Why did the factory women all hate Fantine so much?

[Leadingplayer]

I didn't get that part.

[Jordan Catalano]

Because Fantine was the pretty one and you know how ugly bitches hate the pretty one.

[finebydesign]

It's because Cossette was born out of wed-lock, they assume Fantine's a whore (despite being whores themselves). I agree it is not clear enough to the audience.

[CJ N2N]

I always just kind of assumed they were just bitches and.... a word I can't say. They're just like those popular girls in high school. Being bitchy for bitchiness' sake.

[Jordan Catalano]

NO. It's because she's hot and the others are all homely and ugly and they're jealous. And I think that's a direct quote from the book.

[CJ N2N]

That must be a new translation.

[Henoa]

I thought it was because she had a note and were jealous.

[Mister Matt]

Factory women by nature are gossipy, bitchy and ornery. Didn't you ever watch Roseanne?

[Jordan Catalano]

Or LAVERNE & SHIRLEY?

[GlindatheGood22]

Also unclear is whether Fantine's actually prostituting herself to pay for Cosette, or if that's a new development once she gets the boot.

[Dave19]

I think those factory bitches really represent the real world.
There are people like that everywhere.

I worked at a musical last year and some colleagues were exactly the same as those factory bitches. Maybe even worse.

Jealousy, own misery, insecurity could be reasons for that behaviour.

[dramamama611]

The prostitution in new.

[Phan#24601]

It was because she had beautiful blonde hair (well, at least in the original stage production and the original novel) and blonde hair was an uncommon trait in that setting. The factory women were already jealous of her beauty and they used the newfound knowledge of her illegitamate child to get her fired.

[SporkGoddess]

Agghhh, this is like the fourth time this has been asked.

In the novel, they don't really like Fantine because they're jealous of her blonde hair but they don't intentionally get her fired, either. They're extremely gossipy and wonder why she keeps sneaking off by herself. They find out the truth, it spreads like wildfire, and eventually their (female) foreman hears and fires Fantine without Valjean's knowledge.

In the musical, I'm assuming that they're jealous of how attractive she is. Maybe they're also upset that she's making the foreman cranky by not putting out. That and the whole "She has a child out of wedlock, she must be a whore" thing.

[PattyO'Furniture]

Mister Matt for the win!

[GavestonPS]

"Also unclear is whether Fantine's actually prostituting herself to pay for Cosette, or if that's a new development once she gets the boot."

Glinda, she SAYS she isn't doing anything wrong to support her child (while she's still at the factory) and I think we're supposed to believe her. "Selling her body" (in every way) is a consequence of losing the factory job.

[Addison D.]

They are jealous of her oeuvre.

[justoldbill]

Madge is the pretty one! Madge is the pretty one!

[theaterkid1015]

In the movie, I think their main point of envy was her teeth.

[CarlosAlberto]

I think their main point of envy was her pretty pink dress.

[pinoyidol2006]

From the song ("At the End of the Day"), I thought it was because they think that the foreman would be less of a sleazebag if Fantine put out.

"Have you seen how the foreman is fuming today?
With his terrible breath and his wandering hands?
It's because little Fantine won't give him his way
Take a look at his trousers, you'll see where he stands"

[DEClarke]

I agree with CarlosAlberto. In the movie its because she has fashion sense and they don't! LOL!

No, I think for the musical they are jealous of her because the Foreman has the hots for her, but she won;t cave in. Then they find out she has a child hidden away, and they accuse her of being a whore. The foreman buys into it. He sings "You play virigin in the light/But need no urgin' in the night." Then throws her out. And the women chime in that "She's laughing at you/While she having her men." Also, before all of that, they accuse her of being a whore and ruining their reputations singing, "You must send the slut away/Or we're all gonna end in the gutter/And it's us who'll have to pay/At the end of the day!"

So basically, their gossip turns everyone against her, and the gossip goes back to them being jealous that she's pretty and the Foreman wants her. He is already set to dislike her because she refuses her advances. It's all there in the lyrics.

[Gothampc]

It's because she's won major awards and they haven't.

What I don't get about Fantine is why is Cosette so far away? Couldn't Fantine board her in the town she was working in? And couldn't Fantine tell people that her husband had died? Couldn't she at least steal a loaf of bread?

[CarlosAlberto]

They were jealous because her milkshake brought all the boys to her yard.

[Musicaldudepeter]

Because they all think that SHE thinks she's too good for the Foreman, and that maybe she should give in to his advances. Nothing is good enough for them it seems - if she did sleep with him, they'd still be jealous of her; but when she's not sleeping with him, they're annoyed with her

[SporkGoddess]

"What I don't get about Fantine is why is Cosette so far away? Couldn't Fantine board her in the town she was working in? And couldn't Fantine tell people that her husband had died? Couldn't she at least steal a loaf of bread?"

They explain this in the novel. Fantine can't afford to keep Cosette in town and she sees how well the Thenardiers care for their own daughters--it seems like a good fit to her.