The story exploded onto the news sites and blogs last week. Shock-jock Howard Stern declared Oscar-nominated actress Gabourey Sidibe too fat for Hollywood, and his comment spurred countless discussions on whether, in fact, she was too big for the movie business. Everyone, from talk show host Joy Behar to Glamour magazine, took on the topic, and many seemed to miss the mark.
Is Sidibe overweight? Yes. Is this a health risk? Yes. Is her weight or overall health any of our business? No. Rather than focusing on her ability as an actress, a majority of the discussions centered around the perils of obesity. And yet where is the discussion of James Gandolfini's beer gut or Kevin James' double chin? It's as if we forgot Sidibe is paid to act, and not to be Hollywood's mascot for fat hate.
While it is doubtlessly true that Hollywood perpetuates a thin ideal, we should be reminded that this ideal is often unhealthy and/or unattainable. Why should Sidibe take advice from an industry that lets James Cameron's wife walk the red carpet with forearms larger than her biceps?
Sidibe's weight might be a roadblock to her success in Hollywood, but Howard Stern and others overlooked the fact that not only is Sidibe overweight--she's also black. Dark black. San Francisco Chronicle blogger Margot Magowan identifies this omission in the Sidibe dialogue, saying, "Even if the talented actress lost weight, she'd still be too black for Hollywood."
In a previous post, I wrote about dark-skinned black women's underrepresentation in music videos. The absence of dark-skinned black women extends to Hollywood films as well. Think of today's popular black actresses: Halle Berry, Zeo Saldana, Jada Pinkett Smith. All of these women are considerably lighter than Sidibe.
Sidibe broke onto the scene in a movie about black struggle. Her struggle to maintain relevant in Hollywood hinges not only on the scale, but on the darkness of her skin as well.
Photo Credit: HelloBeautiful.com
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