In June, Lea Michele made news by replacing Beanie Feldstein in the Broadway production of “Funny Girl.”
The decision to cast Michele is once again in the spotlight due to outfit comparisons.
Feldstein wore a final dress with sleeves when portraying Fanny Brice, but Michele’s has none.
The fact that Lea Michele and Beanie Feldstein wore different outfits while portraying the same role in the Broadway production of “Funny Girl” has spurred internet conversation about fatphobia.
In June, the “Glee” star made news when she was officially cast as Fanny Brice in “Funny Girl” in place of Feldstein. It occurred shortly before Feldstein, who had her Broadway debut as Fanny Brice in April, announced that she would be leaving the show sooner than expected, provoking social media outrage.
Prior to her departure, Feldstein’s singing abilities and portrayal of the iconic role originally played by Barbara Streisand were met with mixed reviews. However, as previously reported by Insider, there were also online rumors that Feldstein’s critique was connected to fatphobia.
On Tuesday, after Michele made her debut on the show, the discrepancies between the performers’ final outfits became the topic of conversation.
Feldstein is depicted in images taken after curtain calls, when the cast is praised by the crowd, wearing a red dress with gold ornamentation on the chest. Similarly, Michele wore a sleeveless version of the outfit for her Tuesday curtain call.
Tuesday is Lea Michele’s first curtain call as Fanny Brice in “Funny Girl.”
Bruce Glikas/WireImage
On Thursday, TikToker Alaina Noelle posted a video that, as of Saturday morning, has 47,400 likes in response to the dramatic contrast between outfits. Noelle stated, “They removed the sleeves and changed Fanny Brice’s outfit in less than three seconds after Beanie Feldstein left.” “You are free to say whatever you like about it. However, as a larger-sized individual, it was observed, felt, and noted.”
Noelle and “Funny Girl” spokespeople did not react quickly to Insider’s request for comment.
Previous individuals who reacted to Noelle’s report stated that Michele may have requested a different final dress because she didn’t like how the other design looked and that it was evidence of “real-life fat shaming on Broadway.”
Journalist Carolyn Burt of the Los Angeles Times retweeted Noelle’s TikTok on Thursday, along with photographs of both of the show’s actors, and commented that debate about the finale dress is “vital.”
“After Beanie left manufacture, the sleeves were also discontinued. Along with Lea’s debut comes a new song “Burt authored the text.
Beanie Feldstein and Lea Michele’s representatives did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.