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Weight-loss by injection has become so popular, so fast, it’s really changed the body-positivity game overnight.
Irish comedian Alison Spittle feels betrayed by Adele for slimming down, and she’s keeping an eye on Lizzo. At least Spittle still has Shrek to count on as a role model. But if you see Spittle this summer at Fringe, you’ll notice she has slimmed quite a bit herself. The why of it forms the basis of her new hour. For not even Spittle’s playful demonstration of arms-free walks down airplane/train aisles could spare her from the indignities of a man heckling her on a railway to her first skiing trip to France, or the humbling realization at the slopes when they had no equipment to fit her. “Too big for your boots” as a metaphor is one thing; “very humbling” in real life, Spittle acknowledges.
We learn the real tragedy is why she began putting on pounds as a child in the first place, and how neither callous TV producers or evil men could keep her from finding a long-term boyfriend, or more importantly, learning to love herself. Through it all, Spittle keeps a light touch when describing the intricacies of Slimming World’s “Sin Points,” the hidden dangers of outdoor saunas, and the engrossing grossness of her unexpected hospitalization. As a comedian, Spittle has had to balance her ego’s needs for outside validation with her own acceptance of her body.
To you or to her aunt, she may seem happier now that she has lost weight and gained nicer treatment from strangers because of it. And she definitely is happier performing this show. But perhaps that’s all beside the point once you’ve conquered Pointless.
Alison Spittle: BIG plays Monkey Barrel through Aug. 23, 2025.
