Who is the foulest of them all?

The fairy tale story of Shrek perpetuates a troubling stereotype.

By JOEL KEVIN THOMPSON

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 28, 2001

I took the family to see Shrek. The four of us -- my wife, 5-year-old son, and 21/2-year-old daughter -- found it to be amusing, irreverent and inventive. In this regard, we agree with most of the critics.

But there was one aspect of the plot that gave me pause and, I believe, could be seen as perpetuating an already prevalent stereotype. My concern is with the transformation of Princess Fiona. If you haven't seen the movie, be forewarned that I'm going to give away part of the story.

Fiona is under a spell that changes her, at night, from a beautiful princess to an "ugly" one. (The word "ugly" is used several times.) The plot twist is useful, for as we all know, Shrek is an ogre and his ogre-ness is what has led him to a life of isolation in his swamp home.

But it strikes me that Fiona is now "ugly" because she is fatter. Yes, her face has a green tint and her ears, upon close inspection (really close inspection), are a bit misshapen, somewhat like Shrek's. But look: doesn't she seem to be, really, a sweet-faced overweight girl?

Maybe I'm too sensitive to these things. After all, for 15 years I've conducted research in the area of physical attractiveness and body image -- specifically, how people feel about their looks and what causes these feelings. As anyone knows, many young girls and women are dissatisfied with their looks, a risk factor for low self-esteem and, in the extreme case, eating disorders. Also, I and other researchers have found that individuals who don't meet our societal ideal of thinness -- who are somewhat overweight or truly obese -- are often teased or ridiculed for their appearance.

It's difficult to watch a single Letterman or Leno monologue without encountering a fat joke. Movies, novels and even TV commercials often portray the loser, the second banana and the incompetent as overweight. Overweight people are slow, lethargic punching bags. Even Gus in Cinderella (my 2-year-old's current focus) is the fat mouse, too slow to escape Lucifer the cat's grasp.

All of this is funny until you talk to the overweight girl who is afraid to go to school because of the teasing. Or the overweight mom who was called a "beached whale" in front of her kids at Clearwater Beach. Or, the fat boy who hanged himself rather than go to school and hear the constant taunts regarding his weight.

Which, perhaps, is why I have this overly sensitive response to Fiona's situation. Yes, for plot purposes, the writers of Shrek needed an appearance modification that would de-beautify Fiona. It's unfortunate that their chosen strategy -- weight enhancement -- fits neatly into our prejudice against fat people.

Maybe if Fiona were real, her face would register the pain and angst I've so often seen in overweight women.

Joel Kevin Thompson is a professor of psychology at the University of South Florida.

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