More than 115,000 people signed a petition to get Netflix to drop its new show as of Tuesday, claiming it promotes body-shaming.
A petition received about 115,000 signatures for Netflix to cancel its upcoming “Insatiable” series, which features an overweight, unpopular young woman who loses weight and easily climbs up the social ladder, according to the Change.org page. Patty, the main character, loses a significant amount of weight after having her jaw wired shut for an entire summer because she got injured in a fight.
The petition’s organizer Florence Given claimed the series will encourage eating disorders and the objectification of female bodies.
“The toxicity of this series, is bigger than just this one particular series,” Given wrote on the Change.org petition. “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.”
“For so long, the narrative has told women and young impressionable girls that in order to be popular, have friends, to be desirable for the male gaze, and to some extent be a worthy human … that we must be thin,” Given added. (RELATED: 80K People Sign Petition To Remove ‘Flat Tummy Ads’ From NYC Billboards)
Lauren Gussis, the creator of “Insatiable,” defended the show, saying it was based on her own experiences as a teenager.
“Please give the show a chance,” Gussis tweeted. She also tweeted a note detailing how as a bullied teenager, she was suicidal and developed an eating disorder.
While Gussis said she’s still not comfortable in her skin, she’s trying to express her “pain and vulnerability” through humor.
This is my truth. @insatiable_ pic.twitter.com/xbs3YtueCQ
— Lauren Gussis (@GussisLauren) July 21, 2018
“Insatiable” is set to premiere Aug. 10.
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