Why are all the male characters fat?

[on:]

Fry, Bender, Hermes, Farnsworth, and Zoidberg all have bellies on them.  Even Bender does.  Why do you all supposed all the male characters from Futurama fat? 

[Reply #1 on:]

Beer Gut.

[Reply #2 on:]

Kiff isn't fat.
PS. I don't care as long as most of the female characters are either shapely or lovely plump.

[Reply #3 on:]

It's a paunch, all modern males that live in 1st world countries have them.

I'm kind of glad they do, I am so freaking tired of thin guys in animation.

I salute the Doughy Man!

[Reply #4 on:]

Dwight Conrad, Elzar, 80's Guy, and Bubblegum Tate aren't fat either. I know they aren't main characters but you said ALL. I think the male gut is just the artistic style of Matt Groening coming through. Look at the dudes in the Simpsons.

[Reply #5 on:]

And Kif does have a wee green gut.  It's kinda cute. Although, given his lack of bone structure, It might just the way his body compensates for constantly slumping over in despair at Zapp's orders. 

Oh, Australian Guy is skinny. But come to think, he's one of the few real ectomorphs on the show.

[Reply #6 on:]

 

Originally posted by 40megafonzies:
 Look at the dudes in the Simpsons.

And especially Comic Book Guy

[Reply #7 on:]

 

Originally posted by Shiny:
Oh, Australian Guy is skinny.

How bloody appropriate, mate.   

*throws another shrimp on the barbie*

[Reply #8 on:]

Barely anyone actually talks like that! Just the bogans. I've like never said mate in my life (except in context like just then).

[Reply #9 on:]

Sitcom stereotypes.  In any televised comedy, all men are either fat, lazy, and incompetent, or sleazy womanizers.  Sometimes you find exceptions to this in 20-something focused shows like Friends or Futurama, but the men are still hopelessly pathetic in some other way.

This has been my rant about gender stereotyping for the week.

[Reply #10 on:]

 

Originally posted by Cyberphobia:
Barely anyone actually talks like that! Just the bogans. I've like never said mate in my life (except in context like just then).

I say mate all the time. But in a manner more akin to cockney British than Paul Hogan-esque Aussie.

[Reply #11 on:]

I think it's just because they look creepy when they are not drawn fat remember that "proffesional beach bully"?

*shudders*

[Reply #12 on:]

I don't see Fry as being fat, just pudgy. Sure, in a few episodes his belly grows, but it's in the episodes when he's lazy.

How do you perceive Bender as fat? he's a sheek, well sized bending unit.

[Reply #13 on:]

That's what I was thinking re: Fry actually. Usually he appears to have a fairly average build.

[Reply #14 on:]

what about amy as a young girl? or the crazy cat lady?, or that chick the professor dated when he spent his refund money on stem cells.

[Reply #15 on:]

So what we've discovered is that the person who started this thread was quite clearly taking drugs at the time they decided that all the male characters were fat, yes?

I think he's just fattist. What do you have against fat people, you monster?

[Reply #16 on:]

 

Originally posted by Cyberphobia:
Barely anyone actually talks like that!

Steve Irwin did.        

 

Just the bogans.

Oooo!  A new obscure word for me to look up...

Bogan (pronounced /ˈbəʉ.gn̩/, which rhymes with slogan) is an Australian and New Zealand English slang term, generally pejorative, for a person who is, or is perceived to be, unsophisticated or of a lower class background. The stereotype defines the speech and mannerisms of "bogans" to indicate poor education and uncultured upbringing. It mostly encompasses white, working-class people.

Like the British term "chav", and the US phrase "white trash" or "redneck", the term supposedly describes behaviour, rather than class alone. [citation needed]

The stereotype supposes a link between cultural practices of working-class people (i.e. style of dress, accent, and musical tastes) and anti-social behaviour.

(I love Wikipedia)

So who's to say Australian guy isn't a 'bogan'? I only called him "Australian Guy" because he's got no offical name.  (I call him "Marsupial Mick" in my current fic, I had to have Fry call him SOMETHING, but I've got no illusions that this will become an officially adopted name or anything...although if the Futurama writers DID want to use it, they'd be welcome to, copyright-free and without any charge, as long as I get to brag about it afterwards    ).

Anyway, just relax - that happens to ALL regional characters in TV.  I've lived in Houston most of my life, and if I stressed out and objected to every "Texan" on TV, I'd have had a heart attack YEARS ago.  Anybody whose region has ever gotten the "Hollywood treatment" will surely know there's a difference between TV versions and reality.

