Thursday, January 29, 2015

Real Life Mike & Molly

 I have a friend who teases me about being just like Molly, from the TV show Mike & Molly and I have to admit - there are quite a few similarities. 

 Molly was a dedicated teacher who loved the kids she worked with.

 Molly decided to leave teaching and chose to become a writer, and so did I.  Molly has struggled to find her 'voice' as a writer, and she isn't always as confident in her writing skills.  I know just how she feels.  

 Molly is very caring, but also pretty outspoken, and most people would say that about me too. She enjoys having fun & a glass of wine or two on occasion.  


Molly and her husband Mike are overweight; Peter and I are both overweight.  Molly has a wonderful relationship with her husband Mike, they love and support each other, and he is her biggest fan, which also describes the relationship I have with Peter.

A few years ago, a very misguided writer from Marie Claire magazine wrote an article bashing Mike and Molly for being obese and stated that people don’t want to see an over weight couple making out,I'd be grossed out if I had to watch two characters with rolls and rolls of fat kissing each other ... because I'd be grossed out if I had to watch them doing anything. To be brutally honest, even in real life, I find it aesthetically displeasing to watch a very, very fat person simply walk across a room”
(http://www.marieclaire.com/sex-love/a5559/overweight-couples-on-television/)

I feel sorry for that writer because she is missing out on so much with her mean-spirited outlook.  Yes Molly is fat, but she is so much more than that.  I don’t mind being compared to Molly – I like her upbeat and quirky personality.  I admire how Molly faced her fears and began dating – even though she is FAT (gasp).  I admire how Molly acknowledged her unhappiness with her teaching job and had the courage to try her hand at writing.  I love how the character of Molly is so fiercely loyal to her friends and family, and how caring she is, even to her less than ideal mother-in-law.  Molly is so much more than just a fat person. 

I realize it is just a TV show, and that some of the jokes are too obvious or corny, but the show makes me laugh and if I am compared to Molly, that is fine with me. 

4 comments:

  1. Hi Laurie,

    I can relate to this so much! Although I wasn't a teacher before I started my writing career (did I just say writing career? Oh my!), I've struggled like Molly to find my voice.

    My husband and I also relate to the characters on the show. We watch it and laugh about how similar we are.

    As far as the Marie Claire writer, they're just, well...an ass. If you don't like something, look the other way. I don't really like watching skinny girls parade around in their underwear on TV either...that's what the remote is for!

    I think Melissa McCarthy summed it up best: I’ve never felt like I needed to change… I’ve always thought, “If you want somebody different, pick somebody else.”

    I couldn't agree more.

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    1. Thanks so much Kimi. I do want to get in better shape, mostly so I feel healthier, but the weight phobia that some people have is ridiculous. It is great to see someone on TV that actually looks like a real person. Thanks again for stopping by my blog

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  2. What a great perspective, thank you for sharing! As for the writer of the original article, I just have no words

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