Feminists unhappy with Fat Princess
Fat Princess has garnered a lot of attention when it debuted at E3. The startlingly violent PSN multiplayer game got accolades from gamers and critics alike for its unique premise and appealing gameplay. However, not everyone is happy with Fat Princess.
Shakesville (picture, above) notes that the title furthers inappropriate gender stereotypes and continues the culture of ridicule that many overweight individuals must suffer through. "Anyway, congrats on your awesome new game, Sony. I'm positively thrilled to see such unyielding dedication to creating a new generation of fat-hating, heteronormative assholes. It's not often I have the opportunity to congratulate a cutting-edge tech company on such splendiferous retrofuck jackholery. Way to go! The Fat Princess of Shakes Manor salutes you."
Feminist Gamers has a suggestion: they want the game to avoid making the princess become fat with cake. Instead, there are other non-"cute" ways of going about this, in terms of gameplay: "So how about layering, Karamari-style, a bunch of random shit on top of the chest, like shrubbery, rocks, bison, etc, that would also weight it down. That could be cute, and silly, and not reinforce nasty stereotypes about women and the obese."
Discuss.
[Via NeoGAF]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
GENTLEMEN @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:05PM
Feminists hate it? Now I DEFINITELY have to buy it day one.
Phantom @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:08PM
Totally , I'm not sure why they're offended , maybe instead of stopping this stuff , and spending so much effort on anti-Fat Princess campaigns , they could go on a diet .
DOOMer @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:24PM
Who didn't see this coming? I'll go one further, this is a must-buy only if it is released with this title. If they bow down to these foul-mouthed fatties, I will not buy.
Neuromancer @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:31PM
We've had a fat plumber for 20+ years and I never heard any complaints.
MrEverdred01 @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:37PM
yeah seriously. I bet there's a bunch of obese people who read this blog who will disagree with me, but come on. Just lay off the candy bars, tubby lady. I understand how wrong all types of prejudice thinking is, but being obese is something they can control and choose not to. It's like if I decided I was just going to spread my feces all over my body every day, people would treat me differently. I wasn't born with feces spread all over my body, I did that to myself. So if I started saying, "hey man you shouldn't treat me differently just because I choose to spread feces all over my body every day," then people would just laugh and nobody would agree with me. The only reason this is even considered a viable cause is that there's so many fat people to agree. I realize sometimes they have glandular problems, but those cases are one in a thousand. Just get some therapy so you can stop filling that empty void in your heart with cupcakes.
Paul (PSN: heypaul) @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:41PM
I definitely didn't see it coming, because frankly, I don't see anything offensive about it. It's a comedic exageration of a real life phenomenon - you eat too much, take in too many calories, you get gain weight and become heavier to carry. Next, these sensationalists should get offended that in the Sims, after the sun sets, it gets dark.
SaMav @ Jul 22nd 2008 6:25PM
http://i33.tinypic.com/okapav.jpg
ahahahahahahahahahaha! Check out that jpg.
Barndo111 @ Jul 22nd 2008 6:40PM
If it were called Fat Prince, would this be an issue?
Popfrogs @ Jul 22nd 2008 7:28PM
@SaMav: hahahah, best picture ever, it's even a decent photoshop job.
@Everded: *golf clap*. "Just get some therapy so you can stop filling that empty void in your heart with cupcakes." Man, you really nailed it all down with that statement.
Mojo_Yugen @ Jul 22nd 2008 9:45PM
And if it were called Skinny Princess Sony would be guilty of reinforcing negative stereotypes that only slim, pretty girls can be princesses.
Lars @ Jul 23rd 2008 4:15PM
Neuromancer [+]!
"I'm positively thrilled to see such unyielding dedication to creating a new generation of fat-hating, heteronormative assholes."
I thought in the game you were trying to protect your beloved princess? And I really don't get why the game would suddenly make me a "heteronormative asshole" ... sheesh. I'm more offended at someone flinging out insults like that than some innocent GAME.
Lars @ Jul 23rd 2008 5:30PM
"If it were called Fat Prince, would this be an issue?"
