A lot has changed in the world since Love Actually was released 20 years ago. Although it's still many people's favourite cheesy Christmas film, it's been argued time and time again that, unfortunately, the film isn't very feminist. The women in the film have incredibly little agency, and are objects of desire, to be won by grandiose gestures like turning up at their door with signs (Creepy Mark) or literally flying across the Atlantic to pull (Colin).
But, regardless of all that, there's another major issue the film has: the repeated mention of Natalie's weight. In case you need a reminder, Natalie, played by Martine McCutcheon, is the tea-lady who Prime Minister David (Hugh Grant) falls for. That's despite the fact she's from 'the dodgy end' of Wandsworth and that, even though Natalie is a normal sized woman, she is repeatedly subjected to body shaming throughout the film.
It's a conversation that was brought about again recently by body positive Instagrammer Alex Light. In a post entitled 'Natalie Is Not Fat', Alex reminds us: 'Natalie explains she got dumped because "nobody wants a girlfriend with thighs the size of tree trunks", and her colleague Annie calls her "the chubby girl" and comments on her "sizeable arse and huge thighs". Natalie’s father also refers to her as "plumpy".'
Still, 20 years on, we can't believe her weight was mentioned at all: no matter how big or small she was. As Alex says in her post, being fat is not a bad thing - but, obviously, here, it's used as a cheap put down. And it makes us feel even more uneasy that a healthy looking woman is berated as being ''the chubby girl' when, even now, most women on TV are way below average size.
So, if you do decide to watch Love Actually while eating a leftover turkey sandwich, we hope you enjoy it. But here's your reminder that Natalie isn't fat. And, regardless of her weight, it never should have been mentioned in the first place. Even if it was 20 years ago.
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