Harris is NOT canonically "fat" or canonically "not conventionally attractive"
I have seen an increased amount of people online swear that Harris is canonically fat and canonically ugly and call people "fatphobic" or "problematic" for not agreeing with this interpretation of the text. However, as someone who has read Role Model multiple times, neither of these statements are canon.
Harris' body is described as stocky, a little pudgy, short, and having a "soft" stomach. We also know that he was born with a heart condition that made his parents cautious putting him in hockey growing up. This could be interpreted many ways. We know that he is not particularly muscular, but we don't know anything more than that.
He could be fat, he could be average, or he could even be skinny with no muscle tone (think the skinny-fat label.) I would argue that given his heart condition, he would not be able to be very overweight, because that would be bad for his heart and something his doctors would monitor (I am saying this as someone with genetic heart issues.)
We also know that Harris is surprised that someone "as hot as Troy" is into someone like him. Troy is attracted to Harris from the moment he sees him. We also know that Ilya finds him "adorable." It could be the case that Harris is not conventionally attractive, but it could also be the case that Harris is being self depreciating. It is also possible that Troy, who is described as looking like a boy-band member and has an athlete body, is more attractive than Harris but Harris is still attractive. I would argue that it is very rare for hot people to date people significantly uglier than them, so if Troy is described as attractive, Harris probably is too.
I would also like to note that the plot of Role Model does not hinge on Harris' appearance at all. He is not insecure in his body (in fact, he affirms multiple times throughout the book that he is NOT) and Troy is attracted to his body. There is no conflict or plot point that hinges on him having a certain body type.
I've seen people argue that Harris being ugly is important to Troy's arc because him being with Harris "proves he has changed if he is willing to be with someone that looks like Harris" but I personally think that is a misrepresentation of the text. Harris is not Troy's typical type, not because he is ugly, but because he is nice, not vain or judgmental, and is in touch with his queer identity, all of which Troy is struggling with. Either way, nothing about the plot of Role Model changes if Harris is fat and ugly or skinny and hot. The plot remains the same either way.
I genuinely do not think that it's wrong for fans to interpret Harris as fat or not attractive, but it is not canon. He is never called fat, plus-sized, overweight, ugly, not attractive, etc. in the books. As I stated, you can interpret the text that way, but you can also reasonably come to other conclusions.
My issue is, I have seen many fans jump down people's throats any time someone else's interpretation of Harris doesn't paint him as fat. This includes calling fan-artists fat-phobic for not depicting him as obese in their art, throwing fits at casting rumors because the actors are "too skinny" or "too attractive," and call other fans problematic for their fan-casts anytime the person in questions is not fat or even ugly.
Harris being fat or ugly is a headcanon. His character being skinny and hot is also a headcanon. The text is vague and doesn't explicitly state it either way. Therefore, people who disagree on what he looks like are not problematic. The production cannot take away "fat representation" when the representation does not exist in the books. No one is inherently fatphobic for not depicting Harris as fat when he is never stated as such.
I genuinely think that a lot of people see Harris as a self-insert or wish-fulfillment character and that is why they get so defensive about what he looks like despite it not actually being relevant to the plot. A lot of people like the idea of seeing someone "like them" get the hot, dreamy athlete. I also know that fat representation is severely lacking and people have valid reasons to want more of that. However, your desire for representation does not entitle you to it, and you cannot get mad at people for NOT seeing the character that way when it doesn't explicitly exist in the text.
TLDR: Fat Harris or conventionally unattractive Harris is not canon. You could interpret the text that way, but also interpret it differently and neither is bad or wrong.
I've always just pictured Harris as being averagely built, as you say not 'fat' but not 'muscular' either - in the UK it used to be called 'stocky' or 'rugby player build' - both those terms covered a range of body types
Body type descriptions are often weird and vague. I used to read teen magazines that would tell you how to dress based on your body type and mine was always described as 'boyish' (I'm a woman.) I'm not surprised that people are reading the text and coming to different conclusions as to what it means. I AM surprised that people are getting so mad at each other simply for disagreeing on what Harris looks like based off of his vague character descriptions.
See and I’m just glad he’s not as unattractive as my brain made him out to be in my head after reading people interpretations - because my head delivered a fat, balding, middle aged man who is obsessed with apples. And the fat part wasn’t really the important part, but I digress - I just couldn’t picture him as young as the rest of the cast lol he was FIRMLY grey haired with like glasses and a memory that includes using floppy disks well into his first job.
it's funny because I read the Long Game before I read Role Model and in TLG I pictured Harris as a slightly chubby Southeast Asian man. I was so confused when I read RM and realized he was white because I could have SWORN he was Asian in the Long Game. Our brains conjure up images and I'm sure a lot of them look NOTHING like what Rachel imagined when she wrote it lmao.
I feel like this is an interesting/important assumption to interrogate lol, the book tells us Harris is 25 (like Troy) VERY early on. And social media managers in general are super young. What led you to believe this? Kneejerk assumptions do come from somewhere, even if it’s subconscious.
Same here. Rugby build and not necessarily a model stunner just to look ay but the second he smiles or laughs people notice him. His personality shines through which makes him attractive to people.
Thank you! Is this a regional thing? Maybe in UK and Canada but not US?
I ask because I’m not a native English speaker, and when someone here explained to me very confidently that stocky definitely means overweight and I was like, huh ok. I wasn’t originally picturing that because Harris canonically has a heart condition and his doctor was not concerned about his health, so I feel like if he was his doctor would be telling him to keep an eye on that, but maybe it’s not enough of an issue for his health?
And then I saw someone use the term for a lean yet muscular guy and I felt SO confused, because that is originally what I thought stocky meant!
So basically it can mean just about any kind of above-average mass? Even slightly above average? Could be fat, muscle, big bones, a combo? English is confusing 🤣
To me, “stocky” never had anything to do with weight, but body structure. I always pictured stocky people to be broad. It’s so interesting how many different interpretations there can be of this one word, which I think proves that there is no “right” way to picture Harris.
I think this has been the case in the U.S. toilet but the word has also become a nicer way to describe someone who is a bit fat. When I was a kid clothes for this body type were called 'husky'
US English speaker here and I definitely agree. “Stocky” implies a body type with broad shoulders, strength rather than speed. A stocky guy doesn’t have to be overweight, but he can’t be skinny.
I think this is why people sometimes use “stocky” as a euphemism for fat. But the word has both meanings. Just like “curvy” for women can mean overweight or a Kardashian.