Yeah... I ain't risking my neck for some prince.
Phantom @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:07PM
TAKE THAT MS , SHE THINKS SONY IS CUTTING EDGE >
kevin @ Jul 22nd 2008 7:10PM
LMAO LOOK AT HER LEFT EYE
biznass @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:10PM
She's not fat she's big boned.
Carlton @ Jul 22nd 2008 7:16PM
Yeah, it's definitely big bones that are the problem.
Big bones covered in meat and gravy.
Ayrkain @ Jul 22nd 2008 7:27PM
She's not fat, she's just fluffy.
cduran01 @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:11PM
I don't see the problem....Since when does eating a lot of cake NOT make a person fat? I really would like to know, must be if you eat paper tasting fat AND sugar free cake.
justice @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:21PM
right on...
ppl want to cover their problems or somethin'...
so the fat girls are offended bcuz in fat princess if u wat 2 much cake u'll get fat as in real life?
my god i think that they could be offended bcuz there is no games with fat ppl, and now there's one and they all want to cry bcuz they r fat...
I also agree with u MakaiOokami, and im happy to hear u're fat and u're not sad about the game
Duke @ Jul 22nd 2008 6:19PM
Anyone who ate a lot of cake and got fat is going to tell you that eating a lot of cake isnt what makes you fat.
NotSafe4Work @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:11PM
Man, now i gotta get this. If they don't like it, tough. Go eat cake instead
duckhunt8 @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:11PM
How is being a Fat Princess a "nasty stereotypes about women and the obese?"
We're feeding her to protect her, not make fun of her >.
boltu222 @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:14PM
EXACTLY
farfisa @ Jul 22nd 2008 11:34PM
It's the opposing team who's force-feeding your princess, I think, and you have to get your own princess back.
So, the Fat Princess is being force-fed cake by enemies. What's her excuse?
MakaiOokami @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:12PM
Maybe people should just be happy when ever someone fat is in a video game. I mean in character creation how many games actually let you make a fat character? What if I am fat (which I am) why should i be forced to societal standards. Rock Band kinda offended me by only allowing me to buff up instead of fatten up but I didn't throw a hissy over it I just played some drums.
In the end people need to stop getting offended over every damn little thing. What's wrong with having a unique premise? Did the Japanese get outraged when you had to feed a Sumo Wrester until he got so fat that he was able to eat humans WHOLE?
Besides why is no one complaining about Harvest Moon when I give a girl bottle after bottle of wine to marry me and then do it again to get her to have kids? I'm sensing some sort of double standard here. Just STFU up either buy the game or don't.
boltu222 @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:14PM
Wow they totally took that the wrong way... the aim of the game is to make the princess fat so the other team can't lift her... I don't see how that should offend women... its not saying make her eat cake and make her a normal size is it now...
ppl shouldn't get offended by this shit they should be happy and confident with who they are.
The1stMJC @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:16PM
Luck at chubby stuck her fat finger at us. And its censored cause she forgot the Haagen Dazs ice cream was on her finger when the pic was taken.
Squirtforce @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:16PM
It sure is easier to complain about fat stereotypes and put up a stupid website than it is to lose the weight, fatty.
Lavat @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:17PM
Feminist....Hmmp...More like sensitive...
This is the one game that shall not bow to the Fat Sensitive Middle age...ing...Bleeding Period...Masses!
Hyams @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:17PM
This just in: it's now wrong to suggest that eating a lot of cake makes a person fat. And it's just as wrong to suggest that a fat person weighs more than a skinny person.
Hyams @ Jul 22nd 2008 6:00PM
I just read Shakesville's blog entry, and to be honest, I can't make any sense of it.
She quotes what the game is about, and then declares (sarcastically) that she can't understand why anyone would want to rescue a fat princess, because fat people are 'unloved human garbage'. After that is the part PS3Fanboy quoted.
So ... she recognises that the game shows no hatred toward overweight people - you ARE rescuing her, as she pointed out, and thus actually showing unconditional love towards the princess regardless of her weight - but also declares that Sony are promoting hatred towards obese people?
