Section 1 - Television

There are lots of characters on TV that are overweight. For example:

1) Heather on Eastenders - She is often shown as being lazy and stupid. She is also represented as being funny which signifies that we often think fat people should be laughed at. She is shown as being weak because she has asthma and is often bullied by other characters such as Shirley. In the show she fell in love with a character called Minty but he didnt like her back which signifies that overweight people will find it hard to find a boyfriend or girlfriend.

In another storyline two teenagers pretend to be a man on the internet and con her into thinking this man likes her. They laugh at her when she falls for it and this again signifies that overweight people are unable to be loved properly, and they are funny. She often wears very bright colours which might signify that overweight people are "jolly" but her clothes are also very unfashionable


In the show she works in the launderette which might signify that overweight people might only be able to get low paid jobs doing things like cleaning and might suggest to the audience that she is not very intelligent.

2) Homer Simpson - Homer is often shown eating doughnuts which signifies that overweight people are always eating sugary foods. He also consumes a lot of beer which might suggest to an audience that overweight people also drink a lot.

His storylines often revolve around him making mistakes at work or being fired by Mr Burns. He has caused nucleur accidents and often messes up his job. This signifies that overweight people might not be very good at working or might be unintelligent or incapable.
Homer is not a very good dad as he can't control his son Bart, and often insults his children, forgets their birthdays and fails to support them as he is too wrapped up in his own life. This might signify that overweight people do not make good parents.

3) Smithy from Gavin & Stacey - Smithy is a comical character in the show, often saying silly things or making jokes, again suggesting that overweight people are always funny or something to be laughed at. Just like Homer Simpson he loves drinking beer and eating fatty foods like pizza which might suggest to the audience that all overweight people eat and drink far too much.