Do you think the show is fat-shaming some of the characters?

[Konchadunga]

Mikey is not very fat, and he's treated that way because of his mental abilities being genuinely deficient. There may be some slight joke about his pizza obsession tying his lack of focus to his gut, but overall, that's treated as something positive about him, while his mind is the weak point.

[pennydreadful]

Originally Posted by Orochi

Irma is considered to be on the chubby side, in no way shape or form has she ever been shown as anything but a good friend to April. Timothy wasn't exactly bad, just stupid and Sir Malachi turned good in the end. Slash is also made to look fat in his mutant form, but again, he turned good as well. There's no real fat shaming in this show.

... Irma's considered to be chubby?? Boy is my finger not on the pulse of the world today!

As someone who probably fits into the tumblr, feminist, fangirly, anime-fannish, PC and SJ crowds... I don't really know what else to add to this thread.

[Electric]

Originally Posted by Midnight Mutant

What? No!

Timothy was treated the way he was because he was a lazy idiot. If you recall when he was first introduced by talking smack to the purple dragons the turtles thought he was awesome. They didn't have that 'oh it's a fat guy who is going to suck because he's overweight' and the whole rest of the episode, Tim was a liability, lazy, clueless, over eager and well a doofus. So of course they were going to be annoyed with him. It has nothing to do with him being treated badly for being overweight.

I'm sure his design was chubby because he was suppose to be really lazy and unmotivated to better himself. I don't think the show thought 'Fat people are lazy' but more like 'if you're lazy, you're probably going to get fat'

That's life.

People need to stop being so sensitive or politically correct. Not everything is out to get them.

This reminds me of when someone was saying the show was racist because all of the black people were thieves. (Mainly aimed at Zeck because of the way he talked) Yet, it would be fine if white people were thieves or I don't know...a Japanese guy right? It's the people that are screaming racism or shaming that are fueling the stereotypes more than the show is.

This idea of fat shaming is as stupid as freaking out over a commercial that says ''Go outside and play kids! Get in shape! Stay in shape, it's healthy for you!" and crying 'this is making fat kids feel bad that they can't go outside and play like all the thin kids in the commercial! They might have asthma or something and can't do what the commercial says to do and it makes them feel ashamed!!111'

No. Stop it.

This^

Couldn't have worded it better myself

[NinjaPug]

Originally Posted by m1om1om1o

Sadly yes, it gets to show some fat shamming. But of course people here will never accept it. Mikey is the chubby one and he gets treated like a idiot and incompetent most of the time.

Mikey's chubby?

[pennydreadful]

Originally Posted by NinjaPug

Mikey's chubby?

... I never thought of him as chubby either. Baby-faced, maybe, but not chubby.

[kelligrafie]

Originally Posted by pennydreadful

... Irma's considered to be chubby?? Boy is my finger not on the pulse of the world today!

These days, anything above size zero is chubby or 'curvy'.

Karai would be seen as 'athletic' by todays womens' magazines.

I don't even know what you'd class April. She's got too much boob 'n' butt to be 'boyish' or 'slim' (where you're pretty much ironing board flat all the way up and down). But she probably doesn't have the muscle tone to be classed athletic.

She's quite a good combination actually. In the unlikelihood that TMNT is having an influence on youngsters in regards to weight and waistline, April is a good role model. She looks to have a respectable body mass index.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by kelligrafie

These days, anything above size zero is chubby or 'curvy'.

Karai would be seen as 'athletic' by todays womens' magazines.

I don't even know what you'd class April. She's got too much boob 'n' butt to be 'boyish' or 'slim' (where you're pretty much ironing board flat all the way up and down). But she probably doesn't have the muscle tone to be classed athletic.

She's quite a good combination actually. In the unlikelihood that TMNT is having an influence on youngsters in regards to weight and waistline, April is a good role model. She looks to have a respectable body mass index.

April is pretty much a toothpick.....

[pennydreadful]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

April is pretty much a toothpick.....

Yeah, I pretty much interpret the depictions of April, Karai and Irma in this show as being skinny.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by pennydreadful

Yeah, I pretty much interpret the depictions of April, Karai and Irma in this show as being skinny.

I'd say Irma is more normal. Not a toothpick but not fat either. She's not even 'thick' enough to be considered thick.. But not a toothpick.

[Konchadunga]

Going to disagree with you about today's size standards. Skinny is no longer the ideal, and more people are into curves and muscles.

[HayaMika]

I have yet to see anything about this subject on tumblr, and I am VERY active on tumblr.

Anyway, as someone who is rather heavyset herself, I don't see ANYTHING along the lines of fat-shaming.