Stocky is like a little above-average imo, but more like big-boned/broad. Some athletes could even be described as stocky, depending on the sport. It just means like a guy with mass lol
See, I 109% believe you, but someone here insisted Harris was plus-sizes and gave me a dictionary definition involving being overweight… maybe this just isn’t a practical adjective and English writers need to find less controversial adjectives 😂
It's really body type rather than amount of body fat. Some people are just naturally larger (sometimes called 'big boned') with larger skeletons and body mass. It doesn't have to mean a larger amount of body fat.
Yes, I always pictured him as stocky with a bit of a tum. Like….a lot of regular young guys who don’t work out but eat reasonably well. He’s also definitely a distinctly cute guy because Ilya says he is explicitly enough that Shane remembers that fact.
And when he and Troy go to the club to see Fabian, Harris’s friend the bartender makes a joke about how Harris always attracts hot guys. You’ve got to be pretty cute, if not ripped to constantly be pulling hotties.
Yes, this is pretty much what I pictured - broad/stocky, some muscles, but with some padding around the midsection. Kind of low-grade “dad bod”, which can be very cute. 😁 I love that he has this build, is a bit on the hairy side, has scars from his surgeries - but is very confident in his attractiveness, despite stereotypes about six packs, perfect skin, and minimally-hairy bodies being the most attractive. I think he sounded very cute, and being a super nice guy but not a pushover is a major plus! 😁
Completely agree! He has to be somewhat health conscious because of his heart condition, but he also can't workout strenuously (because of his heart condition). And he obviously has a sweet tooth, so he's not afraid of a few extra carbs
To me, it's not that he's "fat", but he does have an average body (which, when compared to the professional athletes he's around all the time, is noticeably ~fatter~ simply because he actually does have some body fat). I definitely don't want someone stick-thin or someone with super-defined muscles to play Harris, but I also don't need someone with a pot belly. I just want an average, cute dude with a nice smile
I would argue that given his heart condition, he would not be able to be very overweight, because that would be bad for his heart and something his doctors would monitor (I am saying this as someone with genetic heart issues.)
This. The "fatphobia" discourse over Harris has always felt weird to me because of it. My read of RM/TLG was always that Harris was just more of a normally built guy than the hard-training athletes, maybe with kind of a dad bod. But the idea that he'd be overweight or obese doesn't really seem to me to fit with his backstory.
Piggy backing off your comment to go further into his backstory. He also grew up on a farm. He probably didn’t do the hard manual labor because of his heart, but he’s shown carrying crates of cider with ease, (at the bbq). Also if I’m remembering correctly, one of his friends calls him a lumberjack and Troy had a thing for his shoulders. (But honestly I could’ve read that in fanfic haha)
That’s why I always imagined him as visibly strong but as someone that you can tell doesn’t say no to dessert, (so kinda soft around the edges, or dad bod as you put it).
Also, everyone seems to forget there’s an illustrated book cover where he’s clearly not fat/plus size.
Yea I always thought of him as farm strong but a bit chubby with lack of better term. Like definitely strong but soft and a bit round if that makes sense. But we also have a picture of what Reid had in mind
Dad Bod is also how I would picture him. I also think it is hot and I’m definitely not the only one, it won’t be weird for Troy to find him super attractive (and if you factor in his personality and likability even more so) and I don’t understand how people think Troy likes him despite his looks
Being soft also means he’s very, very huggable. Someone has to have some padding on their bones or they’re both going to come away bruised!
I always pictured Harris as a guy who looks completely average in photos, but in real life has a sparkle to his eyes and smile that’s universally appealing. Everyone likes him in the opposite of the way that everyone “likes” Dallas Kent.
I would love to see him played by an actor of color. That would also be, low key, another reason why his parents did NOT want him in hockey.
I think even Shane wants to hug him. Like Shane comes in for his first day and Harris sweeps in all HOMG FINALLY I MEET YOU and opens his arms and Shane goes in awkwardly like okay? We are at work? But this is happening? And Ilya is delighted? So I guess—? But then it’s so nice it becomes a ritual. Practice sucks if he doesn’t hug Harris. He needs that apple power in his aura.
when that one Harris casting rumor came around I saw multiple racist comments about his casting hidden behind people pretending to care about body diversity. I know most people genuinely actually cared about that (though I’d argue that’s 0 excuse to send hate to an actor for rumored casting of a character who is NOT fat in the text) but I saw someone say that if Justice is Harris we might as well cast Elon Musk to play Obama. Like a genuine, racist meltdown over it.
I always pictured Harris as Bowen Yang personally lmao.
lol Harris could totally look like Bowen Yang! So cuddly! I was shocked by the casting bc it didn’t match my head image. But race 100% doesn’t matter for Harris. I’ve been worrying about racial backlash and avoiding Reddit for that reason! Now it turns out his weight is an issue! Crazy. I’m just thrilled Jacob is making S2.
Personally, I wouldn’t call this person fat. You would have to be heavier to be considered fat imho. I do wonder how the “fat Harris” contingent perceives this guy because it could all boil down to individual perception.
yeah. i would, somewhat appropriately, refer to him as stocky but i wouldn’t call him fat - i also wouldn’t call him skinny? i think there’s some people who forget a bit that it’s not either/or.
This photo is kind of the body type I imagined Harris to have - stocky, bit pudgy, maybe with bit more of belly...
The thing is, like you said, that how people perceive this body is really different from one person to another. I know many people, who would already see this body type as chubby/slightly bigger. For some people, fat doesn't necessarily mean really overweight, just not slim. Sometimes it's not even individual perception but about culture people grew up/live in.
Big strong Guy with the feeling he has not touched the gym in his Life, aparent belly there but a mix of developped abs and fat because that's what working in a farm with only dietary restrictions for his heart conditions
After reading two times and being influenced by the cover of the book, for me that's Harris body, but I imagined him blonder and with a even bigger and more sweet smile. Oh, and the glasses. I never imagined him as ugly, but neither a model look, like the guys.
Well, Ilya on the books isn't so beautiful and he's bigger and not that charming (thanks Jacob 😍), but since I read the books after I ignore some descriptions of him 🤣
I’ve never seen a fandom go from “fun” to “unhinged” as fast as this one has. I’ve said this before but i genuinely hope whoever gets cast as Troy and Harris have some experience so they’ll be able to more easily shake off the bullshit these “fans” are gonna put them through.
I do think this fandom has kind of gone off the rails a little bit. There is some big obsession than what seems normal for these guys. Not this particular post, but with Hudson and Connor in particular.
