Feminists are frenetic about the "Fat Princess" video game created by Dark Star Industries. While the game hasn't even been shipped out yet, individuals can play the first level of the game online, which is how all this controversy started.
Basically, the game is much like "capture the flag", though instead of stealing another team's flag, the object of the game is to steal the princess. The way to protect your princess is to feed her cake so that she is too heavy for the opposing team to carry. It literally will take a whole army to get her across the field.
The Controversy
When the game was first put up online many feminists reacted strongly to it, speaking out on behalf of women and pointing out its stereotype. Maybe if the game was called "Fat Prince" there wouldn't be a problem, but the fact that fat women are so loathed in a society where size zero rules, it has come as a slap in the face to many women - fat and thin alike. Women are bombarded with images of skinny models and actresses who they are supposed to admire, made to feel bad when they can't get down to a single-digit size.
Many proponents of the game suggest that society has simply lost its sense of humor. In a world where we are so sensitive to labels, it seems strange that a major company like Sony (who is distributing the game) wouldn't think of that. With their high-paid marketing executives, it could have been that they knew exactly what they were doing. After all, what a great way to bring attention to your product - even before it's released.
Profit At The Expense Of Pride
Feminists speaking out about the game believe that Sony calculated the maneuver when they chose to name the game "Fat Princess". There are certainly other names that they could have chosen that would have been less innocuous. What about simply "Capture the Princess"? It doesn't exactly speak to you the same way.
The word "fat" has become taboo in our country, even though over half of Americans are considered to be overweight. Maybe the game could have been called "Overweight Princess" or something equally politically correct. Weight-challenged, perhaps. Again, it doesn't quite have the same ring, but perhaps it wouldn't have hurt so many feelings.
Where's The Sense Of Humor?
There's a possibility that the reactions of feminists, which have been quite hostile and verbally colorful, have drawn even more attention to the game than there would have been drawn to it if they could have had a sense of humor. In fact, many of the responses from supporters of the game have given the feminists exactly what they feared. But there doesn't seem to be much sense of humor in the remark "Get a sense of humor, Fatty". In fact, it sounds downright hostile.
And all of this was inspired by a game.
In 2005, Neil Labute had his play entitled "Fat Pig" produced at the MCC Theatre in New York City. The play, which is about a thin man who is attracted to an extremely overweight woman, garnered much attention with many feminists labeling it "Sexist Pig" and calling Lebute a misogynist. The play, unlike many successful Lebute plays, was not well received. Many critics think that the playwright lost his edge with the work, claiming the only edgy aspect of the play was the title. But the name definitely intrigued theatre-goers. When questioned about the title of his play, Lebute is quoted in The Guardian as saying, "'Stupid Bitch' was already taken." He later said the statement was a lie, that he had simply quipped about that.
But nobody laughed at that either.
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