Netflix
Netflix probably wasn’t expecting the shitstorm that ensued when they released the trailer for their new series Insatiable.
The series has employed one of the most overused storylines of all time: an overweight teenager suddenly loses a bunch of weight and becomes hot AF. She then decides to use her newfound hotness to seek revenge on her classmates.
Yawn.
The teenager in question is called Patty, played by Debby Ryan, and her appearance drastically changes over the summer holidays after a homeless man punches her and she must get her jaw wired shut.
Fans have gone ham on Twitter, condemning the message behind the series and we can see why. Insatiable perpetuates the myth that overweight people can’t be happy and confident which is just plain dumb.
Insatiable actress Debby Ryan took to Instagram over the weekend to address the outcry from fans.
“As someone who cares deeply about the way our bodies, especially women’s, are shame and policed in society, I was so excited to work on Insatiable because it’s a show that addresses and confront those ideas through satire,” Debby wrote.
“Twelve years into my own struggles with body image… I was drawn to the show’s willingness to go to real places about how difficult and scary it can be to move through the world in a body.”
What is also troubling about the series is the fact that when Patty seeks revenge, she goes legit crazy.
Patty punches people in the face and at one point, she is seen pouring petrol on a man’s body and lighting a match in order to light him on fire. The tagline for the series is “A coming of rage story”.
While we’d all like to get back at our bully’s for being crappy humans, it’s pretty dangerous to promote such violent revenge in a world where school shootings and gun violence is happening regularly.
It will be interesting to see what Netflix does with this feedback – could they pull Insatiable before the August 10 premiere date?
Stay tuned.
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