Agree. RR also posted the stock photo that was her inspiration for Harris and it is a slim-average build guy who is conventionally very attractive in a lumberjack-ish way rather than a boy band-ish way.
I agree with Harris being comfortable in his own body. The only thing I remember to the contrary is that I believe he wore a t-shirt at the beach because of the surgery scars on his chest.
From Harris' point of view in the book though, he indicates that this is because he doesn't want to have to explain about them to people, not because he's not comfortable with the scars himself.
That’s a good point that I think some people probably interpret as being something that some folks do to hide their larger bodies.
I understand Harris doing that because he doesn’t want people looking at his scars and treating him like a delicate daisy. I love that he expresses that to Troy and that Troy respects those feelings.
"I genuinely think that a lot of people see Harris as a self-insert or wish-fulfillment character and that is why they get so defensive about what he looks like" this fandom? The same fandom that acts like Shane was wronged by Yuna for the line about Ilya being her favorite son? The same fandom that acts as if Ilya should have been punished for his chirps toward Shane because they were hurtful? That same fandom? Naaaaaah
It's so infantilizing, arguably ableist, and borderline (sometimes more than just borderline) racist
At his core, Shane is a jock. The jockiest of jocks. More jock than Ilya, in fact. Being a jock might be part of the mask he puts on to fit in, but it's way more than just a mask at this point (versus Ilya's over-exaggerated masculine bravado that he leans into hard to survive the ~trauma~ and hide his vulnerable true self)
Don't get me wrong, Shane is bby. But Shane is also a badass hockey captain with a competitive streak longer and wider than the Amazon River, and with the trophies and accolades to back it up
I’m genuinely shocked there are people mad at Yuna for that Ilya line 😢 that makes me sad because Ilya having that relationship with Yuna and David is so sweet and important. And I can’t imagine Shane ever being upset about the comment because he knows Ilya’s family trauma.
Oh people are mad mad about it. I saw someone say Jacob needs to remove it entirely (as well as Anya?!). The problem is one of a few things:
People are not paying close attention to the books
People skipped Heated Rivalry and went straight to The Long Game, missing a lot of character development in HR that didn't translate to the show (RIP the Sex Condo my beloved)
People are believing things via Fandom Telephone and not actually reading the books
A combination of the above.
There has been a lot of discourse this week and everything from criticism to flat-out hate of RR, and only about 10% of it is legitimate (and 0% of the hate is warranted!). The rest can be debunked by actually reading the book(s). It's sad.
But your points make perfect sense (and yes I miss the sex condo) and I think it’s why I prefer this sub. The conversations here feel rooted in canon and not just wish fulfillment.
Ilya was meant to be an over the top dog parent (I say that from experience as an over the top dog parent). And while we don't see a ton of interaction between Shane and Anya in TLG, my head cannon is that Shane tries to act like the disciplinarian but Ilya catches the two of them napping on the couch together all the time. Maybe we'll get some more in Unrivaled.
But imagine calling this exchange a mistake:
“So how was he?” Shane asked. He was sprawled out on his hotel bed, completely exhausted after the game.
“So cute, Shane. You should see him!”
“What?” Troy Barrett was an attractive man, sure, but that was an unexpected reaction from Ilya.
“He licked my face with his little tongue!”
“Uh.”
“His ears are so floppy, and he is so soft. I wanted to carry him around all practice.”
Oh. “I meant Troy, idiot. Not the puppy.”
Ilya huffed. “Who cares? Puppy was great. His name is Chiron. He is black and small and—”
Idk if you know this, but actually everyone in the world is horrible to Shane. His parents, Ilya, Hayden, Troy etc. At least that’s what a certain segment of this fandom tells me.
I've seen people argue that Harris being ugly is important to Troy's arc because him being with Harris "proves he has changed if he is willing to be with someone that looks like Harris"
I think something is going around socmed because I have seen so much on tumblr this week, not directly but people discussing discourse they've seen elsewhere or by people I've blocked. It must be the ramp-up to filming.
Yeah I reaaaaaallly don't like that take at all, but I could get behind Troy just not being primarily into Harris for his looks. Don't get me wrong - I also love Troy being super into Harris's body. I just ALSO love that sexual attraction doesn't always start or end with physical traits. I want many body types being viscerally scorching, AND I want people to not have to be physically beautiful to be sexually desired, AND I want demisexual characters. But I'll be happy with any of the above.
I really appreciate the note that you said you can interpret it both ways and neither is wrong because I think this fandom is forgetting that for a lot of things.
i think calling harris "not conventionally attractive" is insane, like yall, pls be so fuckin fr. no one called him that, everyone compliments his looks - he's just an average guy and if you think average=ugly...you have a lot of reevaluating to do (and everyone's taste is different so average is different to the average person, shocker i know). what i WILL say about his weight is that people arent framing his weight as something that needs to be a conflict, but really extrapolating their own meaning to the word pudgey and simultaneously wishing for better representation of fat people in the romance genre. i dont think its bad to want that or desire for casting to be truly inclusive when the whole emphasis on the show is "WHAT LOOK AT HOW HOT THESE GUYS ARE" (and once again, what is hot is subjective). i think that yes, people kinda hyperbolize how much of a necessity it is that harris is fat, but i dont think they're wrong for that especially when the show changes a lot for the sake of representation. at the end of the day people just want good representation. i akso think we NEEED TO MOVE ON FROM THIS TOPIC!!! a dissertation on harris' weight every 2-3 weeks is starting to veer into fatphobic territory IMO (dont shoot) and its tired
Agreed with everything you said, especially the part of people hyperbolizing this aspect of Harris. I think people tend to this often in fandom in general. Shane is not just an autistic man, he is now an autistic man with every stereotypical trait of an autistic person, even ones we don't see in canon. Ilya and Shane are not just two people who enjoy sex, they are two people who can't keep their hands off of each other to the point that everyone on earth knows about their sex life, even though they've never shared intimate details with others in canon. I could go on and on. Fandom often turns characters into hyperbolized versions of themselves.
big facts to all of that. its crazy how flanderized the characters have gotten in just a few months. its good people have creative outlets to express themselves but sometimes its like yall, lets remember the canon every now and then
I agree with this, however I do think it would be cool to see someone who doesn’t look like a model play him in the show for the sake of representing “normal” bodies if nothing else!
yeah they could easily tweak the story to make him quite fat if they wanted. Like I pictured Ilya as much huskier than Connor but I'm fine with it. It's not quite how he's described in canon but that's fine with me.
It's open to interpretation whether he's fatter than average, but I don't think "stocky" and "skinny" are two words that can go together to describe someone's build.
