Or even more insulting, a doctored photograph of a celebrity three days after giving birth with a headline that reads “How she lost 30 pounds in three days and rid herself of stretch marks.” Did you know that the cervix has to dilate more than three inches to give birth?
If I can give birth without requesting euthanasia halfway through I’ll feel accomplished. Articles like these given both women and men unrealistic expectations for women’s bodies.
It is physically impossible to live without fat- it insulates the body from extreme temperatures and protects our vital organs. And what’s more, it’s impossible to lose thirty pounds in three days, or a week, or even a month for that matter. In fact, it would probably take at least five months to lose that amount of weight in a healthy manner.
However, many of the celebrities pictured in magazines portray a dangerous and negative body image that sets a physically and emotionally unattainable standard of “perfection.” Take for instance, Mary-Kate Olsen, who once suffered from Anorexia Nervosa. She then appeared on Oprah with her twin sister, when they spoke about their morning ritual of scooping out the inner portion of their bagels in order to lessen the carbohydrate and calorie count. I’ve seen the Olsen twins lately, and it doesn’t look to me as if they’re packing too many pounds to consume a bagel in its entirety.
The Olsen twins aren’t the only celebrities putting forth negative connotations about healthy eating or healthy body image. Supermodel Kate Moss told Women’s Wear Daily that “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” Kate’s food philosophy sounds like something that should be said to a Psychologist, not something that should be declared to the public. Especially since Moss has a young daughter, who is probably very impressionable as to her mother’s beliefs.
Celebrity Stylist Rachel Zoe weighs an estimated 80 pounds, but has denied rumors of an eating disorder. Despite her protests, friends and those close to her have revealed to the media that Zoe refuses to eat a food unless it is fat free, and Health Professionals have been quoted as saying that Zoe is dangerously thin. It has also been noted by many that Zoe’s clients seem to take on her wafer-thin form, a trend known in Hollywood as the “Zoe Effect.” Clients such as Nicole Richie, Mischa Barton, and Keira Knightley all lost a shocking amount of weight while working with Zoe.
After severing ties with Zoe, Richie gained weight and wrote on her official myspace, “What 35 year old raisin face whispers her order of 3 peices of asparagus for dinner at Chateau everynight, and hides her deathly disorder by pointing the finger at me, and used her last paycheck I wrote her to pay for a publisist instead of a nutritionist? HINT: Her nickname is lettuce cup.”
Personally, I feel that a healthy body and lifestyle (at any size) is a standard that we can all live up to with healthy eating habits and exercise. I would rather do my own personal best for my body size and shape than try to attain a standard that is not my true self. Reaching for goals so far off from what is your own naturally will only lead to emotional dissatisfaction and self-hatred. Take the baton from these healthy celebrities instead, who stay true to their bodies and themselves:
After being pictured at an unflattering angle by paparazzi while on vacation, Banks fought back at the unfair tabloid covers by donning the very same swimsuit on her show and inviting the paparazzi to “Kiss my fat ass.” Although Banks is 30 lbs heavier than when she posed for Sports Illustrated in 1997, Banks weighs an approximated 161 pounds- a healthy weight for her 5’10 frame.
"I get so much mail from young girls who say, 'I look up to you, you're not as skinny as everyone else, I think you're beautiful,' " she says. "So when they say that my body is 'ugly' and 'disgusting,' what does that make those girls feel like?"
Curvy Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet has also been criticized by the media for her weight, but keeps reality in check by focusing on her life goals and accomplishments instead of an ideal body weight or shape. "I resent that there is an image of perfection that is getting thinner and thinner," she recently told the BBC. "I've got a lovely husband and children, and I didn't lose weight to find those things,” Winslet said
Like Banks, Jessica Simpson appeared in some unflattering photographs after performing in a pair of high-rise jeans. Although always curvier, the paparazzi took extra notice of Simpson’s slightly bulkier frame. Simpson retaliated in an interview by saying “It’s not fair that women look in the mirror and feel disgust because of what society has made them believe.No matter how much money you spend to make yourself beautiful—with all the products, the diets, the plastic surgery—in the end, women need to fall in love with themselves and realize they’re beautifully and wonderfully made. There is no “perfect” you."
Scarlett Johansson, a celebrity often portrayed as a sex pot, has a curvy body that she says is in the name of hard work, healthy diet, and exercise. Johansson says, however, that she is used to the media unfairly portraying her body as an ideal, or implying that she’s undergone fad dieting to achieve her appearance. “ There is no magic wand to wave over oneself to look good in a latex catsuit. Eating healthy and getting fit is about commitment, determination, consistency and the dedication to self-preservation. While I've never been considered a gym rat, I have, in fact, worked up a sweat in the name of cardio before, and although I enjoy a grilled cheese as much as the next person, I combine the not-so-good foods I crave with an all-around balanced diet. I'm frustrated with the irresponsibility of tabloid media who sell the public ideas about what we should look like and how we should get there,” Johansson said.
Drew Barrymore, a Hollywood personality since the days of E.T., admitted to Marie Claire recently that her adolescence spent in the spotlight caused her to be self-conscious about her appearance and her weight. “I personally battled with my own body image for years. I used to tell myself, You can't wear anything sleeveless or strapless. And all of a sudden I was like, What if I just didn't send such negative messages to my brain and said, wear it and enjoy it? And now I'm more comfortable in clothes than ever.”
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