10 Margaret Cho Quotes on Body image

Margaret Cho quotes on body image

11. Something traumatic happened to me when I was younger. I was with this old black woman, and she was very wise, very Alice Walker, The Color Purple... She looked at me and she says, 'Baby...you know I used to be able to fly but I can't fly no more, baby. But baby, you...? You too fat to fly.'

13. Then there was this extra on the set who runs up to me and says, 'Oh, I know you! I know who you is, I seen you before. You that comedienne, Margaret Cho! I saw you at the Comedy Store. You was wearin' a kimono and you was bowin'.' 'No, that's the other one.' 'Oh, right! Now I remember. I just didn't recognize you because you've put on a little weight since your show.' And it didn't piss me off that she said that, but it was that she said 'You put on a lot of *gestures* weight!' so I'll know exactly where I put it. And it pissed me off, so I just sort of talked about it to everybody for the whole day. The next day I come into work and the assistant producer comes over to me and says, 'Uh, you know that lady from the other day? Well don't worry. We took care of her.' Oh my God! What did you do?! Suddenly I felt like I was running around like this tyrant, all drunk with power...'Nobody can call me fat on this set!'

17. [An article about Cho] started out, 'Funny, sexy, zaftig Margaret Cho...' What is 'zaftig?' Isn't that German for 'big fat pig?' I guess I was lucky; 'zaftig' is kind of a nice word. It could have been, 'Funny, sexy, OBESE Margaret Cho.'

25. The Chippendale's dancers are gay. They're gay. Because there is no such thing as a straight man with visible abdominal muscles. You have to suck cock to get that kind of muscle definition. It doesn't work for women. You know I tried, okay?

36. [quoting her producer] 'The network is concerned. They're concerned about the fullness of your face. They think you're really overweight, and you're going to have to do something about it.' ...I didn't know what to say to that. I always thought I was decent looking; I had no idea that I was a giant face taking over America! HERE COMES THE FACE!!

45. I am not gonna die because some network executive thought I was fat! It's so wrong! It's so wrong that women are asked to live up to this skinny ideal that is totally unattainable. For me to be ten pounds thinner is a full-time job, and I am handing in my notice and walking out the door!!

55. There's no real way for women to really learn about sex in our culture... There are articles about sex in women's magazines, but that's not the kind of information I'm after. There was this article in Cosmopolitan about How To Look Good In Bed with your lover. It was these tips like, if you put your arm under your breasts they're higher... or if you're laying on your back, your stomach is flat, or if you're having anal sex, he can't see your cellulite! That is wrong, because I get so ugly when I fuck and I don't care. And if you care what I look like when you're fucking me, you shouldn't be fucking me in the first place!!

56. I can't even look at those 'women's magazines' anyway. I love fashion, but I look at the pictures of the skinny models, and they're wearing clothes I can't even fit on my fingers. And I look at that and I think, if that is what a woman is supposed to look like, then I must not be one.

58. It's gonna be really hard to find messages of self-love and support anywhere, especially in women's and gay men's culture. It's all about how you have to look a certain way, or else you're worthless. You know, when you look in the mirror and think, 'Ugh, I'm so ugly, I'm so fat, I'm so old.' Don't you know that's not your authentic self? But that is billions upon billions of dollars of advertising. Magazines, movies, billboards, all geared to make you feel shitty about yourself, so you will take your hard earned money and spend it at the mall on some turn-around creme that doesn't turn around shit.

66. Women and eating disorders have such a long history, but now I see it happening to gay men. And when it comes to anorexia, bulimia, body dysmorphia, gay men are far more worse than women. They take it way more seriously. 'Why diet when you can take crystal meth?'