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The Pressure to be Thin In Hollywood
Why do actresses have to be so skinny?
It has always been part of Hollywood -- the
pressure to be thin, young, and beautiful. In any given
gossip magazine, you will find pictures of Hollywood celebrities
who look like they have recently missed a few important meals:)
- and we assume it is probably all in the name of staying
competitive in their field.
Of course the public gives celebrities like
these a very hard time - primarily because this body type
is not the norm for society. Unfortunately, we find that retailers,
media, and even the men and women that we love compare us
to these standards.
On Camera
For example, let's look at the women on the
mega television hit Desperate Housewives. It's basically
a soap opera, so we're not suppose to take it too seriously
right? Well unfortunately, many people subconsciously look
at the show as real housewives who are living fictitious lives.
They believe the story lines are fantasy - but believe in
the validity of the women.
But do these Hollywood actresses really represent
a true suburban housewife? Uh, not really. Not when the average
American woman is a size 14 -- especially after having children.
All five of the major players in this TV Soap are thin,
beautiful, and well-dressed everyday.
But Hollywood actresses are not your average
American are they? Their business dictates that they have
to look a certain way in order to get their fair chance at
parts on television and in film. Examples of this are Hollywood
moms.
Megastar moms
Actresses like Courteney Cox, Reese Witherspoon,
and Kelly Ripa look like they did prior to pregnancy and almost
every pregnant Hollywood mom has been interviewed by the media
on "how she shaped up during or after pregnancy". It is a
story that is run in every gossip rag, month after month.
That alone is pressure for these actresses. If their peers
did it - shouldn't they be able to do it?
And of course the pressure to be thin
is not just limited to the Hollywood actresses. For example,
in the new book The
Starter Wife, author and Hollywood wife Gigi Levangie
Grazer writes about the pressure for wives of Hollywood actors,
directors, producers etc. to stay young and thin so that they
will not be replaced by younger women.
Let's face it, the pressure to be thin
in Hollywood is very real and probably very difficult for
many of the women who are faced with their daily struggle
of dieting, fitness, etc. Yes, of course they reap benefits
in other areas -- but let's remember that these women are
still human beings. They have ups and downs, and other emotional
struggles common to the rest of us.
So in order to save our daughters and ourselves
from a lifetime of unhealthy celebrity-thin worship
- let's be honest. Celebrities are just a sliver of our population.
Do not look at them as "normal" -- look at them as what they
are, people who are just trying to keep their jobs:)
Additional Reading:
Read more articles
on celebrities at GirlShrink.
Take a look at the Hollywood buzz book: The
Starter Wife
Additional Resource:
Are you an emotional eater? Talk
about it with GirlShrink.
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About the Author:
Lisa Angelettie, M.S.W., is a psychotherapist, author, and
an online advice expert. She has been helping people make
smarter life choices since 1998. Visit her for Advice
& Counseling, or take a free
Depression Screening today. Subscribe to the growing self-help
ezine "Better
Choices". Contact info: info@GirlShrink.com
© GirlShrink
Inc. The author grants reprint permission to opt-in publications
and websites so long as the copyright and by-line are included
intact and the article is not used in spam.
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