如果说“飞上枝头变凤凰”是让《灰姑娘》经久不衰的美丽戏码,“身份的缺失与重拾”是《王子与贫儿》童话面纱下的深刻内涵,那么2009年推出的美剧《美女上错身》就是一套集童话色彩和现实意义于一身的剧集。哎呀,等等……“身份的缺失与重拾”?Yes! “飞上枝头变凤凰”? No! 应该是“飞落枝头成麻雀”才对——由纤瘦模特摇身成为肥胖律师。
换位人生,有着令人着迷的魔力,是失意者抵抗宿命的一种尝试,是得意者满足幻想的一次旅程。但是,“换位”之后呢?那就是新的身份的重新认同,就如重建废墟一般,是一个适应、接受以及前行的过程。就像剧中的女主角那样,接受自己大码的身型并且不再为享受巧克力而感到内疚。
无论有没有“换位”,接受自己,爱护自己,此乃人生之乐与幸。
——Mac
文字难度：★★★☆
Television has turned its lens on the overweight in recent seasons, mostly with reality shows like 1)The Biggest Loser on NBC. But, surprisingly, it has taken a new dramatic series to challenge conventional notions about dieting and willpower, and to more accurately depict the emerging science of weight loss.
In 2)Drop Dead Diva, on Lifetime, a heavenly mix-up leaves Deb, a 3)vapid but good-hearted 4)size zero model, trapped in the overweight body of Jane, an intelligent, hard-working lawyer played by Brooke Elliott.
The 5)ensuing story line centers on Deb’s struggle to accept her new plus-size life. But the show’s premise raises an obvious question: Given Deb’s success at maintaining a model-like figure, why doesn’t she just put her new body on a diet and lose the weight?
Shows like The Biggest Loser 6)proffer the message that all it takes is exercise and willpower for fat people to become thin. But Drop Dead Diva explores a different reality. While the slim Deb could comfortably subsist on a diet of 7)grapefruit and 8)celery, Jane’s plus-size body craves chocolate doughnuts. While Deb spent her days 9)working out and obsessing about the size of her knees, Jane discovers that long hours at the office drain her of the desire and energy to exercise.
When a friend suggests a strict diet, Deb (now in Jane’s body) makes a 10)valiant effort to return to her model eating habits. But she discovers that Jane’s body craves chocolate and 11)Cheez Whiz. When she is inside Jane’s body, Deb says: “I don’t like celery. I like sandwiches.”
最近几个季度,电视节目已经把镜头转向了超重人群,主要有NBC电视台播放的《减肥达人》之类的真人秀。但令人意外的是,最近一套新剧集不仅挑战有关节食减肥和意志力量的传统观念,还更精确地描述了新兴的减肥科学。
在Lifetime频道播出的剧集《美女上错身》中,由于在天堂发生的一个错误,一位性格平平却心地善良的“零尺码”模特黛布的灵魂困在了聪慧勤勉的胖律师简(布鲁克·埃利奥特饰演)的身体里。
接下来的故事就是以黛布如何努力接受自己大尺码身材的生活为中心,但该剧的构思设定凸显一个问题:假若黛布的成功是建立在保持其模特般的身材之上,那么为什么她不干脆为自己“新的身体”节食减肥呢?
像《减肥达人》之类的节目传达的信息都是,肥胖人士只要通过身体方面的锻炼和意志力方面的自我约束就能瘦下来。但《美女上错身》则挖掘出不一样的现实。苗条的黛布以柚子、芹菜为食就可以轻松舒服地过日子,简的大尺码身体却渴求巧克力和炸面圈。黛布天天健身却仍为自己膝盖的尺寸大小而苦恼,简却发现在办公室长时间的工作已经耗掉了她想要锻炼的欲望和力气。
当一位朋友建议进行严格节食减肥时,黛布(现在在简的身体里)勇敢地尝试重拾她当模特时的饮食习惯,却发现简的身体渴求着巧克力和起司维滋牌乳酪酱。当她在简的身体里时,黛布说:“我可不喜欢芹菜,我喜欢三明治。”
The show’s creator, Josh Berman, said he wanted the series to make a statement about diet, weight and beauty. “I don’t believe it’s about willpower,” Mr. Berman said in an interview. “If it were, then the assumption would be that if we all wanted to be a size zero, we could be a size zero. Everyone has different needs and desires. If someone finds a doughnut to be comforting, who are we to judge them?”
