Psychologist explains ‘mixed weight relationships’ as Bridgerton comments spark backlash
A psychologist has explained 'mixed weight relationships' after Bridgerton comments sparked a heated backlash online.
Last week, Forbes put out an article titled 'Bridgerton: Are We Still Not Ready For A Mixed-Weight Romance On Screen?'.
The piece centres around Colin and Penelope's relationship, exploring people's reactions to their coupling, while discussing examples of fatphobia emanating from other outlets which seemingly surrounds the pairing.
Since then, fans of the show have taken to social media to share their thoughts on the phrase 'mixed-weight', sharing screenshots of the article's title.
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One X user penned: "Mixed-weight relationships I hate it here."
"MIXED-WEIGHT lmaoooo what about their 'mixed-height' or 'mixed-hair' jfc just let women exist," hit out a second, as a third echoed: "'Mixed-weight' ?????? Can women not just have bodies ?????"
Preach!
"'Mixed-weight romance' lets just pack it up and press reset because what the actual f*ck," slammed a fourth, while a fifth wrote: "The notion that we can or should describe a relationship as 'mixed-weight' is utterly heinous. Who came up with this?!"
A sixth lashed out: "Can you please stick 'mixed-weight romance', as a concept, up your a*se."
And another asked: "Surely all relationships are mixed-weight?"
Others took the opportunity to point out that these so-called 'mixed-weight' relationships have actually existed for ages - but no one seemed to bat an eye when it was a larger man with a smaller woman.
Many pointed to cartoons like The Simpsons, Family Guy and sitcoms like The King of Queens, as one X user explained: "Apparently it’s only 'mixed-weight romance' when the girl is bigger."
"Funny," quipped a second. "'Mixed-weight' relationships have been on screen for a long time. It’s only a problem when the woman is heavy."
A third chimed in: "I’m not sure we are ready for a 'mixed-weight romance' on screen… Wait, do sitcoms count?"
And another analysed: "I find it interesting how there are countless fictional couples in film and television where the man weighs more than the woman but people didn’t start writing articles about whatever the f*ck a 'mixed-weight romance' is until it was the other way around."
Therapist and longtime activist against fatphobia, Hannah Fuhlendorf has previously shared her expertise on the psychology of 'mixed-weight' couples.
"That is not something new; it is something that has always happened. But it has been sort of shrouded and hidden in the past, and I think that it was sort of seen as an anomaly in the past," she said. "Whereas now, partly because of visibility and social media, and because the conversation around fat politics and body liberation in general is gaining more traction, people are seeing it as slightly less novel or less unusual as maybe they had in the past."
Fuhlendorf continued: "Typically, the way that I see that unfolding is that, especially for the social circle of the person in the smaller body, there can be confusion or disappointment.
"Essentially, the people in their social world will assume that they are 'settling' or make these sort of negative connotations about what it means for the person's own self-image.
"It can be hard for [others] to believe that someone would genuinely fall in love with a fat person and willingly choose that because that is the relationship that they want."
Additionally, Brian Collisson, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychology at Azusa Pacific University in California carried out a study in 2016 to research the phenomenon.
He found: "People who tend to view the world through the lens of social dominance and system justification likely view dissimilar couples as 'dating outside of their league' and threatening group-based hierarchies, which they tend to benefit from.
"People tend to express prejudice toward dissimilar couples in general because they tend to view such relationships as inherently unequal. The extent to which people think that one partner is getting a much better or worse deal than the other partner, the more prejudice they tend to express toward the relationship.
"Given the extent to which people expressed prejudice and the openness by which they discriminated during matchmaking and dating advice scenarios, I suspect that people's prejudice toward mixed-weight couples remains," he resolved.
Topics: Bridgerton, Netflix, Period Drama, Sex and Relationships, TV And Film, Social Media
Rhiannon Ingle