Loading ...
Is it wrong to laugh at fat chics? To giggle as you stuff them with delicious, delicious cake? How about if it’s in the form a video game? How about it was created by a girl? That is the controversy that surrounds Sony’s new too-cute-to-be-true game, Fat Princess.
Add one more to the line of cute-n-quirky games that are being put out to attract gamers to shelves. Like Katamari Damacy, the game play is easy, the colors bright, the plot simple: feed the princess, make her heavy so people don’t steal her. Easy! But is it too much?
Some feminists seem to think so. According to this article, feminist gamers from no less than two web sites are up in arms over this. Because she’s a girl. And she’s fat. That’s a problem for feminism. . . apparently.
Now before we proceed, I am a feminist. Ra, ra, fight against inequalities and all that. But rather then be upset about this game, I’ve found a few reasons to applaud this game. Yes, in the name of feminism.
I see Fat Princess as a new wave in gaming.
For starters, she’s in her own castle. This is no damsel in distress that’s been whisked away by some fiendish overlord waiting for some dashing knight to get off his questing butt and come save her. No, her kingdom didn’t let her get stolen. They want her to stay. They value her. Not as some after-prize for vanquishing evil, like, “Sure random adventurer, if you kill Evil Guy over there you can marry that chick he stole.” No, they don’t want you to steal their Princess. They want to keep her.
Secondly, Princess places value on things over her physical appearance. Clearly her little soldiers aren’t great in number, but you know what her kingdom does have? A forest full of cake that they’re going to use to their advantage. She’s not saying, “No I’d rather just get captured.” She says “Pass the cake, I gotta put on some pounds to save my life.”
Not to mention the fact that in ancient times before women were oppressed as the “weaker sex” they were worshiped and loved for their roundness. So, now we have this game that is simply reenacting ancient rituals that uplifted and adored women.
This is a feminist game. Laughing at it is alright because its teaching us to laugh at ourselves and our own absurd culture. There’s nothing wrong with Fat Princess. There will be cake… and I will feed it to her.
[Photo courtesy of Fat Priness game site.]
19 Comments
She’s not eating to prevent capture. She’s being fed by the enemy so that her soldiers will have a harder time bringing her back.
Also, this is a pretty effing weak argument.
It sort of gives me the impression of grasping at straws. “According to this article, feminist gamers from no less than two web sites are up in arms over this. Because she’s a girl. And she’s fat. That’s a problem for feminism. . . apparently.” Do you honestly feel this fairly represents the opposition’s view?
Last point: “Now before we proceed, I am a feminist. Ra, ra, fight against inequalities and all that.”
…Not so convincing. It sounds like you think that being a girl automatically makes you a feminist, which is completely untrue.
Can someone who’s been awake more than 20 minutes back me up on this?
i don’t really know what to back you up on because you didn’t really make any ‘eff-ing’ statements. you repeated parts of the article and posed a rhetorical question.
i think arguing over the ‘deep’ underlying meaning of a video game and trying to relate it to feminism is overall a waste of time.
she’s not even life-like, it’s a cartoon. they made it a princess bc lets face it, a fat little prince wouldn’t even be cute or interesting and would end up including shooting or some kind of warfare.
is pac-woman a bad feminist figure bc she’s wearing a pink bow in her hair? i hate bows and i hate pink- omg i’m so offended. not.
it’s far from the hooker-battering that goes on in grand theft auto. bikini playing bimbos and a million other games that objectify women.
she’s fat- so what? it’s the concept of the game that needs her to be fat. being fat is no secret so what’s so offensive? i think people just need to argue about everything these days.
Let me clarify: This article and the arguments within it are not convincing, and and some of the statements contained in it are based on a misunderstanding of the core concept. This is shoddy work.
I don’t give a fuck if the princess is fat or the game is anti feminist.
This is hardly anti-feminist. They could make the same game with the concept of a jolly plump old king. I think girls are just more sensitive to this kind of thing.
Why aren’t the angry feminist armies getting on GTA for the prostitution rape & murders that are rewarded by the game?
molly, so you’re saying it’s a bad article and it has nothing to with the actual topic? i’m still confused :-S
bri, don’t yo think as soon as a king (male) was involved it would stop being cute and the arsenal of bullets would come out. it would make it more of a war game…oops am i being sexist? lol i feel like i have to walk on eggshells now. i think the concept is cute and i’d rather see cakes than bullets…
I want someone to feed me cake all day.
MMM Costco cake
There is no cake. It is a lie.
WHOA. I thought I was the only one who loved Costco cake.
Cake is a HUGE lie. Don’t listen to her.
I think I’ll feed her cake while eating cake! I believe I have found this weekend’s activity.
It’s more anti-fat than anti-feminist. Instead of actually fortifying our defenses, let’s just make her fat. Because fat people get that way by sitting around on their asses and eating cake all day. Oh, look at her porking up, it’s so cute. Now, time to get people to roll her chubby behind out of the castle.
While I’m all for having a wider range of body types in popular culture, next time can we get an overweight character who actually *does* something?
In all fairness, most medieval princesses were plump.
Katamari Damacy FTW…
Also, this game looks fun. I may buy it.
mmmmmmmmm i like plump princesses i hope my girlfriend dosent read this blog
yeah i think that this game discriminates more against fat people in general than it does against women.
I like the idea of a jolly plump old king, and instead of cake they should feed him cheese burgers. He can even wear a paper crown!
Oh my gawd, get over it people. Its just a game and you dont have to like it or play it….so keep your lofty opinions of what feminism is and what is offensive to women to yourself. We dont all feel the same way.
Oh yeah…and if she wasnt fat, but thin and beautiful…there would inevitibly some women out there who would be offended and saying “why isnt there a game out there with realistically sized women?” blah blah. Opinions are like a-holes…everyones got them and they pretty much always stink.
Ps. The game is silly…but cute. thats my opinion of course. ;P
Post a Comment