Characters that are heavier, are usually elderly, matronly, and in a low status occupation or on the wrong side of the law. Another popular television show is Roseanne. In this sitcom, the lead actress is an overweight mother of a low-income family. This gives the message that most people who are of lower income families are over-weight. Or that people who are overweight are usually lazy or belong to low-income families, and that overweight people usually are not successful in life. A show like Roseanne can send out many messages to the viewers. It is a show about a low-income family, but that family also seems to have a sense of happiness within it. They make the most of what they have, and their affection towards each other is evident, even though it is shown in untraditional ways. Yes Roseanne is overweight, but she is also a strong character. She can stick up for herself and her family whenever necessary, and when the family is going through tough times she always manages to find a way to get through it (Defilippis 23). .
Those who believe the media portrays women negatively seem to think that people might feel inadequate if their bodies are not like the bodies of stars in the movies. What many people do not seem to realize, is that many stars have personal trainers, and they do not look the way they do, naturally. For example, Oprah Winfrey described the workout routine she had as the maniac exercise routine. Her routine involved two daily four mile runs, plus forty-five minutes on the stair master, and three hundred fifty sit-ups. Just hearing it, makes it sounds like a crazy routine, actually performing the routine seems beyond tiresome. Now days, many actors and actresses are put on crazy exercise routines. They all have personal trainers, in order for them to achieve a look that is approving to the public. .
One thing that is interesting to take note of, is the change of body image throughout the decades.
