The Facts of Life

[Anonymous]

They were heaviest in the final few seasons, post puberty. They were not even heavy though... TV does skew things:

http://whelchel.outreachcs.com/uploads/rotator_images/FOL_Goes_to_Paris.jpeg

[Anonymous]

Jo was my favorite, Natalie a close second.

Part of the reason Jo was there was because she was in trouble, IIRC.

I remember the episode that Natalie lost her virginity. They used "three different kinds of protection.." lol.

I loved that show.

[Anonymous]

I think the writers wanted to have Tootie lose her virginity but the actress was a conservative Christian and wouldn't agree to do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the writers wanted to have Tootie lose her virginity but the actress was a conservative Christian and wouldn't agree to do it.

That was Blair. The actress who played Natalie volunteered to do the storyline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the writers wanted to have Tootie lose her virginity but the actress was a conservative Christian and wouldn't agree to do it.

That was Blair. The actress who played Natalie volunteered to do the storyline.

I would have taken that hit if it were with Clooney.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The camera adds pounds. I bet they weren't as "fat" as everyone is saying.

This. Back the nthe aspect ratio of TVs was 3:4 (so kind of square) and now we all have widescreen TVs. How to fit a square picture into a widescreen? Stretch it (or cut off the top).

They certainly were not fat. Alarming that people think this. IRL I might smack someone upside the head.

And thanks PP for the PSA about the aspect ratios for the kids who don't know. That may explain why some but not all posters are calling the characters fat.

Exactly. They looked NORMAL.

I hate the way teens are portrayed on TV today--super tall, thin, with designer outfits and hooker heels.

[Anonymous]

I'm a product of the era too. Long skirts, puffy-sleeve blouses, baggy jeans, frumpy handbags. The show is very much on-trend for the era, and yes, we all dressed like that.

I was extremely thin during this era (not anymore!) and I never once watched the show and thought the girls (with the exception of Natalie who was the token fat friend) were "fat." I sure hope you parents sharing this slice of '80s nostalgia with your tween daughters aren't perpetuating this. They were normal girls wearing clothes that weren't skin-tight. If you must rag on their looks, focus on the mullet haircuts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a product of the era too. Long skirts, puffy-sleeve blouses, baggy jeans, frumpy handbags. The show is very much on-trend for the era, and yes, we all dressed like that.

I was extremely thin during this era (not anymore!) and I never once watched the show and thought the girls (with the exception of Natalie who was the token fat friend) were "fat." I sure hope you parents sharing this slice of '80s nostalgia with your tween daughters aren't perpetuating this. They were normal girls wearing clothes that weren't skin-tight. If you must rag on their looks, focus on the mullet haircuts.

I find it horrifying that there are people who think they were all fat. So fucked up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a product of the era too. Long skirts, puffy-sleeve blouses, baggy jeans, frumpy handbags. The show is very much on-trend for the era, and yes, we all dressed like that.

I was extremely thin during this era (not anymore!) and I never once watched the show and thought the girls (with the exception of Natalie who was the token fat friend) were "fat." I sure hope you parents sharing this slice of '80s nostalgia with your tween daughters aren't perpetuating this. They were normal girls wearing clothes that weren't skin-tight. If you must rag on their looks, focus on the mullet haircuts.

I find it horrifying that there are people who think they were all fat. So fucked up.

+1000

[Anonymous]

Didn't the FoL get their start from Diff'rent Strokes? Kimberly went to the school, some of the girls were at the Drummonds house. Wasn't Mrs Garrett the housekeeper for the Drummonds?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Didn't the FoL get their start from Diff'rent Strokes? Kimberly went to the school, some of the girls were at the Drummonds house. Wasn't Mrs Garrett the housekeeper for the Drummonds?

Yes Arnold and Willis made a few guest appearances the first couple of seasons

[Anonymous]

Now I totally want to watch some Facts of Life, but it just doesn't seem worth $1.99 an episode. How can a FOL episode cost as much as an episode of Mad Men?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a product of the era too. Long skirts, puffy-sleeve blouses, baggy jeans, frumpy handbags. The show is very much on-trend for the era, and yes, we all dressed like that.

I was extremely thin during this era (not anymore!) and I never once watched the show and thought the girls (with the exception of Natalie who was the token fat friend) were "fat." I sure hope you parents sharing this slice of '80s nostalgia with your tween daughters aren't perpetuating this. They were normal girls wearing clothes that weren't skin-tight. If you must rag on their looks, focus on the mullet haircuts.

I find it horrifying that there are people who think they were all fat. So fucked up.

+1000

Another+1 but this board is so full of body image issues it doesn't surprise me.

[Anonymous]

They were not fat in any sense of the word. Some of you have body issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They were not fat in any sense of the word. Some of you have body issues.

I just read from wiki

Weight

Another issue during the show's early seasons concerned the stars' appearances. Lisa Whelchel has stated in various interviews, including on E! True Hollywood Story, that the cast spent a lot of time on set doing nothing, so the natural inclination for many of them was to eat, as food was readily available all over the set. This noticeably affected the girls' appearances, leading Joan Rivers to dub them "The Fats of Life" during the cast's appearance at the Emmy Awards; the producers eventually restricted what the actors could eat while on set, and in an April 2011 interview, Lisa Whelchel stated that the producers sent her to various weight loss programs in an effort to help her lose weight.

Mindy Cohn, in the E! True Hollywood Story, stated that the situation was the exact opposite for her. She had been losing weight during this period due to an interest in dancing, and the producers asked her to stop because much of her character's identity hinged on the fact that she was overweight. Cohn said the producers compromised with her regarding her weight by dressing her in baggy clothing to make her appear heavier than she was.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Facts_of_Life_(TV_series)