13 Ways "Insatiable" Is Really Fucking Problematic

Insatiable tells the story of Patty (Debby Ryan), a student who dramatically loses weight having had her mouth wired shut after being punched in the face. It has been described as a satire, but it is unclear what it is attempting to satirise.

Ryan has defended the show, stating: "Patty had the same brain, the same sense of humor and style, soul and heart... but felt like she didn't matter to anyone until she was thin. She didn't have the same opportunities, and she was treated worse, which is what triggers her rage."

From watching every episode, it's clear the fat-shaming is not the show's only problem.

In another scene, when Patty gets upset and takes part in an eating competition, Bob (Dallas Roberts), a lawyer who is training her up to compete in beauty pageants, says to her: "We both know where this leads. It starts with some crawfish but then you feel guilty, so you eat a box of doughnuts to make yourself feel better... Emotional eating is a slippery slope for both of us."

As Arielle Bernstein rightly points out in the Guardian, it is more accurate to describe Patty as having a binge-eating disorder, where she would eat and eat and eat. Here, obesity and binge-eating are judged as the same.

A common line in the show's narration is "skinny is magic", but it is only challenged properly once. A plus-size character called Dee (Ashley D. Kelly) is introduced in Episode 6 and she briefly mentions that "beauty comes in all shapes and sizes," but this theme is not explored further.

In one scene in the opening episode, Bob is falsely accused of sexual assault by Regina Sinclair (Arden Myrin) because her child fails to win a competition. In another episode Bob says: "The accusations were false. I'm a champion of women, especially young women. I want to touch as many of them... as I possibly can."

BuzzFeed's Jenna Guillaume wrote about why this is problematic on Wednesday: "The fat suits themselves are employed as a visual joke — because the idea that the thin actors inhabiting them could look so fat is just so ridiculous. Fat suits dehumanise fat people, reducing them to nothing more than bodies to be reviled and mocked."

Patty was punched in the face by a homeless man after she punched him in the face, after he took her chocolate bar. Even Patty herself at one point looks at a picture of Bob in a photo book, and jokes: "Wow, you were fat."

It’s only mentioned once, briefly, that what occurred was statutory rape.

This is an attempt at a joke. The real and damaging consequences of cyberbullying are not examined.

After giving each other a pep talk, they both show off their bodies off in public. There is no discussion of the difficulties of transitioning or of gender identity.

She mentions that this new regime makes her feel "stronger" but that she was feeling "lightheaded from not eating in days" and "delirious" from the laxatives.

A lot of the jokes are fairly blatant, especially in the first half of the season, like when a lawsuit against Patty is dropped: "Case dismissed! We should make out! With guys, not with each other" and "Did you guys kiss? Because maybe we should."

There's a joke where Bob gets cornered by his ex, Stella Rose (Beverly D'Angelo), who hasn't been able to move on. She tells him: "I gave up on men completely. I even tried women!"

Someone tells her: "I was obsessed with my best friend, totally jealous when she got her first boyfriend, but I didn't think it made me gay. Then I saw her making out with a guy and I wanted to die."

Directly before this line by Bob, Regina makes fart noises as he gives a speech about how his grandmother died from the disease. After that, there's a string of double entendres by Bob himself.