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More Than Tracy Turnblad
More Than Tracy Turnblad
Author: Abby Rose Morris and Luz Ballester
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© Abby Rose Morris and Luz Ballester
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Body size diversity in entertainment is an issue that often goes unspoken or ignored by the artistic community, but is deeply felt by those who (literally) don't fit into the ideal. Abby and Luz are two of those people. Join them as they try to find their place in the entertainment industry, interview other plus size creatives, and analyze how body size is portrayed in the media they love - and love to hate. This podcast challenges stereotypes of fat bodies, honors the power of representation, and dreams of how entertainment can evolve to become more inclusive.
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The Wicked movie has taken the world by storm, so naturally Abby had to discuss its political roots, fat applicability, and body diverse casting with original Broadway cast member Kathy Deitch! They also chat about Kathy's experiences as a fat actor and activist, make the dramaturgical case for casting fat actors in iconic musical theatre roles, and (of course) take the lyrics of Defying Gravity and really hold space with that.
Plus This Show: https://www.instagram.com/plusthisshow/
Kathy's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladeitche/
See Kathy in Elf in Sacramento: https://www.broadwaysacramento.com/production/elf/
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/morethantracyt
Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Twitter @morethantracyt!
Abby's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbyrosemorris/
Abby talks with Sarai Cole about the infamous 2007 Eddie Murphy comedy Norbit. For the extra-long version of this episode complete with political hot takes and other tangents, check out our Patreon!
Abby returns to discuss Adrianne and the Castle, a new fantasy romance musical hybrid documentary about a couple who built a castle of love in rural Illinois. She is joined by director Shannon Walsh and lead actress SLee to discuss what the film means for fat representation and honoring Adrianne’s memory.
See a screening in NYC or LA!
Website: https://adrianneandthecastle.com/
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UUnjIo2sXA
Shannon's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannondwalsh/
SLee's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justcallmeslee/
This week Abby and Luz are joined by Cornell philosophy professor and author Kate Manne, whose recent book Unshrinking: How to Fight Fatphobia blew both of their minds! Kate gives her take on the moral philosophy of fatness, how size informs misogyny, lasagna, dogwhistles, sexual fatphobia, Baby Reindeer, and her concept of body reflexivity.
Kate's website: http://www.katemanne.net/
Kate's Twitter: https://x.com/kate_manne?lang=en
Kate's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kate_manne/
Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Twitter @morethantracyt!
Abby's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbyrosemorris/
Luz's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sillygooseluz/
Abby tackles the second installment of Bridgerton Season 3 with Cortland Jacoby of Punch Drunk Critics. They discuss sex scenes, the importance of hiring fat writers, whether this is the "body positivity season," Jess Brownell's comments to the press, and where Bridgerton might go next.
Cortland's Twitter: https://x.com/portcortlandia
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/morethantracyt
Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Twitter @morethantracyt!
Abby's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbyrosemorris/
Naturally we had to kick off season 5 by discussing the hottest TV show of the moment (in multiple senses of the word, WINK EMOJI) - Bridgerton! Abby and Luz are joined by Deanna Garwol, creator of My Big Fat Bucket List, to discuss the fat wallflower trope, our Bridgerton crushes, what straight men can learn from regency romance, the definition of midsize, and of course the famous carriage scene.
Deanna's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@decidedlydeanna
Deanna's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/decidedlydeanna/
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/morethantracyt
Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Twitter @morethantracyt!
Abby's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbyrosemorris/
Luz's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sillygooseluz/
Abby and Luz return for one last episode of Season 4 before a short break! They discuss their favorite fat main characters and how to be the main character of your own life.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/morethantracyt
Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Twitter @morethantracyt!
Abby's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbyrosemorris/
Luz's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sillygooseluz/
Abby and Luz are back for the final installment in their Fat Trope Deep Dive series! After some life updates and recent internet scandal discourse, they talk tankinis, disability stigma, The Biggest Loser, American exceptionalism, Melissa McCarthy, postfeminism, and Rachel Hollis's famous tiger stripes.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/morethantracyt
Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Twitter @morethantracyt!
Abby's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbyrosemorris/
Luz's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sillygooseluz/
Sources we referenced in this episode:
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/03/26/mum-rachel-hollis-inspiring-viral-bikini-body-photo_n_6946218.html
Millard, Jennifer. “Performing Beauty: Dove’s ‘Real Beauty’ Campaign.” Symbolic Interaction, vol. 32, no. 2, 2009, pp. 146–68. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1525/si.2009.32.2.146. Accessed 11 Apr. 2024.
