It’s Never Been About ‘Representation’…

...it's been about rubbing everyone's nose in it.

Criticisms that Doctor Who has become too “woke” prove the series is doing the right thing by being inclusive, its new star Varada Sethu has said. Sethu plays the Doctor’s latest travelling companion, Belinda Chandra, in new episodes airing this month. With Ncuti Gatwa returning as the Doctor, the pairing marks the first time a Tardis team will comprise solely people of colour.

And as Tim points out, this is something people not having to face market pressures can say with impunity. Those facing commercial pressures learn the hard way.  

Speaking about the milestone, Sethu told the Radio Times: “Ncuti was like, ‘Look at us. We get to be in the Tardis. We’re going to piss off so many people.’”

“Woke just means inclusive, progressive and that you care about people. And, as far as I know, the core of Doctor Who is kindness, love and doing the right thing.”

And nothing says 'kindness' more than gloating that your presence will upset and annoy people you don't like, I'm sure we can all agree. 

But this is a trend in entertainment now - it's no longer sufficient to make a classic, beloved book or story if you aren't also using it to stick your thumb in the eye of the people you despise. 

I suppose we should be greatful for small mercies, and that the sex of Lewis's main character is the only thing they are changing...

Meet the new Aslan! 

 

It Is Strange, Yes, Since We All Now Have Widescreen TVs...

My fatness causes adults to laugh or sneer or hurl abuse in the street, or to say horrible depraved things online. Strangers hate my extra flesh so much that they can’t help but regularly inform me about it as I’m tweeting, walking home, standing in a mall, ordering a drink at a bar – or once, entering my own front door.

They were probably astonished that you could get through it... 

I can’t remember every one of the numerous public incidents but I do remember the first time it happened. I was a (lonely) 14-year-old waiting for the bus with a bunch of other kids at 8:30am, and men drove past and shouted “WHALE” at me. It was humiliating, it was stupid (I am clearly a land animal), and in my memory it was the sharp beginning of my life in a fatphobic world.

Oh, god, here we go... 

The rise of Ozempic in combination with an already extremely thin-obsessed world means that there are almost no fat – or even kind-of-fat – people on any sort of screen.

Why should there be? I mean, yes, screens are bigger these days, but so what? 

This week, Vogue and Gigi Hadid – obviously not people I would rely on for body inclusivity – went a step further in the wrong direction by doing a Hairspray-themed cover and spread, including posting a full lip-sync of the song ‘You Can’t Stop the Beat’ online. If you aren’t familiar with Hairspray, it’s one of the only musicals in existence featuring fat leads, and a big part of the story is fatness being spotlighted. Vogue’s cover and lip-sync featured only thin people.

And this is portrayed as some sort of outrage.  

I implore people to start thinking about this, both broadly and specifically. We need people carefully considering how we portray and include different kinds of bodies – and what we are saying when we don’t.

I think we're saying 'No ugly fat dollops, please!' aren't we?