There's no doubt that Melissa McCarthy looks beautiful on
the cover of ELLE.
However, there's been some
considerable controversy
regarding whether ELLE covered up the star's body in an oversized coat.
Right now oversized fall coats are all the rage. I see them
everywhere—the mall, online, catalogues—and it appears that even the tiniest of
women are enjoying the current trend, too.
The question remains though, that in the context of Melissa
McCarthy and the fact that ELLE’s issue also has other female cover stars
wearing less, was McCarthy treated differently because she’s bigger?
Perhaps.
Reese Witherspoon appears in a black Versace cutout dress,
Shailene Woodley is dressed in a bathing suit, and Penelope Cruz is shown
pushing her hair back to reveal a bare face.
At the same time, we should also ask what Melissa McCarthy
thinks. It’s unfair to assume that she’s as equally unhappy as those who are
reacting critically to the cover.
Each one of these women is at different stage in their life,
too: Woodley is an emerging star, Reese Witherspoon is a veteran, and Cruz,
while also a veteran, is pregnant as well.
McCarthy is known for comedic roles. The roles are often
atypical of female comedians, and when she delves into a role you are reminded
of Jim Carrey, Mike Myers, and Steve Buscemi because what she’s doing is so
groundbreaking.
The roles are not sophisticated—think Bridesmaids—but that’s
why she’s so great. She’s breaking down gender norms for female comedic roles.
The cover of ELLE may have been a way for her to relish in her
femininity. This is assuming that fashion shoots are as glorious as they sound—she
was probably having fun picking clothes out of one of the best couture closets
ever.
Therefore, I commend her for her ability to transition so
easily between what is considered the gender norms for males and females. I
find that women are so uncomfortable with lowbrow humour, and yet we can laugh
when men scrape the dirt with it.
Many believe that ELLE is fat-shaming McCarthy by putting
her on the cover with an oversized coat, and given the context of other stars
who’ve been put on covers and
made to look slimmer—I agree.
However, I also believe that if it were a male on the cover
in a bulky coat, it would just be about him and not about his weight.
That’s the difference we constantly rely on between male and
female celebrities.
Is criticizing her cover taking away from the beauty of it?
Are we a part of the fat-shaming, too?
Those are difficult questions and there’s a strong argument
from both sides.
Personally, I don’t want to take McCarthy’s agency away from
the cover where she reportedly picked out the coat and felt the experience “was
kind of amazing”.
She’s one of my favourite actresses, especially when she
hosts SNL, and it’s unfortunate that half of the stories written about her are
either criticizing or defending her weight.
It doesn’t surprise me that this would be a part of the
narrative of her celebrity.
What do you think?
