the history of Mad Men that I ever felt any kind of sympathy for Betty because you could that her image was very important to her (honestly, the psychology of Betty Draper is sorta wild and awesome).

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[AtlanticaDream]

Shrek: is that really a positive plus size image or is it an affirmation of true love, no matter what species? I can see where that’s coming from but I’m not sure it’s really a positive one since for most of the movie Fiona is pretty much enamored of her thin self.

I think what they were referring to in this case was when Fiona says, but I thought I was supposed to be beautiful, and then Shrek says you are beautiful. But yes other than that I remember Fiona wanting to be thin too. Plus I guess may be too young for my particular group, especially if I’m comparing it to Top Model lol

DDD: well, ok, but doesn’t she start off as a rail thin person and ends up plus sized through some sort of magical thing? I’m not sure. It’s about learning to live as a different type of person and how hard it is. That one might be your best shot

Ya I think it said that she was a model that died, and then ended up in a plus-sized lawyer body

Gilmore Girls. Sookie, Lorelai’s best friend, is heavier and a chef, yet she achieves marriage with the love of her life and a more stable home long before Lorelai gets her act together, despite being incredibly thin.

Grey’s Anatomy: possibly one of the most diverse shows on TV, racial, body type, and sexual orientation. Look at Callie Torres. She’s bisexual, very curvy, and Latina. Miranda Bailey: African-American, short and very round. But…none of the 5 leading interns are heavy: Meridith, Cristina, or Izzie.

 

Ya I saw these two mentioned plus Mercedes as Glee, just as characters in shows, but not the actual shows lol

Thanks RG that narrowed my list a lot lol

Proud Keeper of the Dinglehoppers

[AtlanticaDream]

I thought of another one. Season 5 of Mad Men. The infamous Fat Betty season. Betty Draper, on her second husband and living in dull suburbia has really let herself go and the whole season, her arc at least, is about how self conscious she feels as a woman living int he mid-late 1960s and being overweight. It is the ONLY time in the history of Mad Men that I ever felt any kind of sympathy for Betty because you could that her image was very important to her (honestly, the psychology of Betty Draper is sorta wild and awesome).

That sounds good too, I’ve never heard of that show lol

Which of these shows do you think would be the most empowering to women, of the ones you’ve seen?

Proud Keeper of the Dinglehoppers

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