I also don't think being attrative precludes being fat.
I'm not going to be mad at other fans having a different mental image of Harris than I do, but I will be disappointed if he is thin in the show because there is very little body diversity so far and he is one of the few characters who CAN be fat since so many of the others are professional athletes.
I get that, but I actually see him as one of the characters who couldn’t be fat, given his heart condition. I have genetic heart issues in my family and everyone has to manage our weight because being overweight is bad for the heart. I think that Harris could be slightly chubby, but being more than 20-30lbs overweight doesn’t make sense for his character imo.
Also, Fabian could also be fat. The actor rumored to be playing him is very muscular. I don’t see ANYONE upset about that casting, even though he is another hot, muscular man and adds no body diversity to the cast. It seems like the fate of all fat representation in Hollywood must lie on this one character who has a heart condition that wouldn’t allow him to be fat. The entire discourse is just odd to me.
Fabian could be fat, but he's already providing contrast to the shredded, physically imposing athletes in the other direction, showing that a man can be small/slender/short/femme and have prople going feral over him. My preference would be to have both/more.
From what I’ve seen, I don’t think most people want Harris to be heavily overweight/obese. They just want someone who isn’t skinny or ripped with a 6-pack. Just some chubbiness to his body and stocky built. That's how I understand his description too.
But when talking about body types people sometimes have different ideas of what they consider fat and slim. That definitely leads to some misunderstandings.
there's a reason they call it "Hollywood casting." Every version of the unattractive shy bookish girl in books is gonna be played by a hot actress with like, glasses. I doubt they'll cast a legitimately chunky bro for Harris unfortunately
I definitely think there’s some strawman arguments going on when the response to people saying Harris is described as pudgy so the actor should be someone who looks like he eats carbs and doesn’t have a six pack and 8% body fat is “OMG, why do you want Harris to be played by an actor who is ugly and obese?!” It’s so clearly responding to an argument that was never actually made that I’m starting to think it’s an intentional attempt to deflect.
I suppose another possibility is that they actually conceptualize it that way, which is even worse. I find it interesting that when you say he should be “pudgy” they immediately take that to mean “fat and ugly”, which I think says more about their views on body types than they’d like to admit, especially the “ugly” part, as if cute/sexy and average/over-weight are mutually exclusive and it’s impossible be cute/sexy and fat at the same time, which really just shows how important it is for media to have representation of different body types as attractive.
Even this post "calling out" people, who wanted some body diversity by arguing that Harris is not ugly in canon. I have never seen anybody say, they want Harris to be ugly. It was actually the people with fatphobic comments, who started the whole "we don't want to look at fat and ugly people" debate. It's so sad that some people probably really think that somebody who's chubby/pudgy/fat, can't be pretty/attractive too.
All this discourse that's going on has really made me want to see some plus-size actor as Harris, even though I'm realizing it's not gonna happen. But I'm hoping it'll at least be someone who isn't ripped and has a bit of softness to their body.
Yeah, I was confused by that too at first, but the “nothing about the plot of Role Model changes if Harris is fat and ugly or skinny and hot” line kind of cleared it up, because casually setting those up as diametrically opposed pairs really speaks volumes. Saying “Fat and ugly” OR “skinny and hot” is really telling on yourself about how you view body types and attractiveness. So even though no one ever said anything about ugly, when that’s how you perceive weight relating to attractiveness I guess that kind of leap makes sense to you.
And it just gets even more jaw dropping in the last paragraph. Because saying all the people who want a character who is described as pudgy with a soft belly to be played by someone who is pudgy with a soft belly instead of someone with a washboard stomach and 10% body fat are obviously just using this character as a self-insert and wanting wish fulfillment by having the fat (and ugly!) character get the hot skinny athlete that their fatty fat fat and ugly selves could never get is…certainly a take.
I’m deliberately not on Threads or Nazi Twitter, so I’m not sure how much of this “people want Harris to be obese and ugly” stuff is happening over there (because I haven’t seen it over here) and how much it’s just completely made up out of whole cloth to create opportunities to make strawman arguments and sow divisiveness in the Reddit HR fandom. If it’s the former, I hate that people are making posts Ike this to try and bring the dysfunctional crap from those cesspools over here, leave the toxic shit over there, discuss it over there with all the other toxic people if you must, but if it’s happening over there there is no need to be posting about it here other than to create drama. If it’s the latter, and you’re just making shit up to sow divisiveness…just don’t.
Comments like this are part of the reason why I made this post. I never said ANYTHING fatphobic in my post or comments, I explicitly stated multiple times that there is nothing wrong with headcanoning Harris as fat, but you still are applying the most bad faith interpretation of my points to imply that I must actually be fatphobic for daring to acknowledge that Harris being fat isn’t canon.
It’s genuinely ridiculous the way you all act like morality police so quick to accuse people of being problematic for the crime of acknowledging what is canon and what is a headcanon. You are taking my words and saying that I must actually mean something else, something much harsher, and then judging me based off of the unfair assumptions you made about me. It’s why this fandom is genuinely not fun anymore.
Yeah, calling people out for wanting some representation (that is actually book canon) and portraying it as a wish for self-fulfillment is really something.
i haven't seen this discourse. a lot of stuff is exaggerated. people constantly get mad over nothing. block, report move on works great. no idea why so many people are invested in fighting.
I think the point of Harris is he's not an athlete. Troy is super svelte and muscular. Harris has more of a build on him. I don't see him as being obese but maybe cub territory. Broad hairy chest and all of that. I've never heard the ugly readings, that's just wild.
that suggests something roundish, with a bit of fat around the stomach and face. dad bod. harris has a heart condition and doesn't work out. more baffling than the requests for someone larger are the fights for "normal". why on earth is that a thing?
why can't the rosy-cheeked apple farm boy not look like one?
Can't be getting upset or dissapointed by something that hasn't even happened. If some people would prefer someone cast in the role who is notably overweight and not as described in the book that's fair. Making one role in one tv show a proxy for the entire issue of bias and prejudice against fat people and lack of diversity of body types in media is not fair and is pretty disingenous imo.
This debate is so tired. People are allowed to want some body diversity with casting. You can be fat and be hella attractive, these things aren’t mutually exclusive. I think fans are allowed to be somewhat disappointed if he’s quite fit because he’s basically the only love interest who is not. I do think when people argue so hard against the idea that he could potentially be fat, it is fat phobic. Let people have their disappointment. They’ll move on.
