People will still make fun of my body: Ah Girls Go Army's Xixi Lim denies being fat-shamed by character name

When does a joke cross the line?

That seems to be a topic of discussion after local director Jack Neo recently came under fire for his latest Chinese New Year film Ah Girls Go Army.

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The comedy is set in a future where Singapore's low birth rates see women conscripted into the army and one of its characters is played by plus-sized comedian Xixi Lim.

What got netizens riled up was the fact that her character is named Yuan Yuanyuan. "Yuan" is a Chinese homonym for "round" and netizens took it to be a comment on her size and accused Jack of fat-shaming Xixi.

During an interview with 8days on Jan 28, the 33-year-old rubbished the fat-shaming claims and said she felt the opposite when she read the script.

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"The first thought I had when I read the script was that it would give plus-sized women more confidence. My character wasn't written as a stereotypical fat girl. Yuan Yuanyuan is a very bubbly and helpful person who has great stamina. She's never the last when it comes to physical activities, so it shows that plus-sized women can do more than you think we can. Sometimes, we even do it better than regular people," Xixi shared, adding that she "saw a glimmer of hope in this aspect".

She added: "I feel that it all depends on how you look at it. My character's name was meant to be funny but some people think that it's making fun of my body.

"When I saw that, I thought to myself, even if my character wasn't called Yuan Yuanyuan, people would still make fun of or comment on my body. I don't see an issue with the name itself and I do think that it's one that you can remember easily."

While she doesn't think that anyone has cast her to "make fun of her size" and a lot of the characters she plays "can be portrayed by other women", she admitted that there's a "certain level of stereotyping" as she is usually playing cute or comedic roles.

"I hope that we can be like Hollywood where I would be able to act as a spy, thief or in an action movie in general. I hope that Singapore [filmmakers] can one day let me act in a different kind of role," she shared.

In fact, Xixi would also like a handsome co-star and she would prefer if they could play a couple.

"We would break the stereotype that plus-sized girls can't be with handsome men."

Always been losing weight

When asked whether she has thought about shedding some weight, Xixi revealed that she has been trying and working out.

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"I've always been trying hard to lose weight, but most importantly, I want to be healthy. In recent years, I've been paying more attention to what I eat and I've also been working out. You may not realise that I've lost weight when you see me on screen, but my stamina has definitely improved."

She is also aware that with her weight, her body can be a "ticking time bomb". Fortunately, she has a clean bill of health for now.

Xixi explained: "People may think that I've built my career around being plus-sized and that the message I want to bring across is that it's okay to be plus-sized.

"But in fact, my message is that you must know how to love yourself while you're working towards the goal that you want, be it losing weight or becoming prettier. If you don't love yourself, you won't be able to convince anyone else to love you either."

ALSO READ: 'A female tomboy, not a trans person': Kelly Kimberly Cheong on her Ah Girls Go Army character's name causing a stir

bryanlim@asiaone.com