By Teresa Jusino
I am a huge fan of Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse, and I’m also a huge fan of both the actress Miracle Laurie, and of her character, November. Season One has already shown us that she was one of the more intriguing “actives”, both in what she was assigned to do, and what brought her to the Dollhouse in the first place. I follow Miracle on Twitter, and not only is she a talented actress, but she seems like a genuinely nice, fun person.
However, I saw an item on the Orlando Sentinel blog entitled “‘Dollhouse’s’ Miracle Laurie Doesn’t Conform to Hollywood Body Standards” that made me want to punch babies. While I agree with the writer’s point that “I think “fit” comes in all shapes and sizes. I think media portrayals should reflect that. It’s important so women (and girls) can set realistic, achievable fitness goals – and not always feel like they’re striving for an unattainable perfection and damaging their self esteem in the process”, I resented the qualifier that “I’m not saying fat is fit. But Miracle Laurie isn’t fat, even though she’s larger than her co-stars. For the record, she’s 5’9″ and 145 pounds, according to her resume.”
No, Miracle Laurie isn’t fat – and that’s part of the problem. Then again, I have a different perspective than this blogger.
Me giving face in one of my most recent headshots
Back when Dollhouse was barely a glimmer in the eye of the general public, I was at the tail end of my former life as an actress. I had just decided to give up acting in favor of writing and had decided to not audition anymore. Then, I came across the casting notice for Dollhouse, and noticed one character that sounded like it might be perfect for me:
November
20′s, any ethnicity, beautiful and heavy. Another Doll, a hopeful child in the house and everyone else you need her to be outside. A comforting, radiant presence, who tends to get fewer of the criminal gigs and more of the personal ones. Recurring;
I thought to myself, They NEVER ask for heavy! And any ethnicity! That means they’re specifically looking for non-Caucasians for this part! I have to try for it! So I sent in my headshot. I didn’t have an agent, and most of my acting experience is in theater, not film. So, I wasn’t expecting anything to come from this. But I was so thrilled that they were even looking for someone who looks remotely like me that just being able to send in my photo felt like vindication! I wasn’t surprised when I didn’t hear from them, but I was very much looking forward to seeing whom they would cast in this role.
When I did, I wanted to stab people. Not because Miracle Laurie isn’t beautiful. She is. And it’s not because she’s not wonderful in the part, because as she’s proven in Season One, she is that, too. But I was infuriated, because it was clear that they ended up not taking their own casting notice seriously. When they said “heavy”, they meant Hollywood heavy, not Actual heavy. Actually heavy women don’t get to have sex with guys like Tamoh Penikett. I don’t know what Laurie’s ethnicity is, but she has a lovely, exotic look that could be any number of things. So at least they got the “any ethnicity” part right.
The Dollhouse won’t be truly diverse until their dolls are as diverse as their clientele must be. Do people fantasize about hot people? Of course! But the assumption is that only certain things = hot, and that’s just not true. Speaking as a chubby Puerto Rican woman, I can tell you that I’ve had really hot guys genuinely love my body. None of them as hot as Tamoh Penikett….but I digress. And I’m not saying that being fat is great either. It’s not. It’s not healthy, and I’d really like to not huff and puff when I climb a flight of stairs. However, television is supposed to reflect society, and right now the mirror is cracked.
Dollhouse – and TV in general – won’t truly be diverse until they start including people who are Actual Heavy. Not as a punchline, or to make some kind of a statement about tolerance, but just people living their lives. The same goes for race, or any other physical characteristic. We shouldn’t have to wait for a Very Special Episode to encounter someone on television who looks like someone we’d actually know.
TERESA JUSINO was born on the same day that Skylab fell. Coincidence? She doesn’t think so. As a writer, her work has appeared in Elmont Life newspaper, and on the sadly defunct website, CentralBooking.com. She is a founding member and editor of The Revolving Door Commune Blog, is currently at work on a collection of short stories, and is writing a web series for Pareidolia Films called The Pack, which is set to debut in March 2010! As a geek, Teresa loves all Star Trek, Lost, Fringe, comics, and anything Joss Whedon, Brian K. Vaughan, and Neil Gaiman ever touched. She is also an aspiring fangbanger. Get Twitterpated with Teresa, or visit her in The Red Room.
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TERESA JUSINO was born on the same day that Skylab fell. Coincidence? She doesn't think so. As a writer, her work has appeared in Elmont Life newspaper, and on the sadly defunct website, CentralBooking.com. She is a founding member and editor of The Revolving Door Commune Blog, is currently at work on a collection of short stories, and is writing a web series for Pareidolia Films called The Pack, which is set to debut this fall! As a geek, Teresa loves all Star Trek, Lost, Fringe, comics, and anything Joss Whedon, Brian K. Vaughan, and Neil Gaiman ever touched. She is also an aspiring fangbanger. 
Similar to the Hollywood Fat phenomenon is the Hollywood Ugly phenomenon, which usually means glasses or braces on a stunningly beautiful thin girl. I love Miracle Laurie and think she's gorgeous, but fat she is not. Nor, for that matter, are you, Theresa! Joss is trying, sure, but remember that he's immersed in an industry that has largely detached itself from 'normal' human diversity. It's hard to remember that Eliza Dushku is skinny when she looks like every other actress you see.
Thank you – but you haven't seen the rest of me.
And yes, Eliza Dushku is reeeally skinny. She's awesome, and badass, and really smart, but I want to give her protein shakes or something. She looks great on camera, but remember that the camera adds 10 lbs. I saw her at a Dollhouse event in NYC, and she looked like she was standing on twigs.
I hate saying that, because making comments about "too skinny" is just as bad as making comments about "too fat" – but it just sucks that she's in an industry that values twigginess so much, when it's clear that the audience could give two craps. She'd be just as gorgeous with 10-15 more lbs on her, and I hope she knows that, despite her occupation.
To be fair, Jewel Staite has said many times that she has a fairly high metabolism, so putting on weight for the series was actually quite difficult for her. I think she looks great both ways, but am very glad that she didn't have to go through the hassle of trying to bulk up for the film.