Mike and Molly was a television show that tried to have positive role models with its two overweight leads. They both meet at an Overeaters Anonymous and end up having a romance. That romance is complicated by all their friends and relatives.
Molly was played by the very successful Melissa McCarthy. Mike was played by Billy Gardell who went on to play Bob in Bob Hearts Abishola.
The interesting thing about Bob Hearts Abishola is that Bob is initially a very heavy set man but loses a lot of weight, right before our eyes as the show proceeds.
That weight loss may have felt like a betrayal for some viewers who might be overweight and happy to see a second love story for a very heavy set man. However, right from Mike and Molly, we were introduced to Billy Gardell’s character as having been someone who wants to lose weight at overeaters anonymous. Isn’t that a natural progression to losing weight? Especially since the second series scares Billy Gardell’s character with a heart attack.
Rebel Wilson was a bit of a heroine for heavy set women. Until she had her year of health in 2020 and started exercising up to 2 ½ hours a day (mainly walking). She also had a low sugar/high protein diet, was flexible with eating (allowing some cheats), used Ozempic for some of it, and focused on health and not just weight loss.
Anyhow she did it and now people see a thinner, healthier woman and not the body positive role model for the overweight. The same with Adele and Kelly Clarkson.
Many celebrities, if overweight, reach a point where they have enough money and time to do something about their bodies. And most do, now that there are effective weight loss drugs.
Meghan Trainor is most famous for her song, “All About That Bass” where bass stood for excess weight. But I guess she wasn’t all about her fan base. She credits Mounjaro with doing some of the most heavy lifting in her weight loss. Now she, too, is a thin person.
I’m just waiting for Ashley Graham, the body positive, overweight model to shed some pounds. That I think will be the last time that people will not see that money and time will almost certainly lead to weight loss in the overweight. That and the vanity of being a celebrity.