ABSTRACT
Audiences marveled at previously unknown actress Gabourey Sidibe’s performance in Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (Daniels 2009). The seemingly endless commercial buzz the film generated through celebrity endorsement (talk show host Oprah Winfrey encouraged everyone to see it, despite describing the trauma the film represents as an unbearable viewing experience) almost served to drown out a recurrent characteristic of the media coverage it received: Few, if any, reviews and articles could comment on the film without sensationalizing actor Sidibe’s fat proportions. Across the board, writers reiterated her weight and dimensions as though they were describing a piece of furniture, a characterless piece of the mise en scène. Betsy Sharkey (2009) in the LA Times even glibly declared that “there is little that seems precious about Precious, whose 330 pounds and constant scowl is cross-the-street intimidating.”
