More than half of Spain’s population lacks a regulating body, yet little is seen in fiction. People from diverse backgrounds rarely appear in TV series or films. This observation is not a guess but the data from the Fat Phobia 2023 Report by the Observatory for Diversity in Audiovisual Media (ODA).
According to the analysis, only 3% of characters in Spanish fiction are perceived as fat in 2022, based on 57 of 1,721 characters examined. Beyond the visible underrepresentation, the observatory notes that these figures are even more troubling when, according to INE data, 61.4% of men and 46% of women in Spain exceed what is considered normal weight. The screens simply do not reflect reality. In total, 61 seasons of 99 films and 59 fictional series were analyzed.
There was a fragmentation of data: in cinema, 701 regulatory bodies (94.6%) and 28 fat characters (3.8%) were found in 2022; in television series, normative figures stood at 934 (95.3%) and obese characters at 29 (3%). In both formats, the study found that non-normative body types appeared in 1.6% of cinema productions and 1.7% of TV productions. The study draws a parallel between film and series, noting that these characters tend to appear primarily in drama but also in comedy, where body size is sometimes used as a ludicrous element.
The report highlights institutional norms that align with dominant beauty canons and notes statements such as: the thinnest character in a cast is often automatically read as fat, meaning the same actor may be interpreted as fat in some productions but not in others.
Men, ages 30 to 50
On gender, the study shows men are present among non-normative characters in cinema at 5.4% and in television at 4.7%. It also points out that while women increasingly face body regulations, their portrayals continue to be linked to heightened self-consciousness about their bodies. In terms of age, about half of the fat characters in TV series and films are between 30 and 50 years old. Therefore, the majority profile within this minority in audiovisual fiction tends to be middle-aged men who appear in dramatic roles or in comedy. The study also notes that these characters often come from lower social classes.
Additionally, the ODA report, supported by Film and Prime Video, calls for broader diversity beyond fat representation. It notes that only three racialized fat characters, or those with visible diversity, appeared in fiction over a year, with even fewer representations of LGBTIQA+ or disabled characters.
The report concludes with a plea for change: creators should avoid placing non-normative figures in genres or roles that simply reinforce harmful myths or perpetuate oppression, marginality, and villainy.
There is a call for more than one fat character per production and for greater intersectionality, as there are nearly no fat characters who are LGBTIQA+, racialized, or disabled. To reduce invisibility, the observatory urges creators to rethink and broaden concepts of non-hegemonic institutions, enabling more people to participate in cinema.
Little pig, an indispensable phenomenon
Among the cinematic highlights of 2022 is the film Cerdita, directed by Carlota Pereda and led by Laura Galán. For the studio, it represents an essential break from traditional on-screen portrayals of fatness, while also addressing specific issues faced by fat people, such as the protagonist who endures bullying. This is a horror film, and the director has said that nothing is more revolutionary than showing human reality. Fiction, he adds, plays a vital role in socialization and emotional education, reaching places that schools, families, and communities cannot.
In the broader context, these conversations reflect ongoing efforts to reframe how bodies are represented on screen and to ensure that diverse experiences are included in mainstream storytelling. The Fat Phobia 2023 Report contributes to a larger dialogue about inclusion, representation, and the responsibility of media creators to mirror the complexity of real lives.
In sum, the push for more varied and authentic depictions of body diversity continues to gain momentum, inviting audiences to see beyond appearance and to engage with characters who reflect the real range of human experience.