Fatphobia in A Link Between Worlds

[The Ichi]

http://f***novideogames.tumblr.com/post/67979805242/fatphobia-in-the-legend-of-zelda-a-link-between-worlds

Arriving in the Zora’s Domain, players of the new Legend of Zelda are greeted with a fatphobic sidequest. Robbed of the Smooth Gem, the Zora Queen is unable to “contain her power”; she becomes gluttonous and angry, growing too large to leave her pool. When the player returns the Gem, the Queen reverts to a much smaller size and apologizes for her behavior, stating that it was “all rather undignified.”

Being fat is not a curse. It’s not a sign of lacking self-control. It’s not "undignified." Jokes like this are disgustingly lowbrow, and contribute to stereotypes that cause real-world harm. Stop making fat jokes, Nintendo. They’re not funny.

Note to self: Stay away from Tumblr from now on.

[Deleted]

As someone who used to be obese but isn't anymore...yes, being fat is definitely a sign of lacking self-control.

[The Tank]

As someone who needs to lose enough weight that I call myself fat...go f*** yourself, Tumblr, being fat is literally a direct result of lacking self-control.

[Koda, Master Crunchyroller]

Jeez someone can't take a joke. Did the person writing this forget that Nintendo's flagship duo are fat?

[Chip]

I would say getting so f***ing fat that you can't remove yourself from a pool is pretty undignified.

[Deleted]

I don't... I don't even know how to respond here. I mean... Really? Is this a real thing? What?

I don't understand you, Internet.

[Waffel113]

In the words of the great philosopher Bob Holly, "The Internet's full of shit".

[HMARK Center]

Jan 13, 2014 14:38:46 GMT -5 @mightykretzler said:

As someone who used to be obese but isn't anymore...yes, being fat is definitely a sign of lacking self-control.

Speaking as somebody who used to be obese and worked overtime to get down to being slightly overweight...no, you're completely wrong and being hideously offensive.

It's a perfectly reasonable thing for the Tumblr post to point out, if only because it's such an overplayed trope. Associating fat with simple lack of self-control basically means you're calling fat people your moral and constitutional (meaning personal constitution) inferiors.

It isn't to say that fat can never be played off for humor, but from the perspective of people who are routinely shamed for the shape they're in and are told they have something wrong with them, it must be annoying to have to hear it again, but this time from your favorite video game series...for what its worth I own the game, too, no problem playing it, but why shouldn't somebody be allowed to voice their frustration with something I'm sure they're tired of hearing?

As for Mario and Luigi being "fat", that hasn't really been the case in a very long time.

[Deleted]

Jan 13, 2014 15:04:08 GMT -5 HMARK Center said:

Jan 13, 2014 14:38:46 GMT -5 @mightykretzler said:

As someone who used to be obese but isn't anymore...yes, being fat is definitely a sign of lacking self-control.

Speaking as somebody who used to be obese and worked overtime to get down to being slightly overweight...no, you're completely wrong and being hideously offensive.

I am completely wrong, you say?

Then do tell. Why was it that when I stopped eating whole pizzas, potato chips, cookies, desert cakes and hamburgers, and stopped drinking soda all the time, and decided to get some f***ing exercise once in a while that I've lost over 50 pounds? Isn't choosing to show restraint instead of being a glutton and eating more than I need a pretty definitive sign that lacking self-control was the problem?

[HMARK Center]

Jan 13, 2014 15:07:39 GMT -5 @mightykretzler said:

Jan 13, 2014 15:04:08 GMT -5 HMARK Center said:

Speaking as somebody who used to be obese and worked overtime to get down to being slightly overweight...no, you're completely wrong and being hideously offensive.

I am completely wrong, you say?

Then do tell. Why was it that when I stopped eating whole pizzas, potato chips, cookies, desert cakes and hamburgers, and stopped drinking soda all the time, and decided to get some f***ing exercise once in a while that I've lost over 50 pounds? Isn't choosing to show restraint instead of being a glutton and eating more than I need a pretty definitive sign that lacking self-control was the problem?

Because you lacked self-control.

Not all fat people do.

That's also ignoring the multitude of socio-economic, medical, and psychological factors that play into obesity that go beyond simple self-control issues.

[Deleted]

Jan 13, 2014 15:10:13 GMT -5 HMARK Center said:

Jan 13, 2014 15:07:39 GMT -5 @mightykretzler said:

I am completely wrong, you say?

Then do tell. Why was it that when I stopped eating whole pizzas, potato chips, cookies, desert cakes and hamburgers, and stopped drinking soda all the time, and decided to get some f***ing exercise once in a while that I've lost over 50 pounds? Isn't choosing to show restraint instead of being a glutton and eating more than I need a pretty definitive sign that lacking self-control was the problem?

Because you lacked self-control.

Not all fat people do.

That's also ignoring the multitude of socio-economic, medical, and psychological factors that play into obesity that go beyond simple self-control issues.

That's why I said a "sign" of lacking self control.

What you're "hideously offended" about is no different than someone looking up at a cloudy sky and deducing that it's a sign it may rain, and then someone telling them how wrong they are when it doesn't rain. The guy who looked at the clouds didn't say it was going to rain nor did he say that it always rains when the sky is cloudy. I didn't say that being fat meant you didn't have self control, or vice-versa. But to deny any relationship between the two is just plain wrong.

[The Ichi]

A couple of notes:

As has been stated, the problem with the screenshot isn't "lolz, fat ppl", but the fact that she's grown so large that she's stuck in her pool. If you scale her with the other characters, she hasn't become fat, she's basically become the size of a house.

There is a woman in Kakariko village that, when visited, gives Link restoration hearts. She's portrayed only positively.

