'Nobody Loves A Fat Man' (10 March 1909).
The early 20th-century cartoonist signing with "Weston" was the creator of the 1909 newspaper comic strip 'Nobody Loves A Fat Man'. The gag comic is notable for its questionable premise, poking fun at male obesity.
Nobody Loves A Fat Man
Nothing is known about the creator Weston, except that his feature 'Nobody Loves A Fat Man' was syndicated to newspapers through the American Press Association from at least 10 March until 7 August 1909. Newspapers known to have carried the strip have been The Fairmont West Virginian, The Spokesman-Review, the Hanford Morning Journal, The Coffeyville Weekly Journal and The Times Herald from Port Huron, Michigan.
The main character is the well-spirited and helpful Hiram Hefty, whose good intentions are constantly overshadowed by his looks. Every attempt of the chubby and balding do-gooder to either help or court a woman ends with him being ridiculed or physically attacked. Even when Hefty saves a woman from drowning, the woman exclaims she would rather have died than be rescued by a fat man. On other occasions, women exploit the poor man's helpfulness, for instance having him carry luggage to another suitor or misusing his generosity by having him pay for a movie theater ticket. While Hefty is mainly "fatshamed" by women, he is also mocked, fined and attacked by policemen and children. At the end of an episode, Hefty generally resigns himself to his fate, sighing: "Nobody loves a fat man!"
Comedy at the expense of obese people is as old as mankind itself and not just limited to comics. In the 1900s, "Nobody loves a fat man" was a popular catchphrase, which regularly appeared in early 20th century pop culture. Known appearances are on postcards, a 1909 song with that title by Arthur Collins, and a short film. Nevertheless, in the eyes of modern-day audiences the overall theme of Weston's comic, especially its blunt title, may come across as outrageous and extremely offensive. Since the late 20th century, obesity is recognized as a serious health issue, while "fat-shaming" is considered ignorant and mean-spirited.
On the other hand, Hiram Hefty in Weston's 'Nobody Loves A Fat Man' is portrayed sympathetically, as just a victim of circumstances and extreme prejudice. Since nothing is known about the comic artist, one can only wonder whether Weston perhaps was obese himself, or observed other people with weight problems suffering from the same animosities. Either way, even in a time period when laughing at physical appearances was still common ground, the one-trick concept of 'Nobody Loves A Fat Man' seems to have worn out within a couple of months.
'Nobody Loves A Fat Man'.