[pennydreadful]

Apropos of absolutely nothing, I'm going to share a recent-ish PC fail on my part - I was talking to a new neighbour who is legally blind. I'm a socially awkward creature at the best of times, and as I was trying to wrap the conversation up so I could scurry back inside and resume my favourite pastime (namely, not having to talk to people), instead of saying "goodbye" to her, I said "see you later". I then spent the rest of the night kicking myself over it.

Which, I suppose, just goes to show that no matter how much time you spend reading Tumblr posts, there are times when you will always put your foot in it no matter what. And that no matter how much of a good game you talk online about trying to use correct language so as not to hurt anyone's feelings, you're probably still going to be no better than anyone else in casual conversation! Ah well, at least I can lulz about it...

[Enscripture]

You people are forgetting that fat loser from that mind-numbingly stupid sparrow episode.

[pennydreadful]

... sometimes I want to go back to being a kid, where I didn't have to think about the social implications of things!

Here's a fat-positive cartoon role model for all of us:

[Lou 500]

Originally Posted by pennydreadful

... sometimes I want to go back to being a kid, where I didn't have to think about the social implications of things!

Here's a fat-positive cartoon role model for all of us:

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lp...qaqao1_500.gif

[pennydreadful]

Yak's blood... that was gold.

[kelligrafie]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

April is pretty much a toothpick.....

A toothpick with boobs, however pointy (seriously, can we update this model - it's like old school Lara Croft) and a butt which has been quite lavished on with attention this season.

That's not a toothpick. Toothpicks are flat up/down.

[BubblyShell22]

Originally Posted by pennydreadful

Apropos of absolutely nothing, I'm going to share a recent-ish PC fail on my part - I was talking to a new neighbour who is legally blind. I'm a socially awkward creature at the best of times, and as I was trying to wrap the conversation up so I could scurry back inside and resume my favourite pastime (namely, not having to talk to people), instead of saying "goodbye" to her, I said "see you later". I then spent the rest of the night kicking myself over it.

Which, I suppose, just goes to show that no matter how much time you spend reading Tumblr posts, there are times when you will always put your foot in it no matter what. And that no matter how much of a good game you talk online about trying to use correct language so as not to hurt anyone's feelings, you're probably still going to be no better than anyone else in casual conversation! Ah well, at least I can lulz about it...

Penny, saying "See you later" to a blind person really isn't offensive depending on how they take it. I say it to my BF all the time after we see each other, and he doesn't care. He's not offended by it because he knows what I mean by it.

[The Big Bad]

(Whomever bet that my post would be #79, come and claim your prize.)

Purple Kraken: Based on the treatment of overweight characters, such as Victor, Timothy , or Martin , do you think the show is treating overweight characters badly?

This is a show that took the April clone--a sentient human being who spent all of her life in captivity for the crime is not being what her creators wanted due to no fault of her own--and then turned into a comedy character to be laughed at, slurred, and killed off without a thought. A show whose sexism has been well-cataloged and persistent. So yes.

Granted, the show is in no way special in that regard; many works indulge in microaggressions against fat people--the subtle, yet persistent assertions that they are somehow lesser: less worthy of respect, less capable, less diverse, etc. None of this requires actually saying anything explicit, but the mere fact that it's not obvious doesn't make it harmless.

So far, the show's prominent fat characters--all male--tend to adhere to a certain type: comical, unpleasant, pathetic...the sort of person you wouldn't want to be, admire, or be around, which conforms quite well with existing stereotypes. None of them, even the ones that are treated more or less fairly like Mr. Murakami, are what I would considered "well-developed". A drop in the bucket, comparatively speaking? Yes. This doesn't mean it's not worth talking about, or that people who happen to be offended by it, if they exist, are wrong.

Konchadunga: That said, if we can chuck abstract terms like "weight" and "big" aside, and make clear that we're talking about high fat content, then no; it is not something that is healthy, and it's not something I feel like forgiving. Yes; social pressures that drive people to adopt a specific unhealthy body shape are deplorable, but society can also be too liberal, and the movement towards denying any inferiority of any sort among people is a clear case. If you're going to have trouble with my stairs and nearly break my chairs, and take up two seats on a bus, sorry, but you have a problem and ignoring it won't make it go away.

Honestly, I'm ashamed the term "fat-shaming" even exists. This show's decision to make Timothy fat sends an absolutely fine message to children: If you want to be athletic like your heroes, then get your fat ass up and take the job seriously. It's harsh; I know, but it's kind of a nice break from media that constantly gives children the false promise that everyone is wonderful, and that if you believe, you can achieve anything. Difficult hings get achieved through hard work and a sense of realism and willpower, and forgiving mediocrity does not instill those values.

You are being hella rude and displaying some absolutely not shocking ignorance. Please stop.

[Konchadunga]

Rude to whom? Ignorant of what? I called it how I saw it, and I expressed my gladness that the show painted obesity in a bad light, but I never insulted anyone.