Megan Stalter of “Too Much” and the Gradual Path to Body Diversity on Television
Jessica Salmon, the captivating and (please don’t call her) disorganized lead in Lena Dunham’s fresh Netflix rom-com Too Much, just lands in London when a little pep talk about her romantic prospects comes her way. “Don’t be nervous,” a guy she hardly knows advises. “Hotties have curves, and you’ve got a … big, beautiful ass.”
However, she’s not nervous at all. And she’s never shown concern about her curves. That’s something Jess shares with her portrayal, Megan Stalter. “I’m so fortunate to love my fat ass,” Stalter recently expressed to Glamour, highlighting a crucial point: amidst society’s long-standing assertion that a woman’s worth hinges on her ass (and boobs and thighs), simply embracing oneself can be a radical act.
I understand this well. Born with Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome, a vascular disorder that alters my back and right leg, I also serve as Us’ executive editor at large and have penned a memoir, I’ll Look So Hot in a Coffin: and Other Thoughts I Used to Have About My Body, which discusses living in an unconventional, larger body. My investment in seeing broader representation in Hollywood is personal, but shouldn’t it matter to everyone?
Tigress Osborn, the executive director of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, shares with Us that while we’re witnessing “more body diversity on television” today, it’s crucial to recognize that “the bar was set incredibly low.” For ages, we’ve minimal representation while being told it’s sufficient. “So now there’s a fat girl on a show—is everything better?”
She mentions HBO’s Somebody Somewhere, featuring Bridget Everett, as a prime example of a series that succeeds in allowing protagonist Sam to “be a complete human being,” instead of merely the fat friend or villain whose narrative revolves solely around weight. (Unfortunately, this critically acclaimed series was unjustly canceled after its third season.)
Osborn adds, “We’re seeing more fat characters on TV, but not reflecting the population in a meaningful way”—often with characters that aren’t representative of the fat spectrum as it exists in reality. Yet, improvements are on the horizon: “We’re seeing more protagonists and multi-dimensional sidekicks. They transcend being just the humorous or awkward fat friend. They possess genuine story arcs that aren’t always centered on their weight.” She appreciated Hulu’s Single Drunk Female for this, particularly noting Lily Mae Harrington’s character Felicia, who has a genuine storyline, albeit a smaller one. (Single Drunk Female also faced cancellation after two seasons, despite its success.)
April Lockhart, a fashion influencer with a limb difference, has unintentionally become a voice for disability advocacy. “I didn’t set out to be Miss Rachel,” she tells Us. “I’m just trying to get to Fashion Week.” However, in 2022, she launched a series titled Normalizing Disabled Fashion Girlies on social media, aiming to “help people recognize that disabilities are part of everyday life. One in four people is disabled. It’s commonplace.”
You wouldn’t guess it from mainstream American entertainment. For Lockhart, seeing individuals who are different, disabled, or plus-sized is essential: “The more prevalent it becomes, the more normalized it is.” She adds, “I don’t want to pretend I have everything together and constantly feel my best … but today, it’s a significant part of my platform, which has also been beneficial. Why hide it any longer?”
Lockhart stresses, “We haven’t yet seen people with disabilities portrayed in a positively cool way.” While we often view them through an inspirational lens, there’s a lack of aspirational representation; individuals like Lockhart and I are simply living our lives while being plus-sized or having limb differences. She recounts a friend’s experience with a facial difference, who often observes that characters with such traits are typically villains. Consider characters like the Penguin or the bluntly named Scar from The Lion King, infamous for his…scar. “We are everyday people with exciting careers doing incredible things, often just secondary to our appearances.”
Characters of size or with differences need not be perfect (as nobody is). Demanding perfection is equally degrading. Osbourn mentions Baby Reindeer and critiques the fat antagonist Martha (Jessica Gunning
Moreover, it’s key to note that we shouldn’t overly congratulate ourselves for the small strides we’re seeing. While Hollywood representation is improving, “real-world fat people face challenges like cramped public transport seats, public harassment, and systemic bias in healthcare and employment.” Yet, I haven’t encountered storylines addressing these real struggles, at least not outside the frame of stereotyping a character.
In the third episode of Too Much, Jess experiences an unusual moment of insecurity with her new boyfriend, Felix (Will Sharpe), who reassures her with, “You’re sexy. You know you’re sexy.” And indeed, she does know. It’s almost as if she feels compelled to appear insecure due to societal expectations. Too Much embodies elements of a fairy tale, presenting an idealized reality where Jess’s body shape is largely irrelevant, particularly to her new partner. What matters is that Jess is a person who isn’t stick-thin, and her narrative isn’t centered around this fact.
In summary: we need more of this. We’ve made significant progress, but there’s still a long path ahead.
