# Are fat jokes are back in style? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 10, 2003, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-jokes-are-back-in-style/187451 "2003-07-10T13:08:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-jokes-are-back-in-style/187451/21 "2003-07-10T17:13:34Z")
I’m confused. How does stating that another person’s heavier than you constitute a fat joke. Clinton _is_ heavier than Coulter. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-jokes-are-back-in-style/187451/22 "2003-07-10T17:17:54Z")
Skinny people are perfectly “safe” targets of derision. Often by fat people, which boggles my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-jokes-are-back-in-style/187451/23 "2003-07-10T17:26:46Z")
Of course, compared to Coulter, my ten-year old daughter (who’s pretty skinny herself) is fat… Coulter apparently ascribes to the Kate Moss School of Nutrition. Hilary Clinton at least looks healthy… Coulter looks like she’s been starving herself for a week, and that’s with heavy makeup and kind lighting. I’d hate to see her under a flourescent, first thing in the morning. Eeeugh. Despite what some people may think, and what laws may have been passed, fat jokes have never been out of style. I would not go so far as to say that it’s the “last acceptable stereotype,” as there are still several that don’t receive the attention they should, but derision directed at fat people has been in vogue for most of my lifetime, and I don’t see it abating anytime soon. The prejudice against the overweight can be seen on most magazine covers, and in most movies. There are, of course, notable exceptions. However, when Kate Winslet can be derided as “a bit heavy” in _Titanic_, there is still an obvious problem. **Juanita** … but ‘three-to-one’? Coulter’s a rail, but that was clearly intended as an insult. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-jokes-are-back-in-style/187451/24 "2003-07-10T17:37:52Z")
It was? Hyperbole doesn’t necessarily equal insult. I admit I didn’t see the interview so her tone of voice may have conveyed an insult better than her words in print did. I see nothing wrong with what Coulter said. [sub]Good lord, did I just type that?[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Hammer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/bc79bd/32.png) [@Hammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hammer)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-jokes-are-back-in-style/187451/25 "2003-07-10T17:42:45Z")
I’d have to say red necks/white trash are the only safe targets left in America. Mostly because they aren’t easily offended, or don’t self identify as belonging to the category. I think fat jokes will continue, but are clearly not as safe as they used to be. Most likely because of the serious rise in obesity. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-jokes-are-back-in-style/187451/26 "2003-07-10T17:47:21Z")
> [@](#): > > Hyperbole doesn’t necessarily equal insult. Well, I know _I_ would have taken it that way. Most women are hyperaware of weight-related comments thrown in their direction. So in this particular situation, I think hyperbole would be insulting. ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-jokes-are-back-in-style/187451/27 "2003-07-10T17:50:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Avalonian \* > **Of course, compared to Coulter, my ten-year old daughter (who’s pretty skinny herself) is fat… Coulter apparently ascribes to the Kate Moss School of Nutrition. Hilary Clinton at least looks healthy… Coulter looks like she’s been starving herself for a week, and that’s with heavy makeup and kind lighting. I’d hate to see her under a flourescent, first thing in the morning. Eeeugh.** Yeah, those fat jokes, they’re horrible. You’ll never see anyone disparage another for being thin. Nope, being fat is the last thing people can insult. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![eutactic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@eutactic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eutactic)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-jokes-are-back-in-style/187451/28 "2003-07-10T17:51:00Z")
What I don’t get is how it’s verboten to crack fat jokes, yet when a fat person tells a skinny one to “eat a cheeseburger!”, that’s perfectly fine. I can’t make fun of a chubby actress (say, Kathy Bates), yet it’s OK to accuse Jennifer Connelly of having an eating disorder? How does that make any sense? ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-jokes-are-back-in-style/187451/29 "2003-07-10T17:51:47Z")
