Rebel Wilson Under Fire For Saying She Was The ‘First-Ever Plus-Sized Girl To Star In A Romantic Comedy’
Rebel Wilson is making waves by doubling down on comments that she made on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Variety is reporting. Wilson appeared on the show on October 31 to promote her new movie, Isn’t it Romantic, which is set to be released on February 14, 2019. Wilson commented that she was “proud to be the first-ever plus-sized girl to be the star of a romantic comedy.” Many people took to Twitter to remind Wilson that technically, there were woman who came before her — such as Queen Latifah, who starred in The Last Holiday and Just Wright, and Monique, who starred in Phat Girlz. Wilson responded to one tweet that pointed this fact out to her.
“Yeah I of course know of these movies but it was questionable as to whether: 1. Technically those actresses were plus size when filming those movies or 2. Technically those films are categorized/billed [sic] as a studio rom-com with a sole lead,” read the tweet.
Wilson’s response did not satiate her social media critics, and earned her further criticism. Monique, one of the above-mentioned actresses — who is a plus-sized woman and who starred in a romantic comedy — even entered the conversation.
“Hey my sweet sister,” Monique’s tweet read. “Let’s please not allow this business to erase our talent with giving grey areas and technicalities. Take a moment and know the history. DON’T BE A PART OF ERASING IT. I wish you the best.”
Wilson responded to Monique by saying it was not her “intention to erase anyone else’s achievements.”
Hi Monique, it was never my intention to erase anyone else’s achievements and I adore you and Queen Latifah so so much x I support all plus size ladies and everything positive we are doing together ??
— Rebel Wilson (@RebelWilson) November 3, 2018
It seemed that the damage had already been done, however, as many Twitter users tried to start a dialogue with Wilson — particularly women of color — and Wilson ended up blocking many of them. She apparently blocked so many people that the hashtags #RebelWilsonBlockedMe and #RebelWilsonBlockParty began trending. While one might argue that it may be a valid reason to block someone if they are being rude to you, many users alleged that they approached the topic politely and were trying to start a discussion when Wilson blocked them.
Wilson’s response to the controversy started up a whole other discussion entirely, with many users discussing race and the belief that society tends to ignore the achievements of black women in favor of recognizing the achievements of white women. One Twitter user alleged that Wilson didn’t see Queen Latifah and Monique’s movies as romantic comedies, but instead as “black films.”
While Wilson’s comments certainly caused a frenzy, she does appear to be trying to make the situation right. She tweeted that she would address the criticism “when promoting the movie in proper forums,” adding that she “never wants to disrespect anyone.”