[HMARK Center]

Jan 13, 2014 15:14:20 GMT -5 @mightykretzler said:

Jan 13, 2014 15:10:13 GMT -5 HMARK Center said:

Because you lacked self-control.

Not all fat people do.

That's also ignoring the multitude of socio-economic, medical, and psychological factors that play into obesity that go beyond simple self-control issues.

That's why I said a "sign" of lacking self control.

What you're "hideously offended" about is no different than someone looking up at a cloudy sky and deducing that it's a sign it may rain, and then someone telling them how wrong they are when it doesn't rain. The guy who looked at the clouds didn't say it was going to rain nor did he say that it always rains when the sky is cloudy. I didn't say that being fat meant you didn't have self control, or vice-versa. But to deny any relationship between the two is just plain wrong.

And yet you're still wrong, because being fat is not always a sign of lacking self-control.

There's any number of overweight people who do lack self-control; of course they exist. There's also plenty of overweight people who don't routinely overeat, actually work out, and due to any number of factors remain overweight. There's also many who fall within a spectrum of behavior and impulse reaction, but let's ignore that because it doesn't fit into an anecdotal narrative, right?

It's wrong-headed and makes weight into a moral issue; that if you're overweight then your ability to control yourself or your impulses is automatically called into question, and thus your character is as well. I have a hard time blaming people, overweight, fat, or otherwise, who're tired of hearing it, especially when it flat-out doesn't apply to everybody.

[Deleted]

I'm in Art Ruth's camp.

Obesity is a personal weakness. Unless you've the most ambitious thyroid ever, you are fat because you live the life of a fat person.

Whether it's just a lack of self control or a psychological hang up is immaterial. You have to rise out of it same as you would with addiction to drugs, alcohol, gambling, pornography, etc.

Don't try to pawn it off on some bullshit.

[Deleted]

Jan 13, 2014 15:04:08 GMT -5 HMARK Center said:

Jan 13, 2014 14:38:46 GMT -5 @mightykretzler said:

As someone who used to be obese but isn't anymore...yes, being fat is definitely a sign of lacking self-control.

Speaking as somebody who used to be obese and worked overtime to get down to being slightly overweight...no, you're completely wrong and being hideously offensive.

As someone who grew up as a fat kid because of health concerns that prevented a lot of exercise and was constantly bullied, this post gets all my internet points.

[The Ichi]

[Deleted]

Jan 13, 2014 15:25:24 GMT -5 HMARK Center said:

Jan 13, 2014 15:14:20 GMT -5 @mightykretzler said:

That's why I said a "sign" of lacking self control.

What you're "hideously offended" about is no different than someone looking up at a cloudy sky and deducing that it's a sign it may rain, and then someone telling them how wrong they are when it doesn't rain. The guy who looked at the clouds didn't say it was going to rain nor did he say that it always rains when the sky is cloudy. I didn't say that being fat meant you didn't have self control, or vice-versa. But to deny any relationship between the two is just plain wrong.

And yet you're still wrong, because being fat is not always a sign of lacking self-control.

There's any number of overweight people who do lack self-control; of course they exist. There's also plenty of overweight people who don't routinely overeat, actually work out, and due to any number of factors remain overweight. There's also many who fall within a spectrum of behavior and impulse reaction, but let's ignore that because it doesn't fit into an anecdotal narrative, right?

It's wrong-headed and makes weight into a moral issue; that if you're overweight then your ability to control yourself or your impulses is automatically called into question, and thus your character is as well. I have a hard time blaming people, overweight, fat, or otherwise, who're tired of hearing it, especially when it flat-out doesn't apply to everybody.

Here's a few things I think you should consider:

1. "Sign" is synonymous with "symptom."
2. A fever is a symptom of the flu.
3. A fever is also a symptom of food poisoning.
4. The flu and food poisoning are not the same thing.
5. Therefore, when someone has a fever, this is a sign that they may have food poisoning, or they may have the flu, or both, or various other diseases that result in fevers.
6. If a doctor notices someone has a fever and says "This is a sign (or symptom) of the flu" is there anything incorrect with this statement? Bearing in mind he never said that the patient must therefore have the flu.


...see where this is going?

[A Platypus Rave]

Jan 13, 2014 15:15:56 GMT -5 The Ichi said:

A couple of notes:

As has been stated, the problem with the screenshot isn't "lolz, fat ppl", but the fact that she's grown so large that she's stuck in her pool. If you scale her with the other characters, she hasn't become fat, she's basically become the size of a house.

There is a woman in Kakariko village that, when visited, gives Link restoration hearts. She's portrayed only positively.

Yeah, it's less ha she got fat and more she became gigantic... if you take into account the parts that are submerged in her pool she's TALLER than most of the houses in the game.

Jan 13, 2014 15:46:16 GMT -5 The Ichi said:

God, I hope that person is trolling...

especially with the was literally raped for losing Killer Instinct.... (yes I know what they are mentioning but it's a pretty damn far break with reality to say she was LITERALLY raped.)

[Red Impact]

I'd say in the case of a majority of obese people, it's either a lack of control, concern, or education. But there are plenty of diseases (and treatments) that can cause obesity (or things that look like obesity), and many more that just prevent people from being able to be active or lead to mental diseases that would contribute to such behaviors (and if you think that's something you can just snap your fingers and get rid of, you're hilariously uninformed about the nature of mental illness).

This, I don't really see as something that should be offensive, to be honest. It is an old stereotype sure, but it's not really demonizing fat people. Also, it wouldn't be fatphobic, because it's not a fear of fat people. Fatism maybe?

[Deleted]

Also, though, as someone who whole-heartedly believes that fat shaming is a real problem, and that, with no middle ground, anyone who takes part in it is being an asshole, I say that there are many worse things going on than this part of this game.

This is no more offensive than Winnie the Pooh getting stuck in Rabbit's door.