# Trope of 'Fat as Equalizer and Punishment'



## ALS (Aug 31, 2014)

Greetings all. I am commenting because I am quite interested in a trope that I have observed in many weight gain stories over the past few years. The idea of this trope that weight gain is used to humiliate or to humble a judgmental and pretentious character. 

However, in such regard, is not weight gain utilized in a negative way? I do not mean to offend any authors that have used this trope in their stories. Currently, I am writing a story that makes use of this trope. I simply find the existence and the usage of this trope to be anthropologically interesting. 

Thoughts?


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## loopytheone (Sep 1, 2014)

I think that using weight gain to 'bring down' a character serves a number of purposes. 1. Revenge. A lot of people like revenge stories in general. 2. It allows you express how shallow and dislikable a character is by the fact that they are so bothered by gaining weight. 3. Karma, a character that mocks or belittles fat people gets to know how it feels to be one of those fat people. 4. It allows a combination of the above whilst also letting an author/reader write about the sensuality of a fat or bigger person. 

This is my take on it at least, I really like revenge wg type stories.


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## hap helium (Sep 1, 2014)

It depends on the telling of the tale. Some are mean spirited in tone and do denigrate weight gain through humiliation. Others are clever variations on a theme that lead to character transformation. I'm thinking of a story like Fat Like Me by Maltese Falcon.


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## ALS (Sep 2, 2014)

loopytheone said:


> I think that using weight gain to 'bring down' a character serves a number of purposes. 1. Revenge. A lot of people like revenge stories in general. 2. It allows you express how shallow and dislikable a character is by the fact that they are so bothered by gaining weight. 3. Karma, a character that mocks or belittles fat people gets to know how it feels to be one of those fat people. 4. It allows a combination of the above whilst also letting an author/reader write about the sensuality of a fat or bigger person.
> 
> This is my take on it at least, I really like revenge wg type stories.



Very good points.


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## ALS (Sep 2, 2014)

hap helium said:


> It depends on the telling of the tale. Some are mean spirited in tone and do denigrate weight gain through humiliation. Others are clever variations on a theme that lead to character transformation. I'm thinking of a story like Fat Like Me by Maltese Falcon.



You also bring up very worthy points.


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## Tad (Sep 11, 2014)

There can be all sorts of reasons for stories written that way. What bugs me are the ones that seem (to me) to be written by people who are turned on by fat or weight gain, but also hold common societal views of fat and fat people. The result seems to be stories that are almost gloating about the 'horror' that has been heaped upon a character via weight gain.

Given that I generally have warm fuzzy feelings about fatness, those stories really don't appeal to me.


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## ALS (Sep 17, 2014)

Tad said:


> There can be all sorts of reasons for stories written that way. What bugs me are the ones that seem (to me) to be written by people who are turned on by fat or weight gain, but also hold common societal views of fat and fat people. The result seems to be stories that are almost gloating about the 'horror' that has been heaped upon a character via weight gain.
> 
> Given that I generally have warm fuzzy feelings about fatness, those stories really don't appeal to me.



YES! You have caught my point exactly. I just think that retaining such views can be problematic. Now, I am not judging anyone who writes such stories. Heck, I 'get off' from such stories, sometimes. However, I think that utilizing 1) torture of others as a form of revenge + 2) weight gain as a form of revenge while holding weight gain as a disgusting state = counter intuitive to gaining culture. 

Thoughts?


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## ALS (Sep 17, 2014)

Tad said:


> There can be all sorts of reasons for stories written that way. What bugs me are the ones that seem (to me) to be written by people who are turned on by fat or weight gain, but also hold common societal views of fat and fat people. The result seems to be stories that are almost gloating about the 'horror' that has been heaped upon a character via weight gain.
> 
> Given that I generally have warm fuzzy feelings about fatness, those stories really don't appeal to me.



This idea also brings me to a conundrum involving my current story-writing. I am developing a story about a guy who, through a WG curse, becomes a BHM. However, I do not view 'fat' as a negative thing, and I do not want this character to present his condition as a state that causes him to be 'less' than others in this society. I was planning to have the guy eventually come to accept his condition + to realize the positivity of the state. However, how can I keep from writing one of the stories that you have described?


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## Tad (Sep 18, 2014)

ALS, that is a tough one. Two (but not the only two) thoughts would be:

1) Just make it a dark story. We don't get a lot of these here, and it is not my favourite style, but he doesn't ever have to like it. You could even have an FFA in the story who shows the other side of things, but he doesn't have to accept that view of the world. Or you could include the twisted sort of person who is getting off on his unwilling gain.

2) Write in the 3rd person, and make it clear that while he doesn't like it, that is a subjective, not objective, view. If you included the FFA view point, could even go towards a bit of a Lady or the Tiger type ending, where he has the choice on accepting and appreciating the new him, or continuing to hate and suffer from the change....but the ultimate decision isn't shown in the story. (you'll get some protests, but it is a legitimate short story technique!)


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## Jerry Thomas (Oct 20, 2014)

> This idea also brings me to a conundrum involving my current story-writing. I am developing a story about a guy who, through a WG curse, becomes a BHM. However, I do not view 'fat' as a negative thing, and I do not want this character to present his condition as a state that causes him to be 'less' than others in this society.



I think that adding a supportive/admiring/loving FFA character into the story would help to emphasize the positive of his weight-gain situation - and actually cause him to enjoy it. This is far from an original idea, but it would help you to avoid the negative elements and turn his "curse" into a blessing (and perhaps lead him to take reciprocal revenge against the person who originally put the curse on him - who of course remains unloved and miserable, though skinny). And so what if he is considered "less" than others (in society's view, not his own) - if he is happy and has a lover, who cares?


