Yes, I cringe as well when "fat" is used as a punchline. It hurts more than if it's used as a direct insult. But I accept it in old material the way I accept Julie Jordan's dismissal of domestic abuse or Henry Higgins' misogyny. I wouldn't dismiss them or Amalia out of hand for possessing common characteristics and attitudes of their age.
In the film The Shop Around the Corner there's a more nuanced version of that seed that Georg plants in Amalia's mind. You can see Margaret Sullivan try so hard NOT to let her aesthetic judgement on "Dear Friend" dominate her thinking.
"Old" is a whole other kettle of fish..... |