Most 12)obesity researchers now agree that 13)metabolic differences, not willpower, are the driving forces behind weight and appetite control. Studies suggest that an imbalance of brain chemicals and 14)hormones can increase cravings and make certain foods difficult to resist.
“I have 15)grave concerns about how many of these television shows 16)stigmatize overweight people by 17)making them a spectacle,” said Kelly D. Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale. “They suggest that if you only try hard enough you can be thin. A far better message is that it’s hard to lose weight and that it’s not just willpower and personal responsibility, but that both biology and the environment are players.” Mr. Berman says Drop Dead Diva is heavily influenced by his family experiences. His father, a plastic surgeon, and his mother, a nurse, made frequent trips to the Pritikin weight-loss 18)resort in Florida.
该剧的创作人乔希·伯曼说,他希望这套剧可以就饮食、体重和美丽这三个话题发表一个宣言。“我不相信这和意志力有关,”伯曼先生在一次访谈中说道,“要是真的这样,那这个假定就成立——如果我们想要有‘零尺码’身材,我们就能变成‘零尺码’。每个人都有不同的需求和欲望。如果有人觉得炸面圈能给他带来安慰,那我们凭什么对他指指点点呢?”
大多数研究肥胖的专家如今都同意,个人新陈代谢的差异才是控制体重和食欲背后的主因,而非意志力的强弱。研究表明,大脑的化学物质和荷尔蒙这些方面的失调会增强食欲,使人对某些食物难以抗拒。
“这些电视节目里很多都是丑化超重人群,对他们进行诬蔑,我对此很是担忧。”耶鲁大学路德食品政策和肥胖中心主任凯利·D·布朗内尔说道,“这些节目暗示,只要你足够努力,就能变瘦。但其实更有益的信息应该是这样 的——减轻体重是件难事,这不仅仅是意志力和个人责任感的问题,生物学和环境因素也在起作用。”
伯曼先生说他之所以编出《美女上错身》这部剧集,很大程度上是受其家庭经历的影响。他的父亲是一位整形医生,而他母亲则是一位护士,他们都经常去位于佛罗里达州的普瑞提克减肥度假中心。
小资料：肥胖会让人抑郁？
肥胖影响心理健康的一个重要因素是，如果肥胖者在与人交往或在社会生活中成为他人的嘲笑对象，长此以往就会产生严重的自卑感。由于肥胖，很多工作受到限制或不能做，在生活中有很多漂亮的衣服无法穿，还有很多地方不愿意去，例如舞厅、体育场所等（怕人嘲笑），因而严重打击了肥胖者的自信。心理门诊的统计表明，肥胖者中抑郁发病率较高，自卑更是肥胖者的普遍新病。这是由于社会审美和自我审美心理对肥胖者评价较低造成的。（信息来源：达州卫生信息网）
“Everything in my family was about health and weight,” he said. “My mom didn’t let any of the kids eat sugar. Even at birthday parties we were denied cake. All of those issues were in the back of my mind when I wrote the show.”
Mr. Berman, who is of normal weight, said his inspiration for the show came from his grandmother, a short, plump woman named Deb “who 19)carried herself like a supermodel.”
“I always liked the idea of a woman who doesn’t feel on the inside like she looks on the outside,” he said. “I thought, ‘How could I dramatize that type of person?’ ”
And while many shows portray overweight women as 20)dowdy, Ms. Elliott, whose performance as Jane has 21)captivated reviewers, has also become something of a fashion trendsetter.
Fans of the show have searched online for Jane’s green 22)Michael Kors purse, and Entertainment Weekly recently featured a 23)coral dot-print shirtdress by 24)Kay Unger New York that Ms. Elliott wore on the show.
Ms. Elliott says she is pleased that her character has become inspirational to so many women, although the attention still surprises her.
“The show is supposed to 25)blow open the stereotype of what we believe about weight or the roles overweight actresses have to play,” she said. “I’m just trying to play this character honestly and make sure we’re sending the right message.”
