The Sugar Plum Interview: 3 Questions for Jen Ponton

GIVEAWAY and INTERVIEW

**Leave a comment for Jen for a chance to win a mug. See the end of the interview for details on the prize.**

Jen Ponton plays Rubi on Dietland, and we’re so lucky to have her. Rubi is a kick-ass fat activist in the novel and TV series, and this also describes Jen in her everyday life. If you’re not following Jen on social media, you must. She inspires me every day.

Jen has appeared in many TV shows and movies. Besides working for the amazing Tina Fey, Jen has – in her own words – “had the pleasure of playing some really fabulous characters of size: the unflappable romantic Franny in the indie Love on the Run; the ribald ghost of Duchess Beatrix on Hulu’s Deadbeat; and the earnestly enthusiastic Charlie in Free the Nipple (much like Dietland, a production/movement).” Jen is also a writer who has written four television pilots, all of which feature fat positive women. 

Here we go!

Sarai: I know many women named Jennifer who complain about having a name that’s so popular, and it certainly has an “everywoman” quality to it. But as a Jen yourself, do you think, as in Dietland, that being a Jennifer can have a subversive kind of power?

Jen: Absolutely! Dietland has totally infused me with newfound pride to be a Jennifer. Growing up as a child of the '80s, I was one of, like, 5 Jennifers in my class (and of course, I was 'Jen P.,' which was real fun for the fat weirdo outcast). I often wished that I could be something closer to a Skyler or a Moon Unit. There's something about Jennifers, Jessicas, all the 'J' girls of the era, that had the implied qualities of popularity, friendliness, beauty; social butterflies. If we could share that assumed sisterhood...why couldn't we share a more dangerous one? One that felt like just as much of a birthright? It feels like power in numbers. It feels like redefining femininity. Badass.

Sarai: You’ve been a guest star on shows including 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Law & Order: SVU, and Orange Is the New Black. What’s it like to step onto the set of an iconic show for a guest-starring role?

Jen: The teams of all these shows have always been immensely warm and welcoming towards me, so it's always fun to step into something that already has its own wonderful energy and get to share in that for a week or so. I've had the incredible honor of working with some amazing directors, badass female showrunners who inspire me (including Marti's sister-in-law, Jenji Kohan), and working with kind, generous, playful actors. That said, there's something about putting show together from the get-go that feels much more theatrical, much more ultimately collaborative, and I love that. It makes it all the easier because of all the incredible women making it hum so beautifully. 

Sarai: I follow you on Instagram and I regularly see photos of you in fabulous outfits. You seem to love fashion, and you have a real flair for it. You’re also well known in fat positivity. Why do you think fashion has become such an important part of fat activism for many women?

Jen: Thank you! I really do. I feel like I'm making up for lost time--it's something that was denied to me (and I'm sure a lot of fat women) for much of my life. I remember before my sophomore prom, my straight-size mother and I went to every store we could find in search of a dress for me. It took all day--right up until 9pm, when I collapsed in tears in a Macy's, having to settle for a dress that only just barely could zip up. My chest looked like a pancake, and thank God I went with my two best friends, because they were the only thing that could keep me from my self-loathing that night. All that to say--I couldn't figure out how to dress my body, or where to dress my body, and I lived in old t-shirts and windpants for a really, really long time. When I finally found the Fatosphere and got 'dematrixed,' I finally got the courage to celebrate my body through clothing that had felt denied to me my whole life. The combination of fat acceptance along with the incredible resources that a community can provide led me to finally figuring out how to dress myself in a way that felt fun, exciting and finally resonant with who I truly am. Like you show us in the book: fashion is a world that is reserved for 'deserving bodies.' Ours are deserving. We should be able to wear the shapes, lines, colors, patterns, pieces that excite us--not the ones that hide us from the world. 

Connect with Jen!

Her website: jenponton.com.

Twitter and Instagram are both @JenPonton

Go to my Facebook page to leave a comment for Jen, or a general comment about episode 3, and you’ll be entered into a random drawing to win a mug.

The Sugar Plum Interview: 3 Questions for Bethany Kay

GIVEAWAY

**Leave a comment for Bethany for a chance to win a tote bag. See the end of the interview for details.**

Tonight you’ll see Bethany Kay as Janice on Dietland (known as Janine in the novel), who crashes Plum’s Waist Watchers meeting and makes an unforgettable impression. I predict that Bethany as Janice – GODDESS!! -- is going to become a meme, and rightfully so!