She then goes on to declares that Sony is promoting a 'hetronormative' life view, whilst at the same time seemingly not wanting fat people to appear in video games? I'm guessing she doesn't like skinny characters either, so I guess only normally weighted people are allowed in videogames. (Who's promoting a hetronormative life view again?)
Seriously, she rants and raves and swears and sticks in a few big words, but the entry lacks any sort of cohesion. Even *she* doesn't seem to know what she wants.
Eleniel @ Jul 22nd 2008 10:10PM
I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that the princess is basically an object--you could replace her with an animal or an inanimate object like a box and it wold still make sense--and can't act on her own. All she can do is sit and eat cake and be carried around, which is in fact a widespread and nasty stereotype about fat people.
She's not "loved unconditionally" by the people--she's a prize, a possession. And there's a huge difference.
soya @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:17PM
This is like some people getting offended at Resident Evil 5, thinking that just because it is set in Africa means it is racist... bloody stupid!
MakaiOokami @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:18PM
Oh and another comment.... I wonder what that censor is hiding? Could it be some cake? I bet it's a banana... It can't be a middle finger. That would be to obvious to censor. Censoring something that common is like putting **ck. We all know what is being censored and it actually draws attention TO it rather than AWAY from it.
You know kinda like how a HUGE part of the Harry Potter series was probably all the book burning publicity it got? I really hope more people protest Fat Princess. There's no such thing as bad publicity. Look at GTA games... The more controversial they become the bigger everything becomes...
Maybe we should ALL protest games like this actually. Let's protest EVERY game on PSN so that Sony becomes RICH. :P
Phantom @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:39PM
Well **ck could be alot of things , it could be cock , dick , fuck , luck , etc .
Neuromancer @ Jul 22nd 2008 8:24PM
I'm not going to speak for whoever put the censor in there but I believe it was done to be funny, not to protect us from anything offensive.
farfisa @ Jul 22nd 2008 11:30PM
Maybe it's hiding the fact that the rest of her hand is a small broken chair. Look away, people. Just look away.
Dan Davis @ Jul 23rd 2008 10:49AM
Those aren't fingers... they're sausages.
manmanpotty @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:18PM
I am a feminist (NOT a feminazi), however I am not offended by this game at all.
flynn110 @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:18PM
people will always complain no matter what. what surprises me is that the woman pictured took her hands off eating utensils long enough to write a online article. now that is discipline
clif @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:18PM
why's she so mad? it isn't like it is called "fat ugly princess".
Xoonaka @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:19PM
They're right. This game totally furthers the stereotype that fat people are heavy. So much bias.
Pistolaero @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:20PM
From what I understand, aren't the enemies that are holding the princess feeding her on purpose to make her fat, therefore, making it harder for you to rescue her? If anything, the game promotes loving people regardless of them being skinny or fat, they are off to save the princess, not her waist line. It sounds like her insecurities speaking.
boltu222 @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:21PM
you got that rite >_>
PS3FB seems to only post my replies to others comments... and not my own posts...
You guys should check out the comments on the actual page
someone posted this http://i33.tinypic.com/okapav.jpg
paul @ Jul 22nd 2008 7:50PM
same with me are you using your ps3
dip @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:21PM
Wow, just f***ing wow. All this idiot does is claim that the game stereotypes fat women but doesn't explain how. Does eating loads of cake not make people gain weight? And does being obese not make people heavy and slow? What is her point?
God, what a bitter moron.
Tyrannous @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:22PM
Stop me if im wrong but arent you trying to protect the fat bitch in the game
whatever @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:22PM
Someone give her a donut to shut her up.
frankym @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:37PM
ROFL
paul @ Jul 22nd 2008 5:22PM
Stereotypes? Has anyone actually heard of a fat princess, if anything this should be good for feminists this damages the name of princess which should make THEM feel better about themselves. Honestly, i dont think feminists actually know what there on about. If it was called fat prince NOBODY would say anything like this.This proves that feminists are wastes of (alot) space.