Big Fat Slenderella (The Big Fat Short)

Description:

Big Fat Slenderella is a single-channel video by Lorna Boschmann that critically examines the diet industry through the lived experiences of fat people. 

Developed while in residence at Western Front, the video overlays interview clips with “fat experts” Wanda Andrade, Sheila Baxter, Chris Creighton-Kelly, David M. Jacobs with footage of seals and whales. By showing fat bodies alongside animals thriving in their natural habitats, Boschmann aims to challenge dominant ideals of body image, myths around fitness, and our societal obsessions with thinness. The video also includes satirical commercials, including ads for “The Poodle Diet Recipe Collection” and tools to free oneself from the bathroom scale, that critique the commodification of dieting and fears of gaining weight.

Video documentation is available upon request.