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Why The “Girl Who Eats Everything But Looks Like a Model” Trope Is So Problematic
I absolutely loved the TV show Gilmore Girls when I was a teenager. I liked a lot of things about it: that Rory was a bookworm, like me, that it was set in an idyllic small town, that all the characters had the most bizarre quirks and eccentricities. But one thing that always struck me as slightly odd was the running joke that both Rory and Lorelei eat terribly, yet never gain a pound.
And I’ve begun to notice that this is a trend in other TV shows and movies too. Perfect-looking women eating entire boxes of chocolates in one sitting, or a pint of ice cream, or polishing off huge entrees while their male friends exchange surprised and slightly amused glances.
On the surface, this may seem like a refreshing change from shows that portray women as constantly going on crazy diets and refusing to eat more than a lettuce leaf. After all, isn’t it a good thing for women to see female characters on TV who have a healthy appetite? Yes, absolutely. However, it’s a little bit more complicated than that, at least in my opinion.
The problem isn’t that these TV characters eat a lot. The problem is that we are all supposed to believe that they would still be stick thin.
