Muriel’s Wedding- Toni Collette not fat

[Choppychop]

Im just watching the Aussie 90’s film Muriel’s Wedding and the character Muriel is constantly referred to as being fat. Throughout the movie. Fat fat fat. It’s a 90’s movie so I know times were different, and similar to Renee in Bridget Jones where we are supposed to see these ladies as fat. But (and I’m a slim woman) I just think she looks lovely and healthy and not fat in the slightest? Did people really think this character was fat at the time? It’s only 20 odd years ago. Great film by the way, if you haven’t seen it.

She's not fat, just not stick thin.

Love that film. Toni Collette is such a brilliant actress.

She was visibly a bit tubby at the beginning of the film but then is slim when it gets to her wedding.

Yes she’s fantastic- I think she’s up
there with the other Aussies, the Nicole’s (Watson/kidman).

She’s certainly not thin in that film, but neither is she remarkably fat, definitely not extremely overweight. (Said as a size 16 so probably similar level of chubby/fat/whatever).

Ooops Natalie not Nicole 🤣

It’s actually 30 years old, not 20! And she was a bit fat tbf - not by today’s standards because everyone now is overweight/obese (which is a fact, not me being bitchy) but back in 1994 she did seem quite chubby. It’s a great film btw. But people were much healthier 30 years ago.

Just read that she gained 18kg for the role so I guess that is significant… but to me she looks average, not someone you’d call fat…

I thought she was pretty fat. Wasn’t that one of the themes? I’m sure I remember Toni Colette gained loads of weight to play her.

Yes it is one of the themes, and it was her break out role - I’m just reading up on it now. She did gain weight for the role and is naturally very thin. I just thought watching it that she was a bit chubby but not what I’d call ugly and fat which is how she was referred to in the film.

We aren't supposed to see Bridget Jones as fat. The point is that she isn't fat, but she thinks she is.

Ugly is subjective (and Tony Collete is gorgeous). Fat (as in overweight/obese) is not.

Yes I agree, she is gorgeous! And a brilliant actor. I think she looks a bit chubby in the film rather than obese, even fat. Surprising really because I see myself too big and I’m actually slightly underweight. I guess I just thought they’d have an actual overweight actor playing the role.

Yes she was overweight in the movie.

she's plump 😊

The only scene she looked chunky was the white abba jumpsuit, but then there’s not many bodies that that would flatter.

She looked like me at the time, I loved her!

And that shot is taken from underneath, making it more unflattering (for anyone).

Having had a Google I can’t see any full body stills and can’t remember. From seeing her face though you can see she’s overweight and she gained 40lbs to embody the character. She’s not morbidly obese or anything.

What does a bit chubby mean? I was obese at 13 stone and didn't look any bigger than Muriel in the ABBA outfit.

It's not about flattering 🫤 it's about body fat. She has an excess

Ok fair! I have body dysmorphia so I guess I’m getting a skewed sense of things. When I think of fat or obese I picture Gweneth Paltrow in Shallow Hall, so Muriel looks like a regular sized person to me. I wouldn’t look at her and think ‘fat’, just bigger, or as another poster said, ‘plump’.

Yes, she was considered fat. Dont forget that back in 1994, the average young woman was about a size 10 (so a size 8 now). She gained a load of weight for the role and then lost it again. Cracking actress.

In the 90s and early 00s there were two options, very slim or fat. She is not very slim and so was deemed fat. She doesn’t have a flat stomach- she counted as fat. It was a difficult time.

Gwyneth Paltrow was morbidly obese in Shallow Hall, or rather, her fat suit was.

The character is shallow hall was super morbility obese or whatever the term is for a bmi that must have been over 50

Would you all think Bridget was same size as Muriel? I see them as quite similar? Perhaps Bridget was 2 sizes smaller? Bridget size 12, Muriel size 14-16? I never saw Bridget as fat even as a disordered eating teenager, I always thought she was gorgeous. But she’s also referred to as fat which is hard for women growing up with this media.