So if Coulter had said two-to-one or maybe even one point five-to-one we’d all be OK with the remark? I’ll admit Coulter may have been having a little fun at Clinton’s expense but I’d _hardly_ call it a fat joke. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-jokes-are-back-in-style/187451/30 "2003-07-10T17:58:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Necros \* > \*\*Yeah, those fat jokes, they’re horrible. You’ll never see anyone disparage another for being thin. Nope, being fat is the last thing people can insult. :rolleyes: \*\* Please note that, later in the same post you _partially_ quote, I said specifically that there are still several stereotypes that American society accepts. And yes, I agree that the prejudice against skinny people and cracking “skinny” jokes is one of those stereotypes that are acceptable. In other words, please read my whole post before getting snide about it. Also, my comments about Coulter apply to Coulter alone, not to any prejudice against skinny people in general. Some people look very good skinny (I happen to be a big fan of Audrey Hepburn and Lara Flynn Boyle, myself), but Ann Coulter just looks nasty. **Juanita** , I think most people would take Coulter’s ‘hyperbole’ as insult. It’s an exaggeration of weight difference… either Coulter was slamming her own thinness or Clinton’s weight. Given Coulter’s well-established vanity, somehow I doubt it was the former. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-jokes-are-back-in-style/187451/31 "2003-07-10T18:02:50Z")
Can we agree it wasn’t a fat joke, though? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-jokes-are-back-in-style/187451/32 "2003-07-10T18:05:02Z")
I interpret the OP as “How can liberals jump on Ann Coulter for making a fat reference when they failed to castigate Al Franken for extended joking in his book about Rush Limbaugh’s porkiness?” Seems I remember Rush making negative remarks about the appearance of various opponents including Hillary and/or Chelsea Clinton, which would tend to leave him open to personal jibes in return. Hillary doesn’t make remarks about the body habitus of the various rightwingers conspiring against her, therefore she is not a fair target on that score for Ann Coulter, who deserves to be ignored whenever possible. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-jokes-are-back-in-style/187451/33 "2003-07-10T18:07:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JuanitaTech \* > \*\*Can we agree it wasn’t a fat joke, though? \*\* Perhaps not a fat ‘joke’… because it wasn’t funny. However, I maintain that it was an insult, and coming from Coulter, intended as such. ---
**Author:** ![tomyoung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@tomyoung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomyoung)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-jokes-are-back-in-style/187451/34 "2003-07-10T18:11:33Z")
* * * ## Originally posted by JuanitaTech Can we agree it wasn’t a fat joke, though? No. We all agree it was definitely a slam on Hillary for her weight. Why would weight be relevant at all if not for the purposes of derision? Maybe it’s not a funny joke, but it’s a joke just the same. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-jokes-are-back-in-style/187451/35 "2003-07-10T18:15:54Z")
I don’t see it as such so I guess we’ll just agree to disagree. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-jokes-are-back-in-style/187451/36 "2003-07-10T18:34:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JuanitaTech \* > \*\*I don’t see it as such so I guess we’ll just agree to disagree. \*\* Perhaps you could explain, then, how comparing her weight with Clinton’s is relevant to a discussion of their relative status on the bestseller lists? Yeah, she was obviously staying on-point there. And oh-so-civil. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-jokes-are-back-in-style/187451/37 "2003-07-10T18:45:10Z")
**JuanitaTech** , it’s definitely a “fat joke”. It was said to make people laugh at Clinton’s expense. Clinton having a “3-to-1 pound advantage” over Coulter? What else could that mean? It’s not like they’re professional wrestlers “slugging it out”. If they were, what she said wouldn’t necessarily be mean spirited. Clinton is fat only in Coulter’s world, though. If Clinton was truly overweight, maybe the offensiveness of her remark would be more clear. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-jokes-are-back-in-style/187451/38 "2003-07-10T18:59:55Z")
Ava, I never claimed Coulter’s remark was relevent to the discussion. I never claimed she was stying on-point either. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-jokes-are-back-in-style/187451/39 "2003-07-10T19:00:08Z")
Fat jokes are only acceptable if we’re talking about yo mamma. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-jokes-are-back-in-style/187451/40 "2003-07-10T19:03:59Z")
For those of you stating that fat is the ‘last acceptable stereotype’ take a trip to the Pit. See what happens when a poster, in describing a person, dares to mention the person’s weight. Whoa, Nellie! That’s a flame war just waiting to happen. It’s not an ‘acceptable’ stereotype since you’ll get all sorts of cross-eyed looks, flames, or Diane Sawyer saying “Did you actually say that?” If it were acceptable, most of us would joke and laugh right along with it, we don’t. Juanita, Coulter wasn’t exactly talking about her upcoming boxing match with Clinton, where weight is a real factor. She brought up Hillary’s weight for no reason other than to insult her. Not that Hillary’s overweight to begin with, but that’s beside the point. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-jokes-are-back-in-style/187451.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-jokes-are-back-in-style/187451.md?page=3)