Taylor, J., Johnston, J., & Whitehead, K. (2016). A Corporation in Feminist Clothing? Young Women Discuss the Dove ‘Real Beauty’ Campaign. Critical Sociology, 42(1), 123-144. https://doi-org.sussex.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/0896920513501355
Murray, D. P. (2013). Branding “Real” Social Change in Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty. Feminist Media Studies, 13(1), 83–101. https://doi-org.sussex.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/14680777.2011.647963
Meeuf, R. (2016). Class, corpulence, and neoliberal citizenship: Melissa McCarthy on Saturday Night Live. Celebrity Studies, 7(2), 137–153. https://doi-org.sussex.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/19392397.2015.1044758
Hannah Rae Leach of Sleepover Cinema once again joins Abby - this time to discuss the then-wildly-controversial body representation of Lena Dunham as Hannah Horvath in Girls (2012). We also cover Lana Del Rey, the fat face of it all, being honest about internalized fatphobia, glamorizing toxic sex, and why this is a Patrick Wilson fancast.
Hannah's website: https://www.hannahraeleach.com/
Sleepover Cinema: https://evergreenpodcasts.com/sleepover-cinema/
Hannah's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realjudygarland
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/morethantracyt
Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Twitter @morethantracyt!
Abby's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbyrosemorris/
Luz's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sillygooseluz/
This week, Abby and Luz talk about the sad fat person trope, unpacking why media is so obsessed with presenting fat people as pitiable walking tragedies. Some of the examples we discuss include Fat Thor, Bridgerton, Heathers, The Whale, and good old-fashioned freak shows.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/morethantracyt
Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Twitter @morethantracyt!
Abby's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbyrosemorris/
Luz's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sillygooseluz/
Sources we referenced in this episode:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/nov/13/obese-depression-weight-psychology-judgment-fat-shaming
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4392295/
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/slim-sad-fat-happy-519034.html
https://www.mamamia.com.au/fat-girl-trope/
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WeightWoe
https://www.rogerebert.com/features/why-cant-sad-be-fat
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pixar-fails-at-body-positivity-in-inside-out_b_7617432
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/notes-on-hollywood/the-whale-and-the-fat-suit-brendan-fraser-darren-aronofsky
Richardson, N, & Locks, A. (2014). 'Monstrosity, enfreakment, and disability.' Body Studies: the Basics. London: Taylor & Francis Group. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [3 April 2024]. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/suss/detail.action?docID=1753259.
Abby sits down with 8th grade teacher Cait O'Connor to discuss how diet culture and fatphobia are perpetuated in schools - and how teachers can address them. We talk BMI report cards, shotput, school plays, classroom accessibility, and more!
Ditching Diet Culture at School website: https://sites.google.com/view/ditchingdietcultureatschool/home
Digital Library: https://sites.google.com/view/ditchingdietcultureatschool/digital-resource-library
Cait's Twitter: https://x.com/JustTeachingELA?s=20
Cait's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justteachingela/
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/morethantracyt
Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Twitter @morethantracyt!
Abby's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbyrosemorris/
Luz's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sillygooseluz/
This week, Abby and Luz take a closer look at the funny fat person trope. Why do we associate fatness so closely with comedy? What is so funny about fat people anyway? And how does this manifest in media representation and our real lives?
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/morethantracyt
Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Twitter @morethantracyt!
Abby's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbyrosemorris/
Luz's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sillygooseluz/
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jul/29/is-there-a-single-comedian-out-there-not-fatphobic-apart-from-me-of-course
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FatComicRelief
https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/the-science-of-humor-is-no-laughing-matter
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/whats-so-funny-the-science-of-why-we-laugh/
https://www.chortle.co.uk/correspondents/2022/07/01/51074/why_fat_jokes_are_ok
I can't link this one so I'm just citing it: Hole, Anne. (2001). Belly laughs and gut fears: the fat female body as site of comedy [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Sussex.
Melissa Zimdars (2021) American Housewife and Super Fun Night: Fat Ambiguity and Televised Bodily Comedy, Fat Studies, 10:1, 50-63, DOI: 10.1080/21604851.2019.1643664
Writer and content creator Clara Sterling (of Strike Tea fame!) joins Abby for a wide-ranging discussion about Lizzo, AI, being a fat lesbian, and why she never gets invited out after 7 pm. Clara did an episode on our Patreon during the strike, so we were very excited to be able to actually discuss specific media!
Clara's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thatclarafied?lang=en
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/morethantracyt
Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Twitter @morethantracyt!
