Dove has caused controversy on social media by criticising Oscar-winning film The Whale for its decision to use a fatsuit on star man Brendan Fraser, instead of casting an obese actor.
Tweeting in reply to a post by body positivity activist, KB Heylen which read: “So disappointing that The Whale won the Oscar for the best hair and makeup. Fat suits are harmful – they are not your opportunity to win awards. Our identity is not your costume. Cast fat actors to play fat characters,” the skincare brand wrote: “Stop giving fat suits awards. We want better representation in Hollywood.”
Stop giving fat suits awards ‼️ We want better representation in Hollywood. #LetsChangeBeauty
— Dove (@Dove) March 13, 2023
These calls follow ongoing discussions around Brendan Fraser’s use of a fat suit to portray the film’s morbildy obese lead character, Charlie – with many social media users calling for greater ‘plus-size’ representation in Hollywood.
the oscar for best makeup going to the construction of a fat suit on the whale is blatantly disrespectful. and to blast this specific image of a fake fat body on display behind the award is inconceivable pic.twitter.com/rnqiGFzHof
— edward cullen’s bitch (@izzivw) March 13, 2023
However, many have come out to praise Fraser’s balanced, realistic portrayal of what living with morbid obesity is like after he explained his gruelling acting process to Adam Sandler in a recent interview, saying: “It’s important to say this, because there are those who live with this disease.
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“I felt empowered to be their voice and to be as honest as I could and as authentic as I could in the portrayal. Look, my weight has been all over the map. I put on weight to play this role, and it wasn’t enough — so the body had to go on top of that, and the two worked together.”
A lot of people are upset about The Whale winning for Best Makeup because of the fat suit. As an actual fat person, my apprehension about the fat suit dissolved as I watched more interviews with Brendan regarding the fat suit. pic.twitter.com/B6NfWZ9gyf
— Ginger👻 (@ginger_snxp) March 14, 2023
The move follows Dove’s recent TikTok campaign which called on the UK to ‘turn its back’ on what it calls the ‘harmful’ bold glamour filter on the social media platform, which dramatically alters a user’s photos and videos in line with what many are calling ‘unattainable’ beauty standards.
