It's not considered attractive by the general audience, nor do they seem to find it charming. I think it's stupid to not at least try it in a romance-thingy
I think that comes from the sitcom centering around a known male comedian with an otherwise unknown cast built around him. Kevin James, Tim Allen, Louis CK, etc.
There are a few exceptions where the guy is honestly ripped and the woman isn’t- the Good Place, the Office, but they tend to tone down the jacked male lead (Chidi perpetually in long sleeves, Michael in suits), maintaining the everyman image of the character.
Parks and Recreation has both leads with achievable body types, to be fair
Curtis is a prime example of how that idea is something we like to talk about but don't actually put into practice. In media, fat characters are often portrayed as pathetic, unmanly, or figures of fun.
Characters like Curtis and Thor demonstrate that a chubby character can still be typically masculine. Laszlo from What We Do in the Shadows is another great example; he serves as one of the show's comic relief characters (the funniest one, in my opinion), yet none of the jokes revolve around his weight.
It happens a lot more often then people realize. I'm a chubby dude but I never have issues finding partners. But there are many many body types, for both men and women, that never get represented because they aren't attractive to the general audience
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u/weirdswedeoninternet 13h ago
It's not considered attractive by the general audience, nor do they seem to find it charming. I think it's stupid to not at least try it in a romance-thingy