February 16, 2004
A FEW WORDS ON CELEBRITY
A FEW WORDS ON CELEBRITY WEIGHT LOSS:
Drew Barrymore (see above) is on the cover of this week's People Magazine, trumpeting her recent loss of 20 pounds as she promotes her new movie "50 First Dates." The movie was filmed prior to her weight loss, and Barrymore is now apparently every bit as skinny as her boyfriend, Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti.
There's just one problem with all this: Barrymore looks better in the movie than in the magazine. Like many other actresses, most notably Renee Zellweger and Kate Winslet, Drew was about a hundred times sexier when she had curves, such as on a Vanity Fair cover last year, before apparently succumbing to pressure to starve herself down to People Magazine-approved levels. It's almost as bad as last fall's US Weekly expose of "How Christina Lost the Weight," published after the truly vile Christina Aguilera dropped from 90 pounds all the way back down to 80.
What sort of message does it send when these very attractive women -who are still thinner than most people as it is- are expected to drop even more weight, in order to "compete" with the likes of Paris Hilton? Even Beyonce Knowles has dropped pounds since recording the quintessential pro-curves anthem, "Bootylicious"- and Janeane Garofalo, who ten years ago did a famous standup routine about her hatred for stick-thin women, now is a stick-thin woman, though I'd posit that her cockamamie political activism is even more of a problem.
By putting allegedly "hot" women like Paris, Christina, and Brittany Murphy on one magazine cover after another, the publishers of the world are not only driving countless young girls to bulimia, but they're encouraging other celebrities who aren't rail-thin to go in that direction, to the detriment of both their attractiveness and, more importantly, their health. I've always heard women make this argument, but I'd really like to start hearing more men say it as well. I mean, does any guy think Sarah Jessica Parker is hot?
I agree with you. However, I think weight loss should be for reasons for bettering your health. Obviously Drew Barrymore was not overweight but healthy. That is very sad example for normal sized women who become influenced by rail thin women. Most women cannot keep a boyish body like Paris Hilton. She might have been born that way. Women have to accept their appearance. Overweight is unhealthy but dieting for a normal weight is important not unrealistic body frame which is hard to keep in the first place. We all have different body types and trying to promote women with realistic bodies is very important. What irks me is Drew gave up vegetarism for meat. Yuck. Being a vegan and looking up to Ms. Barrymore, I am very disappointed. Drew went from a head strong female role model to giving in to the whims of so called Hollywood glamour. Drew, I am not a fan of yours anymore.
Posted by: at May 26, 2004 04:39 PM