The Evolution of Plus-Size Female Representation from “Fat Monica” to Kat Hernandez

For decades, Hollywood has pushed plus-size women to the margins, typecasting them as the funny best friend, the clumsy sidekick, or the character used to make others look better. Being fat in these stories is rarely treated as neutral—it defines who they are and how they are seen. This kind of representation encourages stigma and reinforces the idea that larger bodies are abnormal or undesirable. However, there has been a noticeable shift toward more complex portrayals. The contrast between “Fat Monica” from Friends (NBC, 1994–2004) and Kat Hernandez from Euphoria (HBO, 2019–present) shows how the depiction of plus-size women has evolved from ridicule and shame to stories centered on agency, desire, and self-discovery.
The “fat friend” character type has long been a cultural symbol of failure and excess. “Fat Monica” is introduced through flashbacks as an exaggerated version of what Monica used to be—her weight is her defining trait. She is not just Monica who happens to be bigger; she is “the fat one.” Her overeating, awkwardness, and clumsiness are all tied to her body size, making her a one-dimensional character whose purpose is to generate laughs.
By contrast, Kat Hernandez from Euphoria represents a new kind of plus-size character. She is complex, sexual, self-aware, and flawed. Her weight is a part of her story but not the story itself. As Entertainment Weekly (2019) notes, Kat is “not your fat best friend.” She is a central character exploring identity and sexuality in the digital age, which allows her to exist as a full person rather than a stereotype.

Fat Monica’s most visible traits—eating a lot, being clumsy, desperate, and awkward—are exaggerated for comedic effect. Her fatness is performed through a fat suit, turning her body into a costume. This use of prosthetics reinforces the idea that fat bodies are unnatural and outside the norm. Cwynar (2016) argues that this kind of performance reduces fat identity to something temporary and shameful—something that can and should be fixed. When Monica becomes thin, she is rewarded with love and social acceptance, cementing the idea that thinness equals happiness and value.
Kat, on the other hand, is built differently. Her storyline deals with body image and insecurity, but it also explores sexuality, digital identity, and empowerment. Kat writes fanfiction, experiments with her online persona, and later becomes a cam girl. While controversial, these moments show her taking control of how she is seen. Lykke (2012) writes that intersectional representation allows for characters who embody several identities—gender, race, sexuality—without being reduced to any one of them. Kat is a plus-size Latina teenage girl, but her story also connects to broader themes of adolescence, power, and visibility in the social media era.

The biggest difference between Fat Monica and Kat Hernandez is that Fat Monica’s body is a joke, while Kat’s body is simply part of who she is. Friends uses laughter to create distance from Fat Monica, making her an object of humor rather than empathy. Her scenes are framed by laugh tracks, and her storylines revolve around food or embarrassment. Kat’s world, however, is filmed through a lens that prioritizes her interiority—her thoughts, feelings, and imagination. The University of Oulu (2019) study notes that when the media gives plus-size characters emotional and psychological depth, audiences begin to see fatness as one aspect of a complex person instead of the definition of that person. Kat’s self-expression through fashion, sexuality, and writing shows movement away from stereotype toward multidimensional representation.
Representations like Fat Monica create damaging expectations in real life. They teach viewers, especially women, that being thin is not only beautiful but morally superior. Tiggemann and Slater (2013) found that repeated exposure to idealized thin images leads to body dissatisfaction and negative self-esteem. Fat Monica reinforces this through humor that rewards thinness and mocks fatness.
Kat’s character, however, begins to challenge these expectations. Seeing a plus-size teenage girl who is sexual, confident, and complicated can help normalize larger bodies and broaden what audiences see as beautiful or desirable. Still, Kat’s story is not perfect. Her empowerment through online sex work can be read as both liberating and exploitative. Still, Kat’s visibility at the center of a major TV drama is a major step forward.
The movement from Fat Monica to Kat Hernandez reflects broader cultural changes—especially the influence of the body positivity and fat acceptance movements. These movements push for visibility and respect for all body types. However, progress often brings backlash. Kat’s confidence and sexuality have sparked online criticism, showing that society still struggles with seeing plus-size women as desirable or powerful.

By comparing Fat Monica and Kat Hernandez, we can see how Hollywood’s treatment of plus-size women has evolved. Fat Monica represents a time when fatness was used as a punchline, a visual shorthand for failure and comedy. Kat represents a new phase where fat women are allowed to be complicated, sexual, and central to their own narratives. This shift from marginalization to complexity marks an important cultural step toward breaking down stereotypes and expanding the ways women of all sizes can exist on screen and in real life.