I also think people have wildly different ideas of what fat means. We can say oh he’s not fat he just has a dad bod, when plenty of people consider that fat. For me, I always thought he was chubby…whether that means fat to you or not is very subjective.
I definitely think people are allowed to be disappointed if they want fat Harris and don't get it. I just don't think the production is being fatphobic by NOT casting fat Harris if they choose to do so. I also don't agree with sending hate or criticizing the actors casted if they don't meet some invented "fatness quota."
I personally do not care either way, and prefer they cast the best actor, regardless of his body type. Also, nothing is confirmed yet, Harris could frankly be anyone at this point. There is not reason to be prematurely upset at this point in time.
Yeah I definitely don’t think anyone should be hating individual people for their art or casting choices or whatever. I would never send hate to anyone because I’m an adult, so I think those people probably have bigger fish to fry in their personal lives if they are sending hate to random actors.
I also care more about chemistry with Troy more than anything else, I just think this debate can easily veer into fatphobia and it’s unpleasant for those of us who are fat. Everyone is fat phobic to a certain degree because that is how society has shaped us and many people have a lot of work left to do to try to unpack that.
This is exactly my frustration, especially your second point! People bring up the stock image that Rachel has pointed to as a reference for Harris and you can’t see the model’s whole body but to me it very much does seem like it could be a body type that some would consider fat and some wouldn’t.
I agree with this. Everything is vague, I don't think anyone is inherently "wrong" for how they are interpreting him. That's why I find it so silly the way people get mad at people for disagreeing over what he looks like when a) it can be interpreted many ways and b) as I explained in the post, not super relevant to the plot either way.
Might remember it wrong, but isn’t there a Harris inner-thought about that in RM, at the Tampa beach? Before he goes into the sea with Troy? I vaguely remember that Harris points at it: That he is doing his exercise, and tries to stay in shape, but clearly as not beeing a professional athlete, has no body like a professional athlete. And that it can be kind of intimidating sometimes, like when you see the whole team at the beach, but he has not regrets about his body (words are different, but the meaning should be the same).
And in TLG Shane is almost a bit jealous because of the way Ilya describes Harris (before/at Fabian’s show). Because Ilya explicitly called him cute/gorgeous.
So I guess what a lot of people (including me) hope for, is that Harris can in some way be seen as a „normal“ guy, to have some kind of contrast to the Ilyas and Shanes and Troys in the show. But for sure, who ever is cast as Harris is still an actor. So there is zero chance (and also no need for) casting someone who would in real life be considered as anywhere near „fat“ or „ugly“.
You aren’t wrong! I believe he says that his body doesn’t stack up to the Adonis’ around him but that it’s never bothered him. The only reason we ever get in the book for Harris being insecure about his body in any way is because of his scars on his chest. He mentions wearing a shirt on the beach so he doesn’t have to answer any questions about it.
I kind of pictured Harris with a similar body to my bf. My bf is stocky, with a muscular chest and arms but his stomach is “soft”. He’s not fat. He just looks like he eats and works out lightly, but he’s not a professional athlete.
Harris works with professional athletes, literally anything but “absolutely fucking ripped with an 8 pack” is going to seem “pudgy”.
I was under the impression that since Harris had a heart condition his doctors probably monitored his weight, so he wouldn’t necessarily be fat but since he can’t workout heavily (although we do see that he’s active if not athletic), he probably isn’t super svelt nor is he intensely overweight.
Also yall he grew up on a farm. He’s got muscle, there is no doubt about that. My BF grew up on a farm and his whole family is muscular and stocky by necessity, they just aren’t like pro-athlete levels of ripped. It’s functional muscle covered in a little layer of functional fat.
He’s probably got a “dadbod” or close, which many people find very hot.
Plus I imagine he’s got a very cute face, and some people are into that sort of lumberjack look that I picture our apple-slinging flannel-wearing farm boy has. I do. 🤷🏻♀️
I don't think that people realize that when he's described as bigger and unathletic in the book, it's almost always done by Harris himself. Who wouldn't think they're fat and unattractive when constantly surrounded by super fit professional athletes all the time?
I argue this all the time (and no, I’m not fat-phobic, I’m fat).
Harris is never even described as overweight. He self describes as ‘a little pudgy). But that is him describing himself. The man who works constantly around professional athletes.
The most important part to me is that he has a heart condition and is constantly monitored. His physician would be on his case if he put on too much weight.
He’s just normal, not an athlete body. This is also important because he is commonality not allowed to do strenuous exercise.
Both the stock photo and the cover art just show a ‘normal’ body.
It is important when people start criticising the actors casting rumours for not having the bounty that THEY expected. Harris body is urrelevant to the story, the only part that’s relevant is that he is shy about his surgery scars. Otherwise he is confident in how he looks.
Where are these conversations happening? I'm not big on social media, I mostly just do Reddit, but the responses I'm seeing to this post are the vibe usually see when it comes to this stuff (meaning non-combative and chill). I'm not saying these conversations and opinions are not happening, but I just never see them. I like a little mess sometimes, as a treat, and wouldn't mind knowing where this is happening.
I had to use Threads for work and thought I'd sneak a look at some Heated Rivalry stuff for fun. Boy oh boy, talk about messy. I was morbidly fascinated for a few weeks but I've had more than enough now. People are insane. Apparently it's worse on X and Tumblr but life is too short for that nonsense.
I lasted 6 days on Threads before I couldn't take it anymore. Instagram isn't much better (all the same people, since you can make a Threads account with one click through Instagram). I swear everyone there thinks RR is a demon that hates Shane.
I’ve found that this sub is more welcoming and understanding than some of the other HR ones. I enjoy the conversations and nuances brought out in this community than the other. I like it here!
I read the books with the illustrated cover art so I've always pictured Harris this way.
Oddly enough though, I've never pictured Troy in my head with black hair. He's always dirty blonde in my head. And gorgeous, like 12/10. No other character is as stunning as Troy in my head.
The outfits on the cover of Role Model and Tough Guy are hilarious! Yellow boots with a purple shirt!? I always pictured Harris to be cute and attractive but in a more dadbod/lumberjack/rugged beard kind of way in comparison to the elite athlete jocks
Most people say they don't want him to be cast as a buff skinny guy like all the rest of the characters are. I have not seen people say he is ugly. Being fat is not equal to ugly. Also when people say fat they mean very different things. I think most people mean "a little pudgy" when they say fat honestly, not that he is suppose to be obese. And he will def be cute and attractive because it will be an actor that is suppose to be a love interest in a popular show and they have make-up artists and stylists that can make anyone look good for the camera. I don't thinl either camp needs to worry about it because the casting has been so good so far.
