One thing that has always bothered me is the way that actresses tend to lose weight after gaining a little bit of fame. For example, I love the show Reba :) and in the show her ex-husband's new wife goes from looking like this in the beginning of the series:
To this in the end:
Her pretty significant weight loss was even written into the story line. Another example is Sookie St. James on the show Gilmore Girls. I had a hard time finding any good pictures but she had a similar transformation. Another place that I often see this is in reality t.v. where it's clear that the girl who may not have been the skinniest on her show made it a point to lose some weight before returning to any reunion or whatever it may be.
I usually initially feel sort of proud that they had the dedication and motivation to change something that they may not have been happy about but then I think "Were they really unhappy about it or did they just not have a choice?". I wonder if maybe they were okay with the way they looked until they were put in front of millions of criticizing people and felt that they HAD to change. It's sad to me that the few women on television today who actually represent what normal people look like usually don't stay that way for long.
I agree with your post Grace. And as I was reading it, the only thing that came to mind was "what are the reasons for their weight loss?". And I think that is the most important question to be asking. I'll admit I am a big fan of The Biggest Loser, and was sad when I realized the things Megan said in class about it were true. However, in this show the people that losing the weight are morbidly obese. If they don't lose the weight - they will continue their disease stricken lives, until they die at a much earlier age, than they might otherwise. So what I'm getting at, is when people lose weight/diet/work out, is it because they have health issues and really need to lose the weight to be healthy, or is it because of all the pressures put on them by the media, Hollywood, and their peers?
ReplyDeleteI realize I'm not overweight, but I'm also not very skinny. I workout on a very regular basis - not because of my weight, but because working out makes me feel better. I have more energy throughout the day, and get a lot more accomplished. I do it for me - not because society makes me.
I completly agree with your post Grace and i must say that im a fan of Reba too. It was a shocker when the new season hit the air and Babarba Jean was all of the sudden skinny and in my opinion nasty and not so funny anymore. When she was chubby it was funny what she said and she was complete ditz then all the sudden she lost all that weight and her character's personality changed too. Cant help but wonder if she wanted to lose some weight or was forced to by the producers and viewers. The show kinda sends the signal that its okay to make fun of bigger people but when they lose the weight they can be mean and make fun of bigger people because they are skinny now. I dont see a problem with women wanting to change something about themselves to make them more happy but when its forced upon them by society or the work place then they are doing it for the wrong reasons. More than likely if they are doing it for the wrong reasons they are more likly to gain that weight back. Its sad to say that society looks at women in a negitive light if they are over weight and puts pressure on them to lose the excess pounds and i think these shows are examples of that.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting post, Grace. And Heather makes a strong point in her response - in the media, it seems like there is a fine line between losing weight for health reasons, and doing it because you've succumbed to peer pressure. The Biggest Loser is both an example of this and not an example of this. The people on the show desperately need help - this is true. But two trainers who are not trained psychologies cannot fix all the issues going on there. That's where my concern lays, among other things.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I just saw a Jenny Craig commercial featuring Valerie Bertinelli and Sara Rue, who I guess is now on "Team Jenny" along with Jason Alexander :)
It is funny you mention the wife from Reba. I love that show and Gilmore Girls as well. I think we have the same taste in TV shows. Anyway, the woman who played Barbra Jean is now on the CMT version of "The Singing Bee." She has gained a lot of her weight back again. It is this vicious cycle of fluctuating back and forth between heavy and skinny that just destroys women's hearts and bodies. Wynona Judd, Trisha Yearwood, and Kirstie Alley are other women that are really bad about fluctuating back and forth. It is hard to figure out if theses women are really doing it for themselves or to get more attention from the media.
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