A still from the new Netflix series Insatiable. Photo / Netflix
A still from the new Netflix series Insatiable. Photo / Netflix
Netflix's latest series, Insatiable, has caused a stir on social media since the trailer was released with people saying the show is promoting the "fat-shaming" of high schoolers.
Former Disney star Debby Ryan, 25, plays a high schooler named Patty who is abused for years by her classmates due to her weight and appearance. After spending a summer with her mouth wired shut, Patty returns to school thin and starts to seek out revenge against her classmates.
Since the trailer was unveiled Thursday, critics have expressed their concerns about the message of the show saying it was encouraging people to stop eating to become "skinny and desirable", the Daily Mail reports.
One upset Twitter user wrote: "(The show) promotes fat-shaming, teaches young people that if you don't eat you'll become skinny and desirable, romanticizes revenge fantasies, shows that you're only deserving of love and popularity if you fall into society's definition of beauty."
Starring alongside Debby in the new show is actress Alyssa Milano, who will play Patty's mom in the controversial series.
The 45-year-old actress has made headlines recently for her involvement in catapulting the #MeToo movement into the spotlight. But people are now criticizing the activist for participating in a "problematic" TV series.
On Twitter, Alyssa defended her role with a statement that read: "We are not shaming Patty. We are addressing (through comedy) the damage that occurs from fat shaming. I hope that clears it up."
Her statement was in response to another person who said the show was "disgusting" and Alyssa should be ashamed because she is the "face of the women's movement."
But many others were in agreement that based on the trailer, the new show appeared to promote an ideal narrative about what would happen if someone were to lose a significant amount of weight.
"Can we get a show where a fat character gets Revenge on everyone who's sh**** to them while still being fat, and is recognized as badass and funny and super hot, because that would be something actually fresh and cool and not the lukewarm watery oatmeal that is Insatiable," one person wrote in a long Twitter rant.
Debby has not directly released a statement about her new role as Patty since the backlash of the trailer.
But she did post a paragraph from a recent Teen Vogue article that described the new comedy series.
The line she highlighted read: "When (Patty) returns to school, everyone's stunned by her physical change. Problematic? You bet. After all, if someone's treatment of you is rooted in how your body looks, that says a lot about them, not you.
"Attuned to that, Patty sets out on a quest to make everyone pay for how they treated her (even if you really should just let karma deal with the wrongdoers in its good, sweet time)."
Debby could be using this particular paragraph to highlight that the cast and crew understands the problems this new show is bringing up. But it remains unclear if they anticipated this level of backlash.
Later in the Teen Vogue article, Debby encouraged readers to avoid judging the message and narrative of the show early on.
Instead, she wanted people to give it a chance to understand the depths of each character and the issues the show brings up.
Netflix is no stranger to controversy within its original shows that are targeted towards teens. In the past, the streaming network was under attack for it's show 13 Reasons Why and how it portrayed issues relating to suicide and bullying.