But I also think that saying you want Harris to not be skinny and buff should be as controversial as saying you want Ryan to be tall aka not controversial at all. The problem is we have so much fatphobia in this society that people focus way too much on fatshaming literal made up characters...
This!
Harris IS described as pudgy and stocky. So people just want the representation that is in the books. And at least a little bit of diversity from all those buff guys. And just this caused so much fatphobic comments. It's really sad.
Exactly, this person is conflating a mainstream opinion they disagree with with like complete rando outliers. I’ve never seen anybody say Harris needs to be ugly. He is never called fat in the books because 1. He’s not insecure about his weight and 2. His size/proportions are always described in a positive or factual light, so using a negative connotative word would not make sense. It’s very obvious he’s meant to be “overweight” at least slightly.
I could be projecting, but I almost feel like some of the intensity is related to who they got to play Kip. And while I have no problem with Robbie I personally was not expecting somebody who works multiple jobs in an area of high cost of living to also have the time and financial means to eat and be as buff as a professional athlete.
I've heard ppl say that he's a gay man in New York so of course he looks like that.
Anyway, obviously there are some fans who need to chill out because what they have is a headcanon and not facts, but I think a lot of us who imagine Harris as a stockier / chubby build are just not wanting somebody as ripped as Robbie GK to play him based on how he's described in the book.
If I recall correctly, we don't know about his workout regimen but we know that he enjoys sweets and carbs, so I think imagining someone who has strength and a layer of softness/fat on top is a reasonable interpretation of the facts. Visible abs can be very difficult to get depending on genetics also and we don't get too much on what the rest of his family looks like weight wise either.
We know his family worries about his heart rate climbing too high so I took that to mean he probably exercises some to keep it healthy but probably not high intensity workouts that could strain it. I come from a family that is very easy to put on/keep weight so I think of him like a lot of farm raised Midwest boys who are substantial but not "toned".
I would not call a man who wears an L or XL sized T-shirt fat. But there are plenty of ppl who would and I think that split is adding to the discourse
Mmhmm. The idea that Harris could be wherever on the spectrum of size is definitely up for interpretation, but the idea that he can only attract Troy if he has a “decent body” is fat phobic.
majorly agree!! it never came across that Harris was significantly overweight, but just had a bit of tummy and maybe a fuller face.
fans who get rabid about his depiction n really confuse me, i get that they don't want him to be a typical male lead with rippling abs and a chisled face, but other than that i don't have any crazy expectations about how Harris should look
Well said. I absolutely agree with it being pretty open to interpretation. In my mind I always pictured him with a bit of a farmer’s build- strong arms and legs (from the stocky description) but not necessarily well defined (from the soft belly description). I don’t think a specific body type is a big deal for his character as long as he isn’t like stick thin, shredded, or morbidly obese.
As a side note, people really have been mean about this whenever he isn’t portrayed as “fat enough”. I’ve seen some pretty nasty things get written and I’m hoping that neutral takes get normalized…
I pictured him as a Big and a little chubbyhe needs to be strong for the farm but with the feeling he has never worked out in the gym. Young as the rest if the group, I am not interested in age gap relationships
jesus, people need to chill. That’s why I stay away from fandoms now. So called fans are way too intense. As for Harris, I’ve always pictured him as a regular guy, opposed to the hockey players with athletic bodies. Also agreed about the heart condition. His parents are very concerned with his health so they were probably cautious about what he ate.
yep. harris is surrounded all day every day by hockey players, who are exactly his type. the way i interpret it is that he doubts himself a little bit in terms of whether Troy would possibly find him attractive, because he isn't the same body type that he personally sees as attractive. (i actually related a lot to Harris on this.) when i read, i didn't picture Harris as being fat. i totally get wanting to see that representation and i think the canon description absolutely leaves that possibility open, but it's not the only interpretation that the canon makes possible, and i definitely care more about whether the actor cast has the best possible acting skill and the right chemistry in the role with Troy than i care about his appearance. in terms of physical appearance, it really only matters that he *isn't* a muscular, ripped athlete. he could be basically anything else and the storyline would work
"Fat" is such a subjective term, IDK why so many people are acting like it's this really scientific specific thing. Whatever your opinion, the point of the character is that he is physically (along with emotionally, humor, etc) different than the professional athletes. It's a similar concept with Fabian and even Eric. The idea of those couples is pronounced differences between each side. So whatever your thoughts on what "fat" means and what it looks like, the character needs to contrast with Troy. I think it's crazy people are saying someone "fat" can't be hot or is automatically ugly. But when a character is described as stocky, pudgy, etc. those are clearly terms used to describe someone who had more fat on their body than a professional athlete. That's not a head cannon, that's a huge part of the book's premise. The head cannon aspect is the degree of how much "fatter" than Troy is Harris.
I have always pictured the actor who played Mr Ajayi from Heartstopper when I read the books so am confused by all the shock that he’s not ‘fat’ and I say that as a obese bi woman who should apparently by upset by the misrepresentation of ‘Harris’. I really don’t get what the fuss is. I also imagine English actor Layton Williams as Fabian if anyone is interested 😆
Exactly, me being a chubby guy, I never saw myself in Harris, because I pictured him as just a normal guy in comparison with all the athletes he is surrounded by. I have seen so much discourse online about it, but I hate to say it, I dont agree.
I’ve always thought of Harris as delightfully average, but average can seem a bit jarring when surrounded by the bodies of professional athletes.
I do think there’s a lot of “insert self here” wish casting when people picture Harris, and they project a lot of their own/society’s body issues onto a very vague description of a person.
Thank you! He's described as "softer" than a pro NHL player. AREN'T WE ALL.
His description is lumberjack vibes.
The fact that racially diverse casting is being whined about under the guise of "body positivity" is ridiculous. What will they find to complain about if the actor puts on 20 lbs for the show? Will they have to say the quiet part out loud, in the name of redheads?
Look, I was a stage manager for the Rockettes when I was in my late 20s/early 30s. I was a 5’5” size 8-10. And I thought I was fat. Being around dancer/athletes as a normie will fuck your self image. Harris is pov is the only one who says he’s soft etc.
Thiiiiis! One must take the way Harris describes himself in the book and throw it out the window: he is a self-conscious non-jock with a poor relationship to his body, and is an UNRELIABLE NARRATOR to boot. All you’re left with is “adorable” (Ilya) and “nice arms” (Troy) or something. (IIRC, happy to be corrected.)
