Over 130,000 sign petition calling on Netflix to axe 'body shaming' series Insatiable
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Over 130,000 sign petition calling on Netflix to axe 'body shaming' series Insatiable

MORE THAN 130,000 people have signed a petition calling on Netflix to cancel a new series about a teenager who loses weight after having her jaw wired shut.

Insatiable is due to arrive on the streaming platform this August but has already courted controversy online.

Described by Netflix as a "dark, twisted revenge comedy" the series centres around "Fatty Patty" and overweight high school student who is bullied and mocked about her size before losing weight and becoming "attractive" in the eyes of her peers.

"This is like every great high school movie ever made," actress Debby Ryan, who plays Patty, can be heard saying on the trailer.

"Now, I could be the former fatty who turned into a brain or an athlete… or a princess. No. I'd rather have revenge."

The imminent arrival of the series caught the attention of London-based artist and social activist Florence Given, who took to change.org to launch an online petition, labelling the series a "toxic" example of "body-shaming".

Given hit out at Insatiable for perpetuating "not only the toxicity of diet culture, but the objectification of women's bodies".

She also expressed concern that the show would leave young girls believing "that to be happy and be worthy, they need to lose weight".

The show's star and creator have both spoken out against the online backlash.

Ryan wrote on social media: "Satire is a way to poke fun at the hardest things, bring darkness into the light, and enter any difficult conversations."

"We're not in the business of fat shaming. We're out to turn a sharp eye on broken, harmful systems that equate thinness with worth".

Creator Lauren Gussis, meanwhile, claimed the series was inspired by her own experiences and was intended to serve as a "cautionary tale about how damaging it can be to believe the outsides are more important" and urging people to "give it a chance".

Netflix has yet to respond to the online criticism.