Da'Vine Joy Randolph took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The Holdovers, and honestly, I couldn’t be happier. I always love the Oscars, and celebrating people's achievements in film - especially when it's so well-deserved - is something I really enjoy come awards season. But the 2024 Academy Awards hit differently this year, not only is this a win for Randolph and her fantastic performance, but a win for representation across the board.
Only a handful of plus-sized women have ever been nominated for an Oscar, and even fewer have actually won in almost a century of award shows. Thinking specifically about acting awards here, historically only 4 plus sized women have won Oscars: Kathy Bates who won Best Actress in 1991 for Misery, Mo’Nique who won Best Supporting Actress in 2009 for Precious, Octavia Spencer in The Help for Best Supporting Actress in 2012, and of course Hattie McDaniel in 1939 for her performance in Gone with the Wind - who was also the first black woman ever to win an Oscar. Adding Da’Vine Joy Randolph to that list gives us a grand total of 5. Which I wish I could say it surprises me, but it really, really doesn’t.
It's no secret that Hollywood loves to pretend fat people don’t exist. The discrimination that is faced by actors over a certain size is anything but quiet, especially when it comes to women. Actors that are bigger than a size 16 are so few and far between. Sure you can find a few plus-size actors, but often these lists are full of women who are the mainstream, acceptable version of plus size - aka not fat at all, just not stick thin and have big boobs. I can only think of a few examples of actually bigger actors. So it makes sense in some horrible way that there have been so few larger women winning Oscars, but that doesn’t make this woeful statistic okay by any means. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Randolph herself said: “When you truly understand the climate of this industry and who’s telling the stories, we’re marginalized. And then on top of that, to be a woman of colour who is curvy? This outdoes the dreams that I dreamt.... I let go of the wheel in that respect a long time ago.”
Paul Giamatti sobbing during co-star Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s Oscar acceptance speech…love pic.twitter.com/LlGyDhci8W
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) March 10, 2024
The few fat actors that have made it rarely get leading roles. They don’t get the nuanced, well-written characters that reflect the depth of the human experience. No, on the rare occasions that bigger actors do land roles, they’re almost always relegated to stereotypical roles that can reinforce the harmful stereotypes we’re trying to get away from. They're the comic relief or the sidekick, and their size is always the punch line that we’re all supposed to fall about laughing at. They’re a bumbling idiot who is always thinking about food. They’re sad, pathetic characters who you’re supposed to feel sorry for. Being fat is always their whole personality and their characters never go beyond that. And if they’re not the sidekick then they’re almost always the villain. A gross, disgusting, creepy villain who is greedy and lazy represents the peak of fat shaming in movies. And what makes it worse is that we see it time and time again - filmmakers keep wheeling out these problematic fat characters expecting us to either be overcome with gratitude for a crumb of “representation” or be complicit in our own mockery.
Fat people don’t get love interests. They don’t get happy endings. They’re one-dimensional caricatures that we’re all so tired of seeing.
This is one of the reasons that makes Randolph's win so refreshing and honestly gives me a little bit of hope. A fat woman won for a role that didn’t have anything to do with being fat. She was just a damn good actress, and it gives me a glimmer of hope that maybe more representation is coming. And not only did she win, but she looked amazing while doing it. Whether you like it or not, red carpet fashion is a huge part of awards season and Randolph absolutely killed it in her custom Louis Vuitton gown - proving that red carpet style doesn’t have a size limit.
It’s this representation that’s so important, and why fatphobia in Hollywood is so damaging. This isn’t just about casting choices, it's the consequences of systemic fatphobia across a whole industry that contributes to the erasure and discrimination of plus-sized people. It perpetuates beauty standards that can be so harmful to those who see them, creating a cycle of body shaming and self-hatred. That all sounds dramatic, but everyone deserves to see themselves in the media they consume. They deserve the affirmation, validation and acceptance that can come from good representation. Seeing a fat person in a movie isn’t going to fix fatphobia in one go, but it is all a step on the journey to breaking down stereotypes and creating a more inclusive society for everyone.
It might be a tad self-indulgent to say I saw myself on stage when Randolph accepted that award, and I’m sure there are many others out there who found her win to be so inspiring and affirming to my own experiences. As she said in her speech; “For so long I’ve always wanted to be different. And now I realise I just need to be myself.”
