Damn The Man - Save Huge!

So...Huge has ended. For now. And because ABC Family only ordered a measly 10 episodes, we're left in the middle of camp when all the drama and relationships are finally coming to a head! Bastards. Now we get to the problem with ABC Family: namely, conservatism.

This is not to say that conservatives hate fat people. I'm sure, no, I know many are fat themselves. It's just that the network seems far more willing to support the psuedo-propaganda and terrible acting and even worse writing of The Secret Life of the American Teenager (hint: the secret is S-E-X) than a show that has a nuanced and realistic look at the actual lives of actual fat teenagers. A show that has a character who is proud and comfortable with his fluid sexuality and gender presentation. A show that has a character whose parents pretty much represent the people in society who believe that all fat people need to be happy/successful/worthwhile is to lose weight. A show that has numerous characters who used to be fat and are still trying to learn to love themselves. A show that calls characters out for disordered eating disguised as diet tricks.

And so I'm worried. I'm worried that the execs at a company that apparently gets to determine what "family values" are are going to watch the show and say, you know, this isn't what we want our kids watching. We don't want them getting any ideas about pride and self-expression and hooking up with your camp counselor. We don't want them knowing how complicated life can actually be.

Not to mention that there is always going to be someone saying that no one wants to see fat people on TV...which is completely ridiculous, given that we live in a fat country. Face it - we are fat. We are so fat that the city I live in had to pass rules stating what kinds of snacks we can let kids eat at school. We are so fat they had to ban Fruit by the Foot and make kids start eating actual fruit. I think it's kind of ridiculous, and that there are ways to teach kids how to be healthy without forbidding certain things (because when food is forbidden it automatically becomes more desired - at least I know that's one of the things that led to my own weight issues)....just like there are ways to let teenagers know it's ok to be fat and value your own health simultaneously.

I think really I'm afraid for the future of Huge because in many ways Hollywood gives little value to originality or relatability and instead cares entirely about money (surprising, I know). When there's a show that doesn't fit in to the way they think they should be making money, they cancel it, or market it so poorly that they are able to find an excuse to cancel it (a la Arrested Development, The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brian, Pushing Daisies, etc). And I love Huge so much that I am just waiting for the cancellation shoe to drop - because I know the studio execs are itching for an excuse to destroy the best thing to show up on teen-oriented television in forever. I guess it's not just about ABC Family - I simply have no trust in Hollywood in general to keep the good things on my screen.

So go send them some feedback or simply "like" Huge on Facebook. Little efforts like that can make a big difference in these digital times, when a visible and vocal audience can actually have an impact. I already lost Party Down this summer, I'm not sure I could stand it if I lost these characters too.

And for pity's sake, if you're not watching, go do it now. The most recent seven episodes are on Hulu, or you can always go find links on Sidereel and start from the beginning.

BTW, if you'd like the link for the picture up top I'll give it to you, but I got it from a CNN Health article on childhood obesity that I'd really rather not link to. So, I'm not trying to steal this image, but fuck you CNN and your fatist bullshit.

More seconds, please!