Abby's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbyrosemorris/
Luz's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sillygooseluz/
It's Black History Month, so we're getting into a movie that made fat Black film history (for better or for worse): Precious (2009). Content creator Jade Haylee joins Abby to dish on being called Precious as a schoolyard taunt, Gabourey Sidibe's comment section, Love is Blind, being lifted up, the Mo'Nique of it all, and why white audiences love Black trauma.
***This episode contains discussions of sexual assault, incest, and child abuse as depicted in Precious.***
Jade's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jadehaylee
Jade's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jadehaylee_
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/morethantracyt
Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Twitter @morethantracyt!
Abby's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbyrosemorris/
Luz's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sillygooseluz/
P.S. sorry this episode is coming out later than usual, I'm on holiday in Portugal right now (BRAG) and got caught up! -xoxo abby
Writer Caitlin Magnall-Kearns (she/they) aka our first repeat guest ever returns to discuss one of our favorite TV shows, Somebody Somewhere! We chat about fat family dynamics, trans representation, the vulnerability of being seen, and what it feels like to have close friends when you've never been in love.
***This episode contains major spoilers for season 2 of Somebody Somewhere.***
Caitlin's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caitmkearns
Caitlin's Twitter: https://x.com/caitmkearns?s=20
Caitlin's website: https://caitmkearns.wixsite.com/website
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/morethantracyt
Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Twitter @morethantracyt!
Abby's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbyrosemorris/
Luz's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sillygooseluz/
It's time for our annual Valentine's Day episode where we talk about the minefield that is plus size dating! Date Brazen's Lily Womble sits down with Abby to share her best tips on how to build a joyful af dating life and answer your questions.
Pre-order Lily's book: https://www.datebrazen.com/book
Date Brazen Website: https://www.datebrazen.com/
Lily's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/datebrazen
Lily's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@datebrazen
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/morethantracyt
Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Twitter @morethantracyt!
Abby's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbyrosemorris/
Luz's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sillygooseluz/
Abby and Luz are joined by model and fat activist Jordan Underwood (he/they) to discuss weight changes and the intersection of ableism and fatphobia. Jordan shares about his lipidema journey, from massive weight gain to massive weight loss. We also touch on tumblr-era body positivity, being illiterate, dancing on the internet, and Brookline. We had such a long, in-depth conversation that we've decided to split it into two parts, so the second half of our chat will be out next week!
***This episode contains discussions of medical fatphobia and eating disorders, including calorie and weight numbers.***
Jordan's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordallenhall/?hl=en
Jordan's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jordallenhall?lang=en
Jordan's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jordallenhall
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/morethantracyt
Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Twitter @morethantracyt!
Abby's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbyrosemorris/
Luz's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sillygooseluz/
Sure, everyone is beautiful and all, but being fat just isn't healthy! Right?? We get into it with molecular biologist Fran aka @fat_positive_fran on TikTok, who explains the factors that determine your body size and unpacks the associations between weight and medical conditions like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
***CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains discussion of disordered eating, including calorie numbers.***
H1N1 study: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23744235.2016.1201721
Sperm tsRNA study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27340033/
Insulin therapy study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3757533/#:~:text=Basal%20insulin%20therapy%20confers%20improved,maximizes%20the%20potential%20to%20nearly
Fran's resource doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xV5kmxaMzMqk9AKSFsMRrGbpXJ8DuV11_gyQywMrmms/edit?usp=sharing
Fran's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fat_positive_fran?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/morethantracyt
Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Twitter @morethantracyt!
Abby's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbyrosemorris/
Luz's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sillygooseluz/
This week, Abby and Luz take you through all the common entertainment fat tropes, as listed on tvtropes.com. On the way, they discuss drag king names, mammy figurines, being stupid, Winnie The Pooh, Abby's childhood toys, and their bad hygiene.
The tropes list we're referring to in this episode can be found here: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HighFatIndex
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/morethantracyt
Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Twitter @morethantracyt!
Abby's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbyrosemorris/
Luz's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sillygooseluz/
Abby (she/her) and Luz (they/he) are back for season 4 after a long hiatus, and they're re-introducing themselves by answering the questions they usually ask guests! There's a LOT to catch up on, including (but not limited to) tabloid trauma, Oompa-Loompas, tiramisu, and Idina Menzel.
Support us on Patreon, where there is a bonus extended cut of this episode: https://www.patreon.com/morethantracyt
Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Twitter @morethantracyt!
Abby's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbyrosemorris/
Luz's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sillygooseluz/






Dating fat women is fun.