I am just another rando pop psychologist in my armchair here, but regarding her potential "mental illness"
I firmly believe that Chantal is
not mentally ill, in the sense of having a diagnosable disease.
If anyone wants to hear what mentally ill sounds like, they can listen to fellow Beauty Parlor lolcow
Virgo Rouge
That is what mental insanity sounds like. Chantal is obviously not delusional to the point of paranoia like Virgo is.
I do think she has a less sexy (and alas for her, less treatable) "personality disorder" But I also think it is her own dumb fault.
Chantal may fit somewhere on the personality disorder scale, but she put herself there with a lifetime of behavior that for whatever reason was never discouraged in early childhood (I am guessing that that corresponds with her teenaged single mom working and not having as much contact as she probably should have. Maybe the babysitter/daycare operator/grandma overfed Chantal all the time to keep her from crying? Who knows?)
I guess it is not her fault to the same extent that it is not anyone's fault who does stupid things and never realizes they are stupid. However, we are
all born with issues that our parents and family inadvertently gave us as kids. We
all have to work through some shit. That is what being adult is all about; working through the shit you inherit so you can be a better version. And still, you'll wind up giving your kids issues.
Chantal may have been a lazy, fat, under-stimulated baby (my guess) due to her single mom's circumstance, and insofar as that isn't her fault, it has resulted in a lazy, fat, under-stimulated adult.
What
is her fault is her absolute refusal to work through
any of it. She may not be super-bright, but she has been given enough intelligence that she could face the demons that drive her and roll up her sleeves and be a better person.
But the adult Chantal makes the
adult decision to let laziness and sloth override
every decision in life. And that is unforgivable. Which is why her travails are lulzy and not tragic.
Edit to add: Dutch Courage mentioned how she has to hold onto something first. Goes to show how noticeable it is.
I am guessing it is not because she needs the support. I think she believes it makes her look more lithe. And it probably does.