Summary
Boy Meets Worldstar Danielle Fishel describes an uncomfortable experience she had regarding her physical appearance while on the show. Fishel played Topanga Lawrence throughoutBoy Meets World’s 7 seasonsthat aired from 1993 to 2000. On a podcast calledPod Meets World, Fishel re-watches and reflects on every episode of the popular sitcomalongside co-stars Rider Strong and Will Friedle, who played the respective roles of Shawn Hunter and Eric Matthews.
During a recent episode ofPod Meets World,Fishel discussed being told by producers about an episode revolving around the weight she had gained. Season 7, episode 17, “She’s Having My Baby Back Ribs,” follows Topanga and Eric secretly agreeing to go on a diet because they are unhappy about their respective weights, which leads to the misconception that Topanga is pregnant. Friedle was also involved with the meeting, with Fishel saying he acted nonchalantly about it at the time, but later learned he found it"really painful and hurtful.“Check out the rest of Fishel’s comments below:
They called me into the office to tell me they were going to do it. It wasn’t really like they asked. Will had gained some weight, I had gained some weight. [They said]: “Obviously you guys have gained a little bit of weight, so we’re going to write an episode about it, and we just wanted you to know. Here’s what it’s going to be, it’s going to be really funny.”
The hardest part for me was that meeting. Because Will very much was like, “Oh, yeah, I’m totally up for it,” just immediately, which I know now he was very insecure, and it was really painful and hurtful for him.
But I didn’t know that. And he was so funny, and such an amazing actor, and was so, like, “Yeah, sure, that’s no problem, that’s fine for me,” and for me, it was more like, “Oh, wow…” No one had said anything to me about it.
So I remember thinking, “Wow, these people think I’ve gained enough weight we have to write an entire episode about my weight gain, and right now I have to say I’m fine with it because they didn’t even present to me another alternative. And even if they did, I probably wouldn’t have felt comfortable being like yeah, I don’t want to do that.”
“She’s Having My Baby Back Ribs” Has Aged Poorly
The Behind-The-Scenes Story And The Episode Itself Are Problematic
The production meeting that preceded “She’s Having My Baby Back Ribs” already made thisBoy Meets Worldepisodeproblematic. The producers should never have created an episode based on the premise of their actors gaining weight, let alone without the actors' consent. The episode itself has alsoaged poorly for how the story handles the sensitive topic, mostly using it to demean Topanga and Eric for purely comedic purposes, and to create the misconception that Topanga is pregnant.
All these moments are grossly oversimplified, and made worse by knowing that Fishel and Friedle were given no choice but to treat their bodies as a joke in Boy Meets World.
The episode’s ending briefly attempts to touch on body positivity and diversity whenTopanga revealsthat she was never pregnant and that this all started because she felt self-conscious about the weight she gained. This leads other characters to admit the insecurities they have about their bodies as well, along with Mr. Feeny talking about unrealistic societal expectations. Unfortunately, this isquickly undermined by doubling down on fat jokes about Eric, who says Topanga is not fat and that he only told her she was so he could steal her pizza, all while shoveling food into his mouth.
When Jack reveals that he is only obsessive about being fit because he was called"Jumbo Jack"in high school, Eric bursts out laughing and teases him for the nickname, which is tonally jarring, while Topanga and other characters admit their insecurities. Earlier in the episode, Alan Matthews refers to Eric as"Porky"and Eric bolts out of the house when he hears the Mr. Softee truck passing by. All these moments are grossly oversimplified, andmade worse by knowing that Fishel and Friedle were given no choicebut to treat their bodies as a joke inBoy Meets World.
Boy Meets World
Cast
In this coming-of-age sitcom, Cory Matthews navigates middle and eventually high school, exploring his relationships with his friends and family and learning life lessons along the way.
