“It is a fact that I am fat. Don’t have to look at it as fat-shaming”. Those were the words of Xixi Lim, an actress who places the character Yuan Yuan Yuan (yes, it is repeated thrice in case you missed it the first time) in the upcoming movie, Ah Girls Go Army.
Yuan = Fat-Shaming?
Yuan means round in Mandarin. Some folks pointed out that Yuan could also mean “garden”.
Barely 3 months ago, Jack Neo apologised for naming a transgender character “Amanda Man”. This time, however, Jack Neo did not apologise and stood his ground.
During the same press conference where Xixi Lim called herself “fat”, Jack Neo asserted that naming a character “Yuan Yuan Yuan” does not amount to “fat-shaming”. According to Yahoo, he said:
“It could just be a character called Yuan Yuan Yuan. It’s just a name. But when people see it as something that attacks their self-image, it becomes a sensitive issue.”
“…what Xixi did in the movie is more than what they are thinking.”
He then went on to ask critics to watch the movie before passing judgement.
In response, the Internet said, “I Not Stupid”. For the uninitiated, that is the title of the film that Jack Neo will, at least in our view, be best remembered for.
Why take issue when Xixi Lim is fine with it?
Leaving aside Jack Neo’s benign intentions, this state of affairs raises some interesting questions for us to grapple with. For a start, Xixi Lim herself does not take issue with being called Yuan Yuan Yuan. In fact, she often makes self-depreciating jokes about her weight and her figure.
Why then is the Internet getting outraged when the actress in question is acquiescent?
The answer, as some in the comments section of our Instagram Post astutely note, lies in how Xixi Lim is representing not just herself, but a marginalised community of plus-sized persons at large. When she speaks, whether she likes it or not, she is viewed as a voice from the plus-sized community.
Put simply, just because Xixi Lim is okay with it, for reasons best known only to herself, it does not mean that it is okay to joke at the expense of marginalised people. Just because she doesn’t think it is fat-phobic, does not mean that it cannot be perceived to be fat-phobic.
All over Singapore, there are many plus-sized people who have been bullied for their weight. Many of these people already do not see much, if any, body-positive representations on local television. Imagine a situation where people think that it is okay to laugh or make fun of a plus-sized person because the actress in the movie was fine with it?
Each time we normalise jokes at the expense of plus-sized people, we make it harder for the victims and easier for the bullies. It serves to perpetuate stereotypes that should not be given the light of day.
For purposes of illustration, take the example of a hypothetical Indian actor who goes on national television to say that he is okay to be called racial slurs because he has thick skin (read: internalised racism). Now, racists will use him as an example to justify their racism. They will point at the man on TV, and then tell aggrieved minorities, “he seems fine with it, why aren’t you?”. Taken to the extreme, they might even use him as an example to tell other minorities that they are being overly-sensitive.
Coming back to the issue at hand. How would plus-sized girls growing up, who see a movie character named Yuan Yuan Yuan, feel? How would they feel when they see fat-shaming being justified with reference to Xixi Lim’s own comments and jokes? How would they feel being called “Yuan Yuan Yuan” by their peers?
By the way, this is not hypothetical. People ARE already using Xixi Lim’s acceptance as an excuse to justify their fat phobia. See for yourself in the comments section of this post.
To that end, with utmost respect, it actually does not matter what Xixi Lim thinks. The fact that she is okay with it does not make it okay.
Speaking up for plus-sized women
When we were trawling the internet to learn more about Xixi Lim, we found this interview dated 1 July 2019 where Xixi Lim speaks about why she speaks up for plus-sized women. In the interview, Xixi Lim said:
Growing up as a plus-size person, it’s never easy because you look different. I remember crying every single day when I was walking back home…
I went through a lot during my teenage days. Fat shaming is real and it can really affect us inside out. I know how painful this journey can be and I don’t want others to suffer like me.
I chose to speak up because I wanted to help others in similar situations and let them know that it’s really okay to be different. They are not alone. There is someone here who has gone through what they are going through now. I want to be able to advise them or even just remind them that I was there once and I survived. They can do the same too.
In that interview, Xixi Lim also shared about how she uses hashtags like #celebrateyourcurves and #effyourbeauty standards on her Instagram page as she wanted to “step her game up”.
We are sure that the last thing Xixi Lim would want is for people to justify fatphobia with reference to her, as some netizens have already started doing.
Claims that AGGA breaks stereotypes
In that same Instagram Post, national hurdler Kerstin Ong, who acted in the film, replied to several comments and claimed that the movie will be the harbinger of inclusivity and progressiveness. Curiously, some of her comments were carbon copies of each other.
Anyhow, if you have a couple of minutes to spare, do watch this hilarious parody by Mockingbird News:
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If you have seen the movie, and wish to pen your thoughts on it, do let us know at admin@wakeup.sg .
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