When I first heard about INSATIABLE, I thought it was about a werewolf. You can imagine the disappointment I felt when I discovered it was not. INSATIABLE is Netflix’s newest disaster and I refused to watch it! I, personally, love to waste my own time, but like hell am I going to allow Debby Ryan, star of the most mediocre of Disney Channel shows, in a FAT SUIT to waste it for me. INSATIABLE is about Patty (Ryan), a fat teen who loses weight and decides to exact revenge on her high school tormentors by doing beauty pageants, I guess? Again, I did not watch this show. I’ve heard there are some jokes about her coach being a pedophile? And stereotypical representation of queer people? Why would I watch that! I deserve better. You, reader of Crossfader Magazine, deserve better.
Not a werewolf!!!
INSATIABLE is desperately trying to play itself as “satire,” but it’s directly hurting those who it’s pretending to represent. It’s so fucking disrespectful to girls to show them Debby Ryan, star of THE SUITE LIFE ON DECK, in a FAT SUIT and say, “look, we got you representation! Gaze upon your sovereign!” It’s a no from me, dawg. Have we not progressed past jokes about people’s weight? Have we not progressed past making shows about girls losing weight and “getting hot” as their only character motivation? I don’t use my friend’s Netflix account for this shit! Let’s talk about what you should be watching instead.
MY MAD FAT DIARY first aired on E4 in England in January 2013, based on the memoir “My Fat, Mad Teenage Diary” by Rae Earl. The series follows Rae (BAFTA winner Sharon Rooney), a 16-year-old girl struggling with an eating disorder who returns to school after spending four months in a psychiatric hospital. The show takes an honest approach to mental health, handling Rae’s struggles with care and attention, rather than sweeping them under the rug or making them a punchline. The audience goes with her to her therapy sessions and fully experiences all of her pain and all of her triumphs. There’s an undeniable warmth to the show—as upsetting and stressful as it can be, there’s an incredible joy to be found in her relationships with her friends and with the ultimate dreamboat #1 hottie Finn. It’s not about Rae’s pursuit to lose weight or to “be hot,” it’s about addressing her mental health issues and being a teenager in the ’90s. It’s so fucking funny, it’s so sad, it’s so sweet. It’s worth every second of your attention and a far better pursuit than even one episode of INSATIABLE.
It’s so ’90s based there’s a whole episode about Oasis
MMFD is my primary recommendation as it feels like a direct antidote to whatever the fuck is going on at Netflix.com. When you finish that and feel a gaping hole in your chest, maybe try:
- THE MINDY PROJECT – my eternal first recommendation, for anyone who’s watched a rom com and wished it was six seasons long (available on Hulu)
- INSECURE – Issa Rae pays equal attention to love and friendship and it’s refreshing and emotional and so funny (the third season is currently airing on HBO)
- MIRANDA – comedian Miranda Hart created and stars in the warmest, most ridiculous British sitcom. Feels like coming home (all episodes also available on Hulu)
- ONE DAY AT A TIME! You’re already on Netflix.com! It just got renewed for a third season! Rita Moreno is in it! Need I say more!
- CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND is on Netflix! An honest depiction of mental illness with super fun musical numbers thrown in.
- MAMMA MIA! Is on Netflix! Do I need to explain this!
- I’ve heard GLOW on Netflix is very good! A cast of diverse women wrestling! Ultimate disgruntled dad Marc Maron!
- GROWNISH is on Hulu now! A young woman of color maneuvers college! Let’s go!
I can’t stop you from watching INSATIABLE. I recently discovered that Netflix tracks viewership by how many people finish the series so if you’re a lot more self-destructive than I am, feel free to watch some of it and then never finish. But why waste your time? Go watch JESSIE for your Debby Ryan fix, I don’t know. Support shows about women who don’t have shows made about them so they just have to make them themselves. Demand more.
Aya Lehman
Aya Lehman acts as a guest contributor for Crossfader so she can talk about rom coms in a public forum. Her passions include reading the writers of CRIMINAL MINDS for filth, the politics of the color pink, and Steve from STRANGER THINGS.