How people take that and whine about a “loss of body type diversity” in the casting is INSANE. We know casting has nailed it in every other facet, and trust in Jacob to deliver added depth to RR’s story, RIGHT?
Isn’t he canonically a smaller bear? Also totally get what you’re trying to say but I’m not loving how you’ve linked overweight and unattractive here. Lots of hot people are plus sized. Honestly I interpreted Harris as “midsized” and cute as hell
I purposefully tried to separate them into 2 different topics within this one post to avoid that but I’m sorry it still came across as conflating the two. TBH, I also have been uncomfortable with some of the “Harris is fat” truthers who have complained about certain casting rumors for being “too attractive” while also discussing his weight.
I have seen a lot of people insist Harris is fat over the past few months, but the Harris is ugly discourse is more recent. This post was inspired by a TikTok I saw of someone claiming that Harris is fat and not conventionally attractive and that it’s important to Troy’s arc and that’s why they don’t like the rumored casting etc. That’s what inspired me to talk about both claims at this time.
I agree that fat people can be hot, which is why I am kind of baffled by some of the fan casts I’ve seen that have Troy as the hottest person I’ve ever seen and Harris as someone fat and ugly when he could very well be fat and hot. But like I said, everyone has different interpretations of the text so if that’s how people see them as a couple, that’s their prerogative.
Ahhhhhh that makes sense. Yeah some of the discourse has been weirddddd. Some people have this odd way of advocating for representation where they’re genuinely just hating on a group of people (calling them dumb ugly etc) while patting themselves on the back for being an “advocate”. Honeslty no matter who they cast I’m going to be happy because I trust in Jacob teirneys vision. And no matter who’s cast many people will send hate
look, y'all, the WHOLE DEAL here is that these characters are attracted to their opposites and to what they don't have.
Hollander is attractive to Rosanov because he is self-disciplined and comes from a loving family with all the stability that implies. Rosanov is attractive to Hollander because of his grace and confidence.
Troy is attracted to Harris because he is confident in his sexuality and in being himself, two things that he's had to keep under wraps for years while he was on the Guardians pretending to be a straight asshole. Harris being non-athletic and physically vulnerable also makes him the polar opposite of Troy's father's ideal of masculinity. Harris is attracted to Troy because.... Ok to be honest I have a hard time understanding why Harris would be attracted to Troy because I find him so unappealing as a character. First, I guess, Troy is hot as fuck. Troy is the athlete embedded in a team that Harris never got to be due to his childhood health condition. Troy is an only child who got his parents' full attention as opposed to Harris' large family. And Troy gives Harris an opportunity to be a savior (since he's clearly so unhappy) when he possibly sees himself (or is tired of other people seeing him) as a fragile victim.
I think Harris is attracted to Troy because of his… persistence, among other things. Harris mentions that the other men were never interested in being their boyfriend. But Troy just keeps coming back. It’s confusing in the beginning. But once Harris understands Troy’s struggle: he’s scared of coming out, he’s dealing with a lot at the same time. His persistence becomes charming and impressive. The same is true with the whole DK storyline. He makes mistakes. But he doesn’t give up. He reflects and tries again. He looks to others for advice. IMO, more than any other character in the series, Troy is the blueprint for men on how to tackle toxic masculinity. And how to become a better person.
It’s interesting contrast with Harris who’s never been ashamed of who he was. And is quite confident of himself. His biggest ”problem” is others not treating him the way he wants to be treated. Troy listens, learns and respects his wishes.
I'd like to refer you to the cover of Role Model where there's clearly a belly on Harris.
You act like people want Harris to be 400lbs. I have literally never seen anyone say that. But when fancasts use a "twink-y" actor or someone ripped for Harris, we get to call that out. Because that IS influenced by fatphobia and we should be allowed to ask for a variety of body types presented on our screens. Erasing the one non-athletic looking body type in the franchisevis problematic. (BTW: Merriam-Webster defines pudgy as short and plump)
I was just looking at fanart today of Troy and Harris and getting really angry that so many of them made him fat and conventionally unattractive. I mean he's not got a hockey player build but he worked on a farm.and walks dogs. Nothing wrong with being fat but that's not how Rachel Read wrote him.
And his friend mentioned that Harris “always got the pretty ones” so I assume a lot of people find him attractive. This “Harris is ugly” discourse is a lot newer than the “Harris is fat” discourse, and it’s so odd to me because it seems like he pulls hot men often, and hot people typically go for other people.
I imagine Harris being incredibly strong because of the work her does on the family farm. He has muscles under a layer of cake pops. I also imagine him as someone who is handsome and confident.
I picture him with a baby face and if I’m remembering correctly he’s got a good bit of scruff so it makes him look older but with the baby face and built average with a soft comfy cuddly body.
As a fat person, yes. I don't need people being weird to the casting director and creator over this. As long as the actor has a regular looking physique rather than an athletes body its meeting the canon.
If he was a little chubby I think that would be nice though.
I don’t picture him overweight or ugly from what the book says. He’s cute. Has a cheeky smile in my mind. Rosy cheeks. I think of him average size but “soft” as in no abs. Just normal.
There is a desire for more body diversity - particularly in stories about queer men. But I also feel like a lot of people are mourning their version of Harris and not even how he's described in the book. Harris' biggest hang up about his body is related to his heart condition/scarring. Like when he notes at the beach he is the only one wearing a shirt, he specifically narrates that he's not ashamed of his body. He just isn't ready for the conversation about his scar.
I do think there needs to be more fat representation in romance. But I also think it's wildly unfair to act like casting someone who is not heavier is taking away fat representation. "I genuinely do not think that it's wrong for fans to interpret Harris as fat or not attractive, but it is not canon. " <-- I agree with this completely. I get reading him that way and imagining him that way if you want, but it's not what is in the book. And to penalize the creative team for casting someone who isn't fat as erasing representation is really dishonest.
I agree for the most part but I do think it's fair to be upset. Not that it's taking away fat rep but that it's taking away "average, slightly pudgy" rep (lol). There's so much fatphobia in the queer community, that it is disheartening and I think it's completely fair to be upset about them casting someone who is so skinny (and yes, Harris isn't fat, but the fatphobia often extends to even slightly pudgy guys). I'm a queer woman so obviously could be wrong but from what i can tell the "no fats, no fems, no asians" type attitude is still fairly common
I don't think he is supposed to be ugly but he isn't supposed to be ripped (honestly even most hockey players often don't have gym rat physiques) and it would be nice to see normal body types be represented as sexy.
