Film & TVNewsFilm & TV / NewsOver 100,000 people have signed a petition to stop Netflix show InsatiableThe ‘fat-shaming’ Netflix dark comedy has provoked a suitably angry responseShareLink copied ✔️July 24, 2018July 24, 2018TextThom Waite Netflix’s upcoming dark comedy series, Insatiable, is based around ‘Fatty Patty’, a victim of bullying and fat-shaming who aims to enact vengeance on her bullies – but only once she’s lost weight, which is apparently a prerequisite for any level of agency in a disappointing majority of popular media. And, as if this premise wasn’t bad enough, the character is going to be played by Debby Ryan (a thin, conventionally-attractive actress) in a prosthetic fat-suit, because… well, there’s literally no good reason. Predictably – given that we’re living in a society rife with potentially fatal self hate, harmful stereotypes, and very little positive representation for overweight people – Insatiable has prompted a fair amount of pushback. A Change.org petition, in particular, has gained over 115,000 signatures at time of writing, with a goal of 150,000. The petition stresses the significance of promoting ideas of extreme dieting as a way to gain power and agency to a teenage audience, arguing that “the damage control of releasing this series will be far worse, insidious and sinister for teenage girls, than it will be damaging for Netflix in their loss of profit”. Florence Given, who started the campaign, also writes: “This series will cause eating disorders, and perpetuate the further objectification of women's bodies. The trailer has already triggered people with eating disorders,” going on to urge people to take action. “Let’s stop this and protect further damage.” There has been some response to the petition itself, notably from the creator of Insatiable, who writes on Twitter that the show is a “cautionary tale” based on her own experiences. This is my truth. @insatiable_pic.twitter.com/xbs3YtueCQ— Lauren Gussis (@GussisLauren) July 21, 2018 “Even if Insatiable was working on making fat people seem attractive and, even more radically, human, it would still barely be brushing the surface on what fat people really need,” Dazed writer Gina Tonic wrote in her article on the show. “We need storylines with fat characters that have nothing to do with being fat, storylines about overcoming obstacles from being fat, while remaining fat. And that is precisely what Insatiable has failed to do.” And as it stands, Insatiable is still due to be released to Netflix on August 11, but questions about its suitability (and potential harm) will surely be asked in the meantime. Expand your creative community and connect with 15,000 creatives from around the world.READ MOREWatch: Owen Cooper on Adolescence, Jake Gyllenhaal and Wuthering HeightsOwen Cooper: Adolescent extremesIt Was Just An Accident: A banned filmmaker’s most dangerous work yetChase Infiniti: One breakthrough after anotherShih-Ching Tsou and Sean Baker’s film about a struggling family in TaiwanWatch: Rachel Sennott on her Saturn return, turning 30, and I Love LA Mapping Rachel Sennott’s chaotic digital footprintRachel Sennott: Hollywood crushRichard Linklater and Ethan Hawke on jealousy, creativity and Blue MoonPillion, a gay biker romcom dubbed a ‘BDSM Wallace and Gromit’I Wish You All the Best is the long-awaited non-binary coming of age storyThe Ice Tower, a dark fairytale about the dangers of obsession