Nicola Coughlan is another example of the ways in which smaller-mid sized bodies are often perceived in contrast to larger fat bodies. Although Coughlan is not plus-sized, she has been perceived as plus-sized in the media due to not being a traditional ‘sample size’ and because of her round face, causing discourse surrounding her suitability of being the love-interest in the latest season of Bridgerton due to her weight. The fatphobic framing of her desirability as a chubby person received backlash (and rightly so) from a plethora of different publications and body image activists around the world — however, the same could not be said for Gabourey Sidibe in season one of Empire (2015) where she played an intern named Becky who not only had a love interest who conformed to the Western standards of beauty, but also had a sex scene within the show which — for the most part — seemed to be received poorly by fans who went on to post fatphobic comments and insults for days afterwards. Unlike Coughlan, who received an outpouring of defence essays and think pieces on the importance of seeing ‘normal’ bodies on TV, it felt as if Sidibe barely received any praise or defensive discourse on her behalf from the movement. If Sidibe happened to be a white and mid-sized actress, would she have received the Coughlan treatment? Based on the above, the answer is yes.
