SNL Adds First Ever Overweight Women to Cast

After 38 years of airing Saturday Night Live, SNL is adding their first overweight women, Aidy Bryant, to the cast. Prior to this decision, SNL was not open to adding overweight people to their cast.  Bitch Magazine’s recent article, “SNL Adds First Ever Fast Women to New Cast” shares how a previous cast member, Tina Fey, was asked to lose 30 pounds before presenting Weekend Update. Moreover, another cast member, Casey Wilson, was asked to leave Saturday Night Live because she did not lose the 30 pounds she was asked to.

Prior to having Aidy Bryant become a member of the cast, there was an overall lack of diversity. The majority of the cast members were straight, white males that dressed up as colored, overweight, and female characters. According to Bitch Magazine, “you could count the women of color on just one hand (two fingers if you look only at the past decade).”

Unfortunately, since we live in a society that perceives that the talent a women has is based on her beauty, we have created prejudices that affect women who do not fit that "perfect look". Now that the cast is slowly becoming more diverse, I feel that it will make a positive impact in the media. People will be able to share their true identities rather than having the cast pretend to be like others.

"SNL First Ever Fat Women Added to Cast ." Bitch Magazine . N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. <bitchmagazine.org/post/snl-adds-first-ever-fat-woman-to-new-cast-aidy-bryant-feminist-magazine-television >.