Mr. Berman said his show would continue to try to be 26)nonjudgmental about weight and focus on issues of self-esteem and identity.
“This show is not telling people they need to lose weight,” he said. “I feel there are enough shows that make people feel bad about themselves. If you want to lose weight, fine. Just don’t hate yourself if you’re larger than average.”
“在我家事事都有关健康与体重,”他说,“我母亲不让任何一个孩子吃糖,即使在生日聚会上,我们也都不许吃蛋糕。当我创作该剧时,这一切都浮现在我的脑海里。”
伯曼先生体重正常,他说他写这部剧的灵感来自于他名叫黛布的祖母,她身材矮小丰满,“总是摆出超级名模的架势。”
“我一直喜欢这样的想法—— 一个女人在内心与她表面上看起来不相同,”他说,“我想:‘我该如何创作剧本来表现这样的人物呢?’”
许多剧集将肥胖女人塑造成俗气又邋遢的人,而埃利奥特女士出演的简却抓住了评论家的心,她也变成了某种时尚领军人物。
这部剧的“粉丝”们在网上搜索简的绿色迈克·柯尔钱包,而《娱乐周刊》最近一期特写也刊出埃利奥特女士在剧中所穿的由时尚品牌Kay Unger New York设计的一件珊瑚色圆点衬衫式连衣裙。
埃利奥特女士说,她很高兴她的角色鼓舞了众多女性,尽管她对自己所获的关注仍然感到非常意外。
“这部剧集展现的就是人们对体重的偏见,或者对超重演员所扮演角色的那种定势思维,”她说,“我只是试着真实地演绎这一角色,并确保我们在传达正确的信息。”
伯曼先生说,他的剧集会继续试着不偏不倚地看待体重问题,聚焦于人们的自尊以及身份这些问题。
“这部剧不是要告诉人们需要减轻体重,”他说,“我觉得已经有足够多的剧集让人们自我感觉糟糕了。如果你想要减轻体重,挺好。但如果你比一般人尺码大点的话,也不要为此憎恨自己。”
小资料：除却“换位人生”、“体重”这些噱头，《美女上错身》还有一个“专业”的元素——法律。身为律师的女主角简每天都要面对不同的案件与对手。在法庭上她口若悬河，雄辩滔滔，其“Diva”气场十足。而片中有关法律的情节设置丝毫不比那些专业又严肃的以法为题材的电视剧逊色。在此，小编特地推荐三部以法为题材的电视剧：
Judging Amy 《法外柔情》（1999）
《法外柔情》描述的是曾经前途无限的哈佛法学院毕业生、纽约年轻女律师艾米·格雷在和丈夫离婚后，带着三岁的女儿回到家乡康州首府哈德福德市与母亲同住，并在友人推荐下成为民事法庭的女法官的故事。该剧吸引了大量的年轻观众，一直享有不错的收视率。而饰演该剧女主演艾米·布伦尼曼也因此多次获得艾美奖和金球奖最佳女主角的提名。
The Guardian 《法外情真》 （2001）
《法外情真》的主演为曾获金球奖提名的男演员西蒙·贝克。男主角尼克·费林原本是一家一律律师事务所的执业律师，过着夜夜笙歌的颓靡生活。有一次，他因被发现服用禁药而上了公堂。时候他虽然没有被吊销律师牌照，但是要执行长达两个月的“社会服务令”——兼任儿童法律援助署的义务律师，捍卫弱小孩童的权益。而他的生活也因此发生了质的变化……
Boston Legal 《波士顿法律》 （2004）
该剧讲述的是发生在美国波士顿市一家律师事务所的故事。男主角艾伦·肖被原来的公司解雇后来到丹尼·克瑞恩的律师事务所工作。艾伦因为惯用一些不光彩的手段赢得官司而让同事不满，而其上司丹尼因举止出位被同行视为怪人。而这两个“边缘人物”形成了亦师亦友的关系，共同面对职场与生活中不同的挑战……
《波士顿法律》上映以来一直受到各方好评。该片的男主角有摘得嘎纳国际电影节最佳男主角奖的詹姆斯·斯派德饰演，而他也因该剧曾三夺艾美最佳男主角。