"Women should try to increase their size rather than decrease it, because I believe the bigger we are, the more space we'll take up, and the more we'll have to be reckoned with"
About this Quote
The specific intent is mischievous but serious: treat physical “bigness” as leverage. Barr isn’t prescribing a wellness plan; she’s mocking the moral obsession with women’s reduction - fewer pounds, fewer opinions, less need. “Take up space” is the key phrase, a cultural shorthand for visibility and entitlement. She literalizes it, turning metaphor into body politics: if the world polices women through measurement, then measurement can be reclaimed as a form of protest.
The subtext has teeth. “Reckoned with” implies consequence. It frames womanhood not as something to be managed for male comfort, but as a presence that forces negotiation. That’s why the joke lands: it turns a stigmatized trait into a threat to the status quo.
Context matters, too. Barr rose in an era when sitcom wives were often softened into palatable archetypes. Her brand was refusing polish. This quote sits inside that tradition - a pop-cultural one-liner with real stakes, using humor as a crowbar to pry open who gets to occupy the center of the room.
Quote Details
| Topic | Equality |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Barr, Roseanne. (2026, January 17). Women should try to increase their size rather than decrease it, because I believe the bigger we are, the more space we'll take up, and the more we'll have to be reckoned with. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/women-should-try-to-increase-their-size-rather-81116/
Chicago Style
Barr, Roseanne. "Women should try to increase their size rather than decrease it, because I believe the bigger we are, the more space we'll take up, and the more we'll have to be reckoned with." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/women-should-try-to-increase-their-size-rather-81116/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Women should try to increase their size rather than decrease it, because I believe the bigger we are, the more space we'll take up, and the more we'll have to be reckoned with." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/women-should-try-to-increase-their-size-rather-81116/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.










