Soap and hygiene company Dove have spoken out against movie The Whale, and their choice to use Brendan Fraser in a fat suit, instead of casting an obese actor.
The 2022 Charlie, a reclusive and unhealthy English teacher who hides out in his flat and eats his way to death. He is desperate to reconnect with his teenage daughter for a last chance at redemption.
Marking a major return to acting for Fraser, who played to film’s lead, he went on to win the Oscar for Best Actor at the 95th Academy Awards for his role.
However, this wasn’t the only award the movie took home, and it won an Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, which left several people outraged.
According to Fox News, one angry tweeter, that has since gone private on the platform, blasted the movie, writing “So disappointing that The Whale won the Oscar for 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. #TheWhale #fatphobia #fatsuit #Oscars,” they added.
Dove then joined in, backing the user, and responding with “Stop giving fat suits awards ‼️ We want better representation in Hollywood.”
And it seems like Dove weren’t alone in their stance, with a lot of other Twitter users taking to the platform to share their disappointment.
One user said ”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.”
Another hit out at the film, saying ”I don’t appreciate that the makeup team who created a fat suit just won an Oscar and that is because we need to have better stories with fat actors and not thinner actors in fat suits.”
”Im sorry but the whale winning for a fat suit that is literally incorrect with depicting how the body distributes weight is so embarrassing. Like you all should be fined $500 for wasting my goddamn time,” said a third.
However, some people have been quick to jump to The Whale‘s defence.
”The entire field of prosthetic makeup is devoted to changing how people’s bodies look. I agree that fat suits are often used to make fun of fat people, but the fat suits are not the problem. The problem is the intention behind the fat suit, and I think The Whale did it tastefully,” on user wrote.
What do you think about the film?
