Fat Trope Deep Dive Part 1: THE FUNNY

More Than Tracy Turnblad

This week, Abby and Luz take a closer look at the funny fat person trope. Why do we associate fatness so closely with comedy? What is so funny about fat people anyway? And how does this manifest in media representation and our real lives?

Support us on Patreon:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.patreon.com/morethantracyt⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @morethantracyt!

Abby's Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/abbyrosemorris/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Luz's Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/sillygooseluz/⁠⁠

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jul/29/is-there-a-single-comedian-out-there-not-fatphobic-apart-from-me-of-course

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FatComicRelief

https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/the-science-of-humor-is-no-laughing-matter

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/whats-so-funny-the-science-of-why-we-laugh/

https://www.chortle.co.uk/correspondents/2022/07/01/51074/why_fat_jokes_are_ok

I can't link this one so I'm just citing it: Hole, Anne. (2001). Belly laughs and gut fears: the fat female body as site of comedy [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Sussex.

Melissa Zimdars (2021) American Housewife and Super Fun Night: Fat Ambiguity and Televised Bodily Comedy, Fat Studies, 10:1, 50-63, DOI: 10.1080/21604851.2019.1643664