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## chubsixtysix (Oct 28, 2014)

I think you pose a really interesting question in your initial post, i.e. what kind of an FA/FFA wants to impose weight gain on a gainer as 'punishment'. How can your fantasy be their punishment? I've actually thought a lot about it. I mean, what does that say about my FFA interests if I want to impose my weight gain fantasy on a character as punishment?

There are two scenarios where revenge/punishment appeal to me: first against the shallow mean-spirited character who taunts fat people unrelentingly; second in a semi playful way between lovers who are into both weight gain and BDSM.

In the first instance, uncontrollable weight gain seems like an appealing revenge strategy for the bitchy skinny self-appointed critic not because weight gain is objectively bad, necessarily, but because the bitch seems to think it’s the worst thing in the world. It’s not so much about the punishment fitting the crime, as it is wanting to really hurt that particular person where it will hurt them the most. Not to mention the obvious karmic beauty in the result. I agree with Jerry that you can take the sting of the potential anti-fat message in that kind of story is to wrap it up with the victim running into an FA and being exposed to that POV. I’ve wondered why I get a kick out of these stories even when the plot is not sexual and realize that I'm always fascinated by mounding flesh no matter who is gaining or why. And I have to admit that my fascination with flesh connects to arrousal. For whatever that's worth.

As to the second BDSM sort of punishment, I read once that most kinky sex play is about acting out things that are taboo. It kind of makes sense. I mean start with your basic beautiful slut fantasy. I have a foggy poli-sci recollection of something called the 'angel/whore' paradox, where men are 'supposed' to want to marry an angel to be the perfect wife/mother; but they 'want' to take the forbidden whore to bed. It’s the lure of the forbidden fruit that makes the slut so appealing. And let's face it, obesity is not (yet?) the social norm. Embracing intentional weight gain can be considered a form of rebellion because it’s so generally disapproved of. You take that rebellion to bed and embrace it... well, that's hot. So then... I think wrapping weight gain into another taboo scenario can heighten the forbidden fruit appeal. Whether its merely rude (eating like a messy pig), overtly sexual (slutty clothes a person wouldn't be caught dead in in public), (mean) revenge, or maybe illegal (non-consensual elements), the addition of other 'bad' elements can heighten the turn-on. Consider it 'kink stacking'?


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## agouderia (Oct 31, 2014)

I'm bugged by the same aspect of this trope Tad is - how can an FA/FFA story perspective be based on the common societal rejection and vilification of fat?

That's why this storyline or plot premiss does nothing for me. 

The premiss is also one which - given the not too extensive length of the stories here - lends itself to a rather simplistic black-and-white character depiction and development I find uninteresting.

In addition, from my observation, the vast majority of the fat/weight gain as revenge stories are about women gaining weight written by FA's - and they have a misogynist streak to them, often including degrading portayals of women, which totally turns me off as a female reader.


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## otherland78 (Feb 5, 2015)

ALS said:


> This idea also brings me to a conundrum involving my current story-writing. I am developing a story about a guy who, through a WG curse, becomes a BHM. However, I do not view 'fat' as a negative thing, and I do not want this character to present his condition as a state that causes him to be 'less' than others in this society. I was planning to have the guy eventually come to accept his condition + to realize the positivity of the state. However, how can I keep from writing one of the stories that you have described?



oh well this avatar of yours is a cute guy ;-) wow they can imitate sounds like hell don´t they ?


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## Tad (Feb 5, 2015)

Tad said:


> ALS, that is a tough one. Two (but not the only two) thoughts would be:
> 
> 1) Just make it a dark story. We don't get a lot of these here, and it is not my favourite style, but he doesn't ever have to like it. You could even have an FFA in the story who shows the other side of things, but he doesn't have to accept that view of the world. Or you could include the twisted sort of person who is getting off on his unwilling gain.
> 
> 2) Write in the 3rd person, and make it clear that while he doesn't like it, that is a subjective, not objective, view. If you included the FFA view point, could even go towards a bit of a Lady or the Tiger type ending, where he has the choice on accepting and appreciating the new him, or continuing to hate and suffer from the change....but the ultimate decision isn't shown in the story. (you'll get some protests, but it is a legitimate short story technique!)



I missed something back then:

3) Spoof that genre. Have the WG be the result of a curse, but have him love it and it makes his life far better


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## Joel (Feb 5, 2015)

I've never much cared for such stories but my instinct would be to have the character effected by the curse be distraught by what's happening to him but the supporting characters either react positively or indifferently which makes him think their only doing this to his face and belittling him behind his back which only upsets him more.


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## Fat Molly (Feb 12, 2015)

tad said:


> there can be all sorts of reasons for stories written that way. What bugs me are the ones that seem (to me) to be written by people who are turned on by fat or weight gain, but also hold common societal views of fat and fat people. The result seems to be stories that are almost gloating about the 'horror' that has been heaped upon a character via weight gain.
> 
> Given that i generally have warm fuzzy feelings about fatness, those stories really don't appeal to me.



thisthisthisthisthisthisthis


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## Fat Molly (Feb 12, 2015)

agouderia said:


> I'm bugged by the same aspect of this trope Tad is - how can an FA/FFA story perspective be based on the common societal rejection and vilification of fat?
> 
> That's why this storyline or plot premiss does nothing for me.
> 
> ...




also THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS


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