Anyway, he IS skinny.  Although maybe that's just because he's starved by his various 'employers.'   

[Reply #17 on:]

No, it's because we Aussies are BUFF.

[Reply #18 on:]

Huh.  Over here, "buff" means "built up," the opposite of the lean, rangy type that Australian Guy personifies.  More like the professional Beach Bully. 

[Reply #19 on:]

Although these days in the decadent Western world anything that isn't morbidly obese is considered 'lean'.

[Reply #20 on:]

 

Originally posted by coldangel_1:
No, it's because we Aussies are BUFF.

Tell that to my fat-ass friends.....

Fry doesnt seem to be that fat... just a little overweight. Bender isn't fat at all, except in Anthology of interest II, but that was only a prediction. Zapp is fat because he is and deserves to be, hermes is fat because he eats tons of Jamacian food and proffessie is fat because he is a senile old bag   

now, Zoidberg..... since he barely gets to eat, shouldnt he be skinny???   

[Reply #21 on:]

Because Zoidberg is poor, he probably eats the wrong foods.  Foods that are malnutrious.  As for Bender being fat, to me he's like the robot equivalent of an overweight human male.

[Reply #22 on:]

Fry's just got a healthy sized belly.

[Reply #23 on:]

And poorly made shirts as well.

[Reply #24 on:]

I wouldn't classify Fry as fat, a little overweight, or chubby, but not fat, no. Now as for the rest of them, I would consider them fat.

[Reply #25 on:]

Hahaha remember when Leela makes a joke about it being like fat camp in Spanish Fry... God that was funny 

[Reply #26 on:]

Because Futurama guys are built for comfort and not speed 

[Reply #27 on:]

Professor Farnsworth isn't fat, I think it's his posture that causes his fatness, and he might be a little fat...

[Reply #28 on:]

So...

Fry: Not fat, average build/slightly overweight
Bender: A robot; N/A
Zoidberg: An alien, whose species seem to be homogenously large-bellied
Professor: Pot belly typical of age, but quite skiny otherwise
Hermes: A Bureaucrat; of course he's fat! (rhyming!)
Zapp: Fat.
Kif: Again, an alien, and again, quite skinny apart from a heallthy pot belly.
Cubert: a pudgy little arsehole; fat.
Fishy Joe: Head of a fast food chain; fat, duh
Mayor Poopenmeyer: Mayor; has to be fat per Rules of Fiction
Sal: See above
Dwayne and Raoul the mutants: not fat
Smitty: not fat
Several other characters: not fat

[Reply #29 on:]

who cares if thier fat or not fat what does that change nothing, just saying

[Reply #30 on:]

 

Originally posted by coldangel_1:

Although these days in the decadent Western world anything that isn't morbidly obese is considered 'lean'.

HEY!  I take offense to that!  I'm merely obese, not morbidly obese (I know because my doctor told me to lose 20-30 lbs) and I as decadent as any Western person can be.

[Reply #31 on:]

no one is fat apart from human bender and hermes

[Reply #32 on:]

 

Originally posted by Tastes Like Fry:

Fry's just got a healthy sized belly.

He looks like he's turning into The Hulk, lol.

[Reply #33 on:]

What do you mean Fry's a little overweight!
 

[Reply #34 on:]

 

Originally posted by power girl07:
What do you mean Fry's a little overweight!
   

Ummmm...That he's slightly overweight?

[Reply #35 on:]

 

Originally posted by Writer unit32:
 Ummmm...That he's slightly overweight?

XD

I guess a lot of them are fat because it just makes it more amusing. Just a theory, please don't hit me! 

[Reply #36 on:]

^i agree^

I love fry as much as the nextobsessed shipper but i can stand to say that he is a little... round in the middle. 

also RobotDevilRox - whenever i see your sig it makes me happy! lol Shippy!

[Reply #37 on:]

its the munchies man

[Reply #38 on:]

 

Originally posted by Writer unit32:
 Ummmm...That he's slightly overweight?

What do you mean he's slightly overweight? 

[Reply #39 on:]

 

Originally posted by power girl07:
 What do you mean he's slightly overweight?   

He has a paunch. He's supposed to be the average, unremarkable guy from our time, and that involves being a just a little pudgy. Not necessarily unhealthy, but not exactly lean and fit either. Get over it.