In the past two weeks, everyone’s been talking about Jessica Simpson, whether it’s the news media, blogs, celeb weeklies or entertainment TV shows. Even other stars are sounding off. They’ve praised Simpson’s physical appearance, while some in the media have expressed shock, awe and disgust.
But what does this uproar over weight really tell us?
- Weight always incites an investigative witch hunt. Whether it’s excruciatingly emaciated stars or frighteningly “fat” celebs, the discussion of weight is always top priority for the entertainment media. In fact, such colossal concerns make it on a magazine cover over the president of the United States of America. Talk about priorities.
Once a famous person’s weight gain is broadcast to the world, it’s time to figure out how and why said celebrity has packed on the pounds. So “reporters” scramble, with all their investigative might, to discover how on earth this could’ve happened. How could Simpson deviate from Hollywood’s slim standards?
Some blame it on Simpson’s unflattering outfit for accentuating the negative; others report that junk food and alcohol are culprits (even listing what Simpson ordered from hotel room service and providing the calories); still others point the finger at boyfriend troubles (see here).
- Whether you’re fat or thin, you still can’t win. A celeb typically is considered overweight or too skinny—sometimes in the same week. It re-emphasizes what some parts of the media truly are: arbitrary, nonsensical outlets that promote something as “news,” no matter how demeaning or ridiculous. Fast-forward several months, and the media might be skewering Simpson for getting too thin or praising her for becoming the poster child for healthy weight loss.
- We’ve clearly run out of things to say. Simpson’s weight gain has been splashed all over the news, magazines and TV. Don’t we have better things to talk about? I won’t even mention normal newsworthy topics — like the ballooning stimulus package — because it’s nice to have a temporary escape from tough times. Fortunately, the entertainment world never disappoints. If only we could find a happy medium—something more frivolous than the news and less ludicrous (and cruel) than someone’s weight.
- Simpson’s coverage mirrors our lives. Call her a regular woman (one you’d love to look like) or an outright fatty—either way, Simpson is a symbol of what happens to women when they veer slightly from society’s view of attractiveness.
What’s truly revealing about the continuing coverage of Simpson’s curves is that Hollywood isn’t some microcosm or weird world with unrealistic pressures; it mirrors our society and our everyday lives. This scrutiny is a common occurrence that touches every woman at some point in her life. How often have we beaten ourselves up for gaining weight or not living up to a certain standard? How often have we gossiped about a colleague who’s gained several pounds, reveled in the idea that someone we don’t like has put on a few or wondered why a family member has let herself go (Entertainment Tonight used that question for its top story, asking if Simpson had “let herself go”)?
Yes, this coverage is atrocious and hurtful, and we can criticize it (and we should!). But what’s really hurtful is that it’s devastatingly similar to our own lives and how we treat ourselves and others.
- There’s another annoying double standard. When was the last time a man’s weight gain made the media rounds? Has anyone ever delved into why a male celebrity suddenly gained weight? Unfortunately, we’re all too accustomed to women’s bodies being placed under a microscope and either commended or condemned. It’s funny how that works, and it’s every bit as irritating.
In Other News
Jessica Alba’s Post-Baby Weight-Loss Secrets
So, what’s Jessica Alba’s swift and simple slim-down secret? Intense exercise and tears. In this month’s Elle, Alba talks about her experiences preparing for the Campari photo shoot (which was airbrushed anyway): “[The workouts] were horrible. I cried. And I haven’t worked out since…I’m not completely back to where I was. It’s not the same, but it’s not that serious. I’d rather spend an evening with my baby and give her a bath and read her stories and watch her roll around than go work out in a gym.”
The Photoshop Follies: Vogue’s Drastic Photo Measures
In the magazine industry, we’ve learned that what you see is never what you get. Case in point: Vogue combined actress Sienna Miller’s head with a different photo of her body:
Another Star Who Doesn’t Look Like Herself
Can anyone guess this famous actress?
Surprisingly, it’s Sarah Jessica Parker. But, truth be told, every time I look at the cover, I see a different star! Thanks to the magic of Photoshop, everything that’s particularly charming and interesting about SJP’s beauty has been erased. Instead, she resembles a composite of various 30-year-old celebs (and a few Stepford wives thrown in for good measure). Why even ask a star to pose on the cover when you’re going to eliminate the very features that make her distinguishable?
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6 Comments to
“Minding the Media: 5 Things Jessica Simpson’s Curvy Controversy Reveals”
Instead of developing great journalism to stave off the grim reaper of the print media, these publications continue to find ways to make every female in the country feel bad about their appearance, whether heavy or thin.
I wonder how SJP feels to know that while her name is sought after by marketers, her face is not good enough without being airbrushed into something unrecognizable.
How will the media treat the Obama girls when/if they ever develop the routine preteen awkward weight gain, acne, or what have you? And if Michelle enjoys the White House food and finds herself a little too busy to constantly work out? Will they be exempt because of their family’s Cinderella status? Or not?
Another site recently pointed out that most of the “baby weight loss” star stories also use, as the “after” photo, images that were taken BEFORE the star ever even got pregnant. Sheesh.
Women. Buy. This. Tripe.
There is only one way to stop it — VOTE WITH YOUR WALLETS, DAMN IT.
I have heard so many women go on and on about how terrible the media makes them feel about themselves, and then turn around and fawn over those weird photo-manipulating apps where they skinny-ize your picture and make you look ten pounds lighter.
Yes, fine. The poor dears are not in control of their opinions, and the evil media is manipulating them. Until women switch the blasted knob to off, IT’S NOT GOING TO STOP. If you know “the media” is making you hate yourself, then do something about it, damn it. STOP WATCHING. Jesus, this drives me NUTS sometimes. We do not NEED to buy this garbage!
Actually, yes, the tabloid media does point out when a male celebrity gets fat. It’s less common, but it happens and isn’t all that rare. There are plenty of unflattering photos of male celebs at the beach with a flabby gut hanging out where they once had a six-pack.
It’s frivolous either way, and there is a double standard, but it’s not absolute. Women are pressured to be skinny and men are pressured to be trim and lean. There are very few in Hollywood who don’t fit that profile and aren’t either middle-aged or older and already well-established, or primarily comedy actors.
I agree with Janis. I myself linger in the supermarket scanning fashion magazines every week. It’s addicting really.
Natalia, I actually don’t even watch TV or movies, and I don’t read pop magazines. What it’s done is make the women’s faces I do see on the things look freakish and scary. How many blur filters can they run on a woman’s skin before she looks like plastic?
And the other women I know see those things and think they’re real. They see women’s faces in the mirror and on their friends every day of their lives — they should damned well know what human skin looks like. But they don’t. Their own reality of the face that stares back at them from the mirror or from their friend’s, or mother’s or sister’s head is apparently less real to them than some damned movie poster. It’s absolutely frightening how people can be led to replace their own experiences with fakeness.
Stop buying them, stop looking, stop watching TV, stop wasting time on movies. There’s so much free time you gain to do more fun things, and when you go back and sneak a peek at one of those mag covers, you’ll shiver from how creepy it looks.
Frankly, since these “stars” are promoting their “hot bods” (often solely) to get all the attention in the first place, why do they suddenly feel that everyone’s picking on them when they don’t have it anymore? I actually think this is entirely appropriate.
If these personalities would rely on talent (as the great voices on American Idol have allowed people to do once again), THEN I would feel the criticism were unwarranted (though yes, I admit it would still come — women still buy these trashy mags).
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