"I need to know that I have done one thing right with my life!" the protagonistMain character. sobs. It is a devastating scene in a film which tries to represent an experience rarely treated sensitively on screen: obesity.

The Whale centres around a morbidly obese English teacher, Charlie, trying to reconnect with his estrangedNo longer close after falling out. adolescent daughter.

Often, overweight people are treated as an object of mockery in films or their characters are badly written. The director of the film, Darren Aronofsky, claims that The Whale was intended to humanise people who suffer with obesity: "This film shows that, like everyone, we are all human."

But the critics have been unsparing. One accused the director of treating Charlie as an "unsightly object of pity", while writer Roxane Gay described it as "exploitative and at times cruel".

Most of all, the film has been described as "fatphobic". It is a term increasingly in the public consciousness. Specialists describe fatphobia as more casualised than other forms of discrimination, although it is all around us.

Studies show that people who are fat are more likely to face bullying, to have their health problems dismissed by doctors, and to be convicted by juries. In the workplace, overweight people are hired less, have a lower average salary, and receive fewer promotions.

One study even suggests that for every six pounds gained by an American woman, her hourly rate of pay drops by 2%.

Where have these views come from? Beauty standards fluctuate century by century. Oldest records show that our first beauty standard was larger bodies, but since then different eras have turned body size into a continually changing trend.

And where slim bodies used to hint at poverty, now they can symbolise wealth. A third of 11-year-olds in England's poorest areas are obese. Campaigners warn that unprocessed, healthy foods are becoming unaffordable, leading to an increase in health problems among lower income groups.¹

Some say this proves that body size is political. Yet there is still a startling ignorance about the many effects of fatphobia.

"Stories have an impact. They contribute to perception," Roxane Gay says. But telling them in the right way is harder than it may seem.

Yes: The important thing is that obesity is being dealt with on screen. People with obesity are often rendered invisible in the media and this representation could be a step towards featuring more of their stories.

No: Perhaps if the film had been more humanising, it could have touched on some important issues with sensitivity. However, this film did not hit the mark and has probably done more harm than good.

Or... We should not be looking to films at all to get rid of fatphobia. Each of us needs to work on our own individual prejudices and on campaigning to stop fat people from being discriminated against.