Petition calling for axing of Netflix 'fat shame' drama 'Insatiable' gathers support

An online petition calling for Netflix to axe one of its forthcoming shows has reached nearly 150,000 signatures.

Insatiable, a teen comedy which stars former Disney actress Debby Ryan, follows the story of overweight high schooler Patty, who transforms after her jaw is broken in an accident and is then wired shut, stopping her from eating.

She then wreaks revenge on those who bullied her, but despite only a trailer having been unveiled so far, and assurances from the show’s makers that it is a satire on stereotypes and body image, the show has still come in for heavy criticism.

“For so long, the narrative has told women and young impressionable girls that in order to be popular, to have friends, to be desirable for the male gaze, and to some extent be a worthy human… that we must be thin,” reads the petition.

“The toxicity of this series is bigger than just this one particular series. This is not an isolated case, but part of a much larger problem that I can promise you every single woman has faced in her life, sitting somewhere on the scale of valuing their worth on their bodies, to be desirable objects for the male gaze.

“That is exactly what this series does. It perpetuates not only the toxicity of diet culture but the objectification of women’s bodies.”

Ryan has stood up to defend the show, however.

In a lengthy post on Instagram, she explained to her eight million followers that the humour in the show is not ‘fat-shaming (or thin-shaming, slut-shaming, virgin-shaming, glam-shaming)’.

“The redemption is in identifying the bullies and saying ‘this is not okay’,” she writes.

“We’re not in the business of fat shaming. We’re out to turn a sharp eye on broken, harmful systems that equate thinness with worth.

“I hope fans will wait and watch the show before passing judgment. If you go for this ride, I think you’ll recognise both yourself and the things that make you mad about our fractured and beauty-obsessed culture.”

The show is set to air on August 10.

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