1

There is a scene in the movie Beautiful Girls:

Willie: How they doing?

Paul: You kidding me? All he ever thinks about is Darian Smalls.

Willie: Come on! Still?

Paul: Still! Nothing changes around here, Will. Every time Sharon looks at Birdie's face and sees him thinking about Darian, it's translated into another ugly pound when she looks at herself in the mirror. Have you seen her? She looks like one of those kids Sally Struthers feeds paste to.

I can't figure out what "pound" means here. It can't be a dog pound or a car pound. Here is a clip of this scene I found on YouTube.

|improve this question
2

It seems to be a simile comparing the dejection that Sharon feels when Birdie is thinking about Darian to the feeling that one gets when looking at themselves in the mirror and realizing that they have gained weight (they have put on an "ugly pound," which, in a superficial context would make them less attractive).

This notion of weight being a value judgement is supported by the next part of the dialog where the character says "we need models..."

|improve this answer
  • 1
    i think Birdie hasn't gained weight but instead feels like she has when she looks at herself in the mirror--AKA body dysphoric disorder. That's confirmed by the next statement about Struthers feeding kids--those kids were starving--as part of fundraising for the Christian Children's Fund. – mkennedy Apr 24 at 23:22
  • It's hard to tell where the train of thought ends and the reality begins. Sally Struthers is often parodied as being overweight herself (e.g., South Park), so it's definitely all part of the same derogatory statement. – jonsca Apr 24 at 23:30

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.