The stars of new Netflix show ‘Insatiable’ have hit back at the suggestion the show promotes “fat-shaming”, after the show’s trailer came under fire.
Debby Ryan and Alyssa Milano both star in ‘Insatiable’, debuting on the streaming service in August, which tells the story of Patty, a high school student mocked by her classmates because of her size.
When she’s punched in the face, Patty is required to have her jaw wired shut, she loses a significant amount of weight, at which point she’s considered more desirable by her classmates, and she begins taking revenge on them.
The trailer was met with a lukewarm response on social media, with many criticising the choice to only have the title character be considered attractive after she lost weight:
In response to the backlash, the show’s lead star Debby Ryan posted a link to a piece in Teen Vogue highlighting that while elements of ‘Insatiable’ are “problematic”, the focus of the show is Patty “[making] everyone pay for how they treated her”.
Debby told Teen Vogue prior to the controversy: “There is so much more to [the show than the appearance-based storylines] and definitely trust that we’re doing it and it’s there.
“[There’s] everything from the complicated mother-daughter relationships, dating in high school, finding yourself in sexuality, and different boundaries within relationships. And I think if you do take a second to get to know it, I think you’ll realise that Patty’s complicated, these people are complicated.”
Similarly, Debby’s co-star Alyssa Milano has insisted that the show doesn’t aim to shame its lead character, rather “address (through comedy) the damage that occurs from fat shaming.”
Alyssa also shared a link to the same Teen Vogue article posted by Debby.
Also on the cast is ‘The Good Wife’ actor Dallas Roberts, who plays the beauty pageant coach that takes Patty under his wing after her transformation.
‘Insatiable’ will begin streaming on Netflix worldwide on 10 August.