Athleisure - a hybrid of casual and athletic fashion - is trending now more than ever. With the seasons starting to change now is the best time to take stock of your style and update your wardrobe with staple pieces - and this year's cult product has to be Snag Squat-Proof black leggings. Totally opaque with epic fit and all-round comfort, our leggings really are incredible. Hitting the gym, running errands, doing a yoga class or heading out for lunch, Snag leggings are versatile, wear-everywhere essentials great for the everyday. Keep reading to find out more about our leggings and why they’re a must-have in your wardrobe.
Snag leggings are truly epic and the best leggings you will ever wear. They’re completely opaque and entirely squat-proof - you will NOT see your knickers through these. They’re made from a soft, thick sustainable fabric that hugs your body like a second skin without being tight. They’re comfortable enough for everyday wear while being supportive enough for all types of workouts - plus they’re moisture-wicking and breathable for ultimate comfort for any activity.
For the past year, we’ve been re-developing our leggings to make them better than ever while still being able to produce them in the same quality over and over again. We have sourced a new Ponte Roma fabric, refitted on every body shape (multiple times just to make sure) and created a new version of our epic leggings that are even better than the original for better fit, function and comfort.
Though black leggings go with so many different outfits and styles, if they’re not good quality they can cause some knicker peek-a-boos that absolutely no one wants. There is nothing more embarrassing than see-through leggings, and that's part of the reason so many people have had such a love-hate relationship with leggings when it comes to fashion.
However, you no longer have to worry about any mortifying wardrobe malfunctions, as Snag leggings are super thick and completely opaque. They have been specifically designed to pass the squat test to make sure you can’t see through the fabric. Finally - we have leggings that aren't see through.
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The hype really is real for this book, and after the huge popularity of the ACOTAR series and the rise in the love of "romantasy" in readers has seen everyone grab this book with both hands - especially after the cliff-hanger of all cliff-hangers at the end of the last book in the series. After waiting 2 years, we can finally sink our teeth into the final chapter of Bryce and Hunt's story (for now... never say never about a fourth book!)
Thanks to the help of TikTok, the release of this book has become a cultural moment. Crowds of readers gathered at book shops, with some running midnight publication parties and even SJM herself making an appearance at a few in New York. Selling 44, 761 copies in its first week, House of Flame and Shadow is the third fasted selling science fiction and fantasy title since records began - only narrowly missing out behind Terry Pratchett's Snuff.
So its safe to say, this excitement around this book is palpable, and I can't wait to sink my teeth into it (no spoilers please I haven't had the chance to start devouring it yet!)
Of course, here at Snag you'll know we are the BIGGEST SJM fans. We released our epic official ACOTAR tights and clothing collection not too long ago, with designs inspired by the magical Fae world captured in the pages of A Court of Thorns and Roses. We worked with an awesomely talented artist (who happened to be a huge fan of the books) to bring the beauty of this series to life, so why not grab yourself a pair of tights or hoody to really declare your love for the world?
In celebration of this new book, and for all the dedicated SJM fans out there, here is a super special edition of "Snag Book Club" - here are some epic tights pairings for the Crescent City tights ready for your read through... AND the original ACOTAR series - because why not! Bring the fantasy, passion and imagination to your reading experience with these awesome tights.
So grab your favourite Sarah J Maas book, whether its new or old, pull on your gorgeous tights and get devouring that book!
Who ever said you couldn't turn heads AND pages at the same time.
I picked these tights to represent the House of Earth and Blood itself within the story, who's members are "shifters, humans, witches, ordinary animals..." so Familiar seemed the perfect choice
Members of this house are fae, elementals, and sprites amongst other things, and these tights remind me of how air just dances in front of you sometimes, especially when you can see your breath in the cold. Plus they're a beautiful blue that I wish the sky would be all the time.
Dragons are included in the members of this house within Crescent City, so our Green Dragon tights with sparkling scales seemed a natural choice!
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How could I pick any other pair of tights for this book than the OG inspired design itself?! Thorns and Roses, the most gorgeous pair of fishnets!
Possibly the most iconic quote from the whole series came from this book: "To the stars who listen, and the dreams that are answered" - so of course I had to pick our gorgeous starry sky print tights.
Our Chain mail are the perfect tights for a book with such epic battle scenes - they're the only armour you need while you're tearing through the pages.
Again, this one feels like a cop out - but how could I not pick the pair of tights who's name was inspired by this book? Besides, they're super cute, super wearable and I just love them!
This one is probably a bit out there, but I feel like Nesta would totally wear these tights - she's a badass after all! Bust still with that little bit of spice for all those very hot and bothered scenes...
(Pssssst - don't forget about our amazing ACOTAR merch!!! The perfect gifts for the Sarah J Maas obsessed reader!(
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