ThatFatGirl
Why am I still here?
I don't watch this soap generally, but I do watch the one before it if I'm home and then I'm kind of slow to turn off the tv or change channels when it's over sometimes... 
Anyway, Guiding Light has had a plus size character for some time now named Ashlee played by Caitlin Van Zandt (she previously had a small part in the Soprano's as Johnny Sac's daughter). I caught a few minutes of the show on Monday and saw the Ashlee character at a doctor's office discussing weight loss surgery with a physician. I didn't watch too closely, but I'm pretty sure he asked her why she wanted the surgery, she responded something about not wanting to be the fat girl anymore (something like that), he cautioned it was "serious surgery" but that she was a great candidate. He gave her some pamphlets and she said she was going to give it some thought. Today I had it on long enough to see a scene where her hunky boyfriend found the pamphlets in her purse, shocked and seemingly upset, he asked her if she was really considering wls. She told him yes, again with the tired of being the fat girl, tired of not being taken seriously, tired that no one sees her for who she is.. they only see the fat.. Hunky boyfriend says that's not how it is.. that's not how he sees her, then about this time a thin female acquaintance in earshot chimes in that she's right, she didn't see Ashlee past her size for the longest time. Boyfriend starts to say something about being rude and Ashlee responds that "it's OK, the thin girl can have a pass" for being blunt and telling it like it is (or rude? I was writing email while watching, sorry) once in a while. Anyway, they go home and talk more.. Ashlee says something about loving the person she is on the inside and wanting to love the outside too, then hunky boyfriend convinces her he loves her, just as she is.. (he never said anything about loving her fat though from what I remember).. so she decides she will pass on wls.. then a later scene has her mother discovering the pamphlets and confronting her. Mom tells her she doesn't want her to have surgery, Ashlee says don't worry she decided not to, then mom sighs with relief and says something wacky along the lines of "good.. I don't want you to change. You're the girl who's always available. The go-to person when you need a friend, she's always home.. " This pisses Ashley off. She storms out, goes to the boyfriend's house and finds him in a compromising position with a work colleague (it's a soap opera after all!), announces the surgery is back on and flees.
I thought it was interesting to see the topic brought up in a soap opera storyline and wonder what the intent is behind it. I wonder if perhaps the actress Caitlin caved into Hollywood pressure to be a size 2 or smaller and might be chronicling her real-life experience through the soap, or if they're simply writing the topic in because so many of us fatties are faced with the suggestion or pressure to have it, and will the show ultimately be pro or anti wls.
I'll update when I can. Photos of Ashlee below. She isn't even that big.. and of course the tv doctor says she is a great candidate. Hopefully people actually considering the surgery will not be influenced by what they've seen so far and will give a hell of a lot of consideration to the realities of it.
Anyway, Guiding Light has had a plus size character for some time now named Ashlee played by Caitlin Van Zandt (she previously had a small part in the Soprano's as Johnny Sac's daughter). I caught a few minutes of the show on Monday and saw the Ashlee character at a doctor's office discussing weight loss surgery with a physician. I didn't watch too closely, but I'm pretty sure he asked her why she wanted the surgery, she responded something about not wanting to be the fat girl anymore (something like that), he cautioned it was "serious surgery" but that she was a great candidate. He gave her some pamphlets and she said she was going to give it some thought. Today I had it on long enough to see a scene where her hunky boyfriend found the pamphlets in her purse, shocked and seemingly upset, he asked her if she was really considering wls. She told him yes, again with the tired of being the fat girl, tired of not being taken seriously, tired that no one sees her for who she is.. they only see the fat.. Hunky boyfriend says that's not how it is.. that's not how he sees her, then about this time a thin female acquaintance in earshot chimes in that she's right, she didn't see Ashlee past her size for the longest time. Boyfriend starts to say something about being rude and Ashlee responds that "it's OK, the thin girl can have a pass" for being blunt and telling it like it is (or rude? I was writing email while watching, sorry) once in a while. Anyway, they go home and talk more.. Ashlee says something about loving the person she is on the inside and wanting to love the outside too, then hunky boyfriend convinces her he loves her, just as she is.. (he never said anything about loving her fat though from what I remember).. so she decides she will pass on wls.. then a later scene has her mother discovering the pamphlets and confronting her. Mom tells her she doesn't want her to have surgery, Ashlee says don't worry she decided not to, then mom sighs with relief and says something wacky along the lines of "good.. I don't want you to change. You're the girl who's always available. The go-to person when you need a friend, she's always home.. " This pisses Ashley off. She storms out, goes to the boyfriend's house and finds him in a compromising position with a work colleague (it's a soap opera after all!), announces the surgery is back on and flees. I thought it was interesting to see the topic brought up in a soap opera storyline and wonder what the intent is behind it. I wonder if perhaps the actress Caitlin caved into Hollywood pressure to be a size 2 or smaller and might be chronicling her real-life experience through the soap, or if they're simply writing the topic in because so many of us fatties are faced with the suggestion or pressure to have it, and will the show ultimately be pro or anti wls.
I'll update when I can. Photos of Ashlee below. She isn't even that big.. and of course the tv doctor says she is a great candidate. Hopefully people actually considering the surgery will not be influenced by what they've seen so far and will give a hell of a lot of consideration to the realities of it.