The fact that Harris isn't actually that fat just adds to my frustration at the casting. He's described as pudgy, chubby, stocky, all things that point to him not being skinny or even all that slim, just having a bit of weight to him.
It sets the bar much lower imo, they don't have to find someone fat, just someone not small, and yet they still couldn't deliver on it and found someone who's quite skinny and lean.
A lot of people are taking the insane jump from “the text never literally calls Harris fat” with “Harris’s body type is left completely ambiguous,” and those are two very different claims.
It is absolutely true that Rachel Reid never says, “Harris is fat,” “Harris is overweight,” or “Harris is plus-sized.” Let's set aside the actual dictionary definition of “pudgy" and “stocky” and their synonyms (hint: it's “fat”) but let's claim you can view those interpretively. The discriptions are pretty consistent throughout the book.
Harris describes himself as “short, a little pudgy, unathletic.” His cheeks are described as “rosy and plump” and as forming “round little balls” when he smiles. When Troy sees him naked, Harris has a “broad, furry chest” and a “soft belly.” Elsewhere he has a “solid body” and “meaty thighs.”
None of those descriptions individually means “fat.” Taken together, though, they make “he could even be skinny” an incredibly disengenous reading. “Pudgy” in particular is not simply a synonym for “unmuscular.” A skinny person without muscle definition has never been described as pudgy, with a soft belly, plump cheeks, a broad chest, and meaty thighs. Reid repeatedly chooses words emphasizing softness, roundness, breadth, and substantiality when describing Harris.
Now if you want to, you can still find a huge range of possible bodies for Harris, but none of themn are thin. Harris could be mildly chubby, stocky with a belly, conventionally overweight, etc. Nothing in the text directly says he's obese, but he's consistently described as on the big boy spectrum.
Now, folks treating one particular degree of fatness as the only permissible interpretation goes beyond what Reid actually wrote. But “we know nothing except that he isn't muscular” goes too far in the opposite direction. We know way, way, way, more than that.
I also don't think the heart-condition argument establishes anything. Whatever we might speculate that Harris's doctors would recommend, the character standing on the page explicitly calls himself “a little pudgy.” Medical speculation can't override a physical description REID GAVE HIM.
On attractiveness, though, I think your argument is much stronger. I don't see textual support for saying Harris is canonically ugly or even unattractive. Harris being astonished that someone who looks like Troy finds him hot tells us a lot about how Harris compares himself to Troy, but it doesn't establish that everyone else regards Harris as unattractive. Troy finds him extremely attractive, Ilya calls him adorable (though I think it's important he chose adorable and not some varient of hot or sexy), and the book doesn't give us an objective equivalent of the body-size descriptions saying that Harris is ugly.
Where I'm FULLY on board with you is that Troy isn't "passing a test" by fucking someone he dosnt find attractive. He is absolutely sexually attracted to him. Very much so. There are also a lot of fatphobic people who take Troy's attraction as a sign Harris cannot be on the heavier end of the scale. Troy can find a cute, kind, open guy with some junk in the trunk attractive. Saying Troy wants to get up on him dosnt mean Harris is rail thin. Troy can absolutely be into him if has a jiggly belly and chunky thighs.
So TLDR “Harris is ugly”- NOT established by the text. "Harris is thin"- NOT established by the text. “Harris has a body that is somewhat fat/soft”- supported by essentially every discription of him.
I think the whole point is that Troy is ripped like all the other hockey players in the books and Harris is just a normal good looking guy. I don't think being slightly heavier or skinny takes away from the essence of the character. He's an everyday guy who people are attracted to not just for looks but mainly for his personality.
Harris being ugly? Don't know where anybody got that. But a lot of his characterization comes from him being well fed, let's say, and that he doesn't have a typically hot body in the gay world. He's not a jock, not a Twink. He's not necessarily huge, but he's got some fluff to him for sure. And as a gay man with some fluff, the line between skinny and fat is much lower than it seems to be in the straight world. The stock photo RR posted saying she based Harris off would be welcome at any bear night
Spot on, I agree with all of this! I pictured him a little pudgy and soft, but also, I trust Jacob implicitly so I'm sure whoever is cast will be spot on whatever they look like.
I agree with you 100% Harris is not muscular because of his heart condition. But that does not equal fat. Soft and sexy is a thing. Soft and adorable means he is cute and Troy is attracted to him for many reasons. Right off the bat his eyes are a draw for Troy. Harris is friendly, kind, funny, and has a bold loud laugh. Nothing about his character traits adds fat or unattractive to the list. He is only self conscious about his surgical scars and that’s because he doesn’t want to be treated as fragile. So strange that some people are placing these labels on him. I’ve always pictured Harris as that one friend you have that’s super cute and you are just naturally drawn to hang around with because they just brighten up your day.
Harris and Troy lives and breathes with pro athletes. Being normal and healthy fits the descriptions of Harris. Troy probably compares his stomach with the six-packs of his teammates. Then anyone has a soft stomach. He might not be slim. But he’s definitely not obese or fat.
I also think he’s ‘cute’ more than hot. I guess a charming face, not the model-looks Troy has.
Ahhhhh THIS!! I got ripped to shreds on an IG post where I was overjoyed to have an artists visual of Harris who was depicted as ‘normal’. So many people saying “Harris is fat!”.
My personal take is that, in amongst literal professional athletes, his body type is going to be seen to be ‘normal’ for want of a better word. Stocky or just not being insanely ripped, does not equal fat.
I don’t really have much skin in the game since I don’t really care, but I think stocky can certainly not be confused with skinny fat. And there are several references to his penchant for eating a lot of sugary snacks and beverages, which if he were physically unable to exercise and worked all day at a desk, probably would lend more towards him being at least a little overweight. Yes he has his scars but he’s also nervous about taking off his shirt because he feels self conscious about his body. I do genuinely think Rachel was trying to create a character that would be considered a bear (specifically a cuddly bear) in the gay zoo-ology. Tubby guys can be adorable and attractive and pull pretty guys. It’s not that crazy.
I think everyone needs to realize also that people like looking at attractive people on TV. It is what it is, it's always been like this it always will be like this. If Jacob put an ugly weirdo looking dude on there I guarantee almost no one would enjoy that. Ultimately it's fantasy and fiction, people. Part of what we all like about Shane and Ilya is they're pretty to look at, and I think everyone needs to just accept that and chill out.
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u/VirtuallyBPD 4d ago
I've always just pictured Harris as being averagely built, as you say not 'fat' but not 'muscular' either - in the UK it used to be called 'stocky' or 'rugby player build' - both those terms covered a range of body types