Bethany has an MFA in Acting from the New School for Drama. She has performed for numerous special events at the long-running Off-Broadway phenomenon Sleep No More, and she’s an opera singer, model, and improviser. She’s going to be in BLITHE SPIRIT at the Shakespeare Theatre of NJ this August.

Here we go!

SARAI: Janice has a small part in the show, but she makes such a big splash. At a recent screening I attended, she got the biggest laughs. How did you approach playing this role? 

BETHANY: Well thanks, you! So much of Janice was right there on the page from the get-go in both your novel and in what Marti and her team wrote... this vibrant woman being told she was quite literally too big for that room (and the world) is something that I sure as hell relate to. 

Let’s be honest, it hurts to be outed as “other” every single day. And I wanted to make sure in that scene that you see her trying to remind all of those women (and Karen specifically) that the amount of space they take up is not only valid but beautiful. ...But don’t be fooled, Janice is very much reminding herself that too. But she chooses to bring herself back up by empowering the women around her and calling out another woman who is cutting them all down...THAT is badass.

SARAI: I loved writing Janice/Janine in the book because she's so confident, bold, stylish and kick-ass. I aspire to have her fashion sense, but I admit I often hesitate to wear outfits that draw a lot of attention. Like Janice, you have a fabulous sense of style. Do you have any advice for those of us plus-size ladies who lack your flair and confidence? 

BETHANY: That’s so interesting that you ask that question because ever since reading DIETLAND my New York uniform of all-black pencil skirts and Bardot tops has taken on SO much more color. Because why shouldn’t we wear our bright and bold larger than life hearts on the outside too, ya know?

My advice? Take it one step at a time. I dressed rather conservatively through my mid-20s and then happened into a Bold Lip Moment...quite literally picked up some red lipstick and made that my signature. Then came a face-defining headband, a nice wide “look at my waist!” belt, a neon shoe... these were my steps but you find whatever screams LIFE to you and layer it in. If you feel good you’ll look good.

SARAI: You describe yourself on Twitter as a "curvy gal." Do you think there are more opportunities nowadays for actresses who are plus-sized?

BETHANY: No doubt. No doubt at ALL that the opportunities are changing. I don’t know that I’d say “more” opportunities, but I’d say different ones, ones that allow us to bring more nuance and full-bodied life to roles that for a long time were generally more two-dimensional.

I made a decision very early in my career to be discerning with what jobs I’d take on. I have been clear all along that I did not want my size to make me the butt of the joke on camera: we all know those roles, don’t we? I never wanted to have to go there but of course the career opportunity temptation was there. 

But I’ll never forget watching Cynthia Ettinger on the FANTASTIC but short-lived HBO Show Carnivale: she created this vibrantly sexy maternal figure that wasn’t attractive in spite of her curves but because of them; she was just effortlessly confident and able to be vulnerable within that. Her work signaled to early 20s me that there was a place for me to hold onto my dignity in this industry. And actresses like Ashlie Atkinson and Christina Hendricks and America Ferrera along with our very own Joy Nash continue to prove what a viable entertainment industry force we curvy gals can be when writers like you keep on sharing our stories. I mean...I get to call myself a Goddess on television with absolutely no hesitation at all: THAT is a gift.

Connect with Bethany:

Website: www.BethanyKayActor.com

Instagram: BethanyKayNYC

Twitter: @BethanyKayActor

Go to my FB author page or Instagram feed (see links in bottom right corner) to leave a comment for Bethany. Everyone who leaves a comment will be entered into a random drawing for a Loving Your Body Is a Radical Act tote bag. This contest is open to anyone in any country. There is one tote bag available in total, and the deadline to post a comment is 11:59pm Pacific Daylight Time on June 5th, 2018.

Merry TV Eve

Crosspost from social media: Today is Dietland’s last day as just a book. From tomorrow it’ll always be a book and a TV series. I recently did a small makeover of my website, and decided to celebrate Dietland the book by including some of its American and international covers on the homepage. In a weird way it’s hard to say goodbye to Dietland as something that is just mine, but I’m thrilled about all that’s happening, and that so many more people will get to experience the story and meet the characters. This book has taken me on the ride of my life. Good luck tomorrow my baby girl 💕

New Page

I've deleted my sad little Blog and Events pages because I never updated them. But I'm turning over a new leaf! On this new Updates page I'll post important news and events and maybe even random thoughts. Also, be sure to follow my social media accounts (links in the bottom right-hand corner).