'That's the reality': Creator of 'fat-shaming' Netflix show Insatiable responds to backlash

  • 12/08/2018

The creator of controversial Netflix show Insatiable has hit out after a furious and critical reception to the series, which is accused of promoting fat-shaming.

The TV series stars Debby Ryan, a former Disney Channel star, donning a fat suit for her role as Patty.

In the two-minute trailer, we learn she is called a pig and bullied for being fat. She is then involved in an incident where her jaw is wired shut and she is unable to eat, turning her into a skinny, "hot" version of herself.

Patty sets out to seek revenge on her fellow classmates, implying she could only get even with them by being conventionally attractive.

Critics have called for the cancellation of the show, claiming it would encourage eating disorders and perpetuate fat-shaming.

More than 200,000 people signed a Change.org petition urging Netflix to stop the show before it began.

However creator Lauren Gussis has now defended the show's themes, saying it's the "reality of what still happens".

"There's a lot of people in this country who are evolved, but I know that my experience was that there are still people in the world who think that stuff is okay," she said.

"To portray those people who actually exist in the world is real."

Gussis says she has struggled with "every single one" of the issues the show tackles, and intends to use comedy and satire to spark conversation around these topics.

"I think we're in a real danger of censorship if we decide that we all have to tell stories in a certain way so that everybody else feels safe," Gussis told the Hollywood Reporter.

"If hearing these things are uncomfortable, I get it. They're sensitive. The wound is deep, but I don't think the solution is silencing myself or somebody else."

The show premiered on Netflix last week.

Newshub.