Celebrity Skinny

Celebrities can't earn money and be successful if they are fat.This is valid for everyone.You are respected if you are beautiful.This is typical human nature.We are half evil.Truth hurts,but doesn't hurt me.I don't care about acceptance thing.

Alex Kingston isn't fat it seems some celebrities can't earn money and be successful if they look healthy either.

Derin, I agree that a lot of things are based on beauty; it's been this way since the beginning of time. Animals are biologically predisposed to choose the more beautiful spouse/mate. This was because beauty-as in symmetry and proportion- equaled health. The only problem is that the health factor has been nixed and beauty ideals have been distorted.
In reality THAT is the problem.
I hate to break it to people, but biologically, health =beauty. Genetic mutation, human chemical tampering, inbreeding etc. are all causes for unattractiveness. None of them are healthy. That’s just the way it is. But don’t get me wrong, there’s ugly and there’s normal (or plain or whatever you choose to call it) and I’m talking about ugly.

Recalling a graduate level psychology class....

Subjects were exposed to pictures of different people and asked to rate them on their attractiveness. The pictures that were rated most attractive were those that were actually computer generated composites, averaging all of the pictures in the study.

The skinny women on Desperate Housewives (and other shows) aren't pretty (or even attractive). I call them "severe." But they're just another data point in the millions of faces/figures that we use to craft our personal average person - the most attractive one - in our minds. I think if you asked anyone honestly if they thought Alex Kingston were more attractive than Eva Longoria, they'd tell you Kingston. Like I said before about Ali MacBeal, Portia DeRossi was a hell of a lot more attractive in Arrested Development, with a few more pounds, than her stick figure, flat chested, skeletonized character from Ally MacBeal. Why? Because she looks more normal, she approaches that "average" that we keep in our minds.

Yan is somewhat right about attractiveness being a determination of health, but it's more of a "normalness" being an indicator of health. After all, how many Neanderthals would think that their offspring would be robust and able to hunt/gather if they were born to Calista Flockhart?

-Danielle

Danielle: I'm talking more about scientific/genetic predispositions than modern psychological ones.
Hip/Waist/chest ratio was very important because it determined child bearing ability.
Also, I just mean that nature made sure that pretty people are only pretty if they're healthy (once again, think inbreeding and genetic/physical deformities). The only reason waif is considered attractive today is because it's been beaten into us by the media (I actually blame women for this more than men. women want to be very thin and from what I know men don't find that attractive). It's a trend more or less.
But yes, you're right; the personal average does play into this. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and such.

... And MY personal average deems Kingston bea-u-ti-ful, hehe. I don't watch a whole lot of television, but I did enjoy ER while she was a part of the cast.

I've always felt that beauty can, in substantial part, be found in and behind a person's eyes (hers are a good example)... I'm quite guilty, there, but by no means ashamed. It isn't wrong to be captivated by the physical from time to time. Problems arrise when we get all tunnel vision-y.

I think it's painful to consider how much of a person's "average" is authentic, or their own. I don't mind being exposed to media values, but I'm shaken by the notion that it has overindulged in its influence upon modern society. I'm a fairly introspective person, and I can comfortably and confidently say that my preferences are not extraordinarily skewed, beyond what I consider to be classic (Ex: An hourglass figure will always make me nostalgic).

Being obese back in the days before processed foods was a trait/genetic feature that didn't get expressed much. Lots of people have the potential to become easily fat, but those genes were never used as mating criteria like other very prominent physical factors (like having a hairy back or six fingers). Now it IS factoring in as a mating criterion because it's being expressed in the population and others of the population don't find it attractive. That doesn't mean that being very thin is the answer either. That trait has probably always been undesirable because it would signify inability to produce young and be able to survive. That being said...I think the super super skinny Hollywood body is not that attractive. "Severe" is a pretty good adjective for it. They look like they never eat, yet smoke and drink excessively

Hehe -- well, Spectra, I for one have no qualms with my hairy, six-fingered significant other. He's dead sexy and we plan to have loads of children. What is this "mating criteria" you speak of?! XD

Have you ever watched the latin soap opera Betty the ugly?

If you're asking moi, nah, I haven't. The Spanish Channel is entertaining to people from all walks of life, but I can only take it in generously spaced increments of 5 minutes or so... Sort of like my Aunt Clarice -- entertaining at first, but then, I get irritated by her level of energy and enthousiasm. She's a walking mood swing. :\

Why is Bob Barker, who is vegetarian, had a stroke in 1998? Perhaps that Bob Barker needs to face the reality that low cholesterol levels causes strokes. Bob Barker must be taking excessive amounts of worthless suppliments to make up for the lost nutrition in meats. And I think that Bob Barker is eating all that soy protein that may have caused his thyroid disease.

Bob Barker was 75 when he had a stroke in 1998. In 2003, he gave an 80th birthday interview in which he stated that he was still taping five shows a week of The Price is Right, still a vegetarian, and was still stretching and lifting weights. He gave up karate at the age of 74 or 75 because of the wear on his joints and stated that he had become a vegetarian in 1979 out of concern for animal rights. He's also anti-fur and stopped hosting Miss America in protest of their use of fur coats during the competition.

Also, Bob Barker didn't actually HAVE a stroke in 1998. He had symptoms that could have led to a stroke, but instead had a blockage in an artery removed. He was actually pleased with the timing of the medical emergency as it put him in a brighter spotlight and he was able to push a Bill that was in front of Congress called the "Captive Elephant Accident Prevention Act." He did have a minor stroke in 1991 that affected his peripheral vision but the doctors had no explaination for it.

At any rate, I don't see why Bob Barker is a subject of this thread. He doesn't appear to be a victim of an eating disorder. He's chosen his diet not for vanity reasons, but for altruistic ones.

Finally, if you're so poorly researched as to insist that the blockage in 1998 was an actual stroke, then you're probably also of the misconception that low cholesterol causes blockages. It doesn't. Research shows that high cholesterol could cause blockages that lead to strokes or heart disease. Low cholesterol levels are suspected of causing hemmorhagic strokes - a bleed in the brain caused by a burst blood vessel. Not what Bob Barker had. Besides that, the benefits of low cholesterol levels far outweigh the risks of having a hemmorhagic stroke.

I don't even know where the claim that he has a thyroid condition came from. I can only hope to be as healthy, energetic, sociable, and mentally fit when I am 80.

Huh. Pretty sure James got served.

[double-checks]

Yup. I reckon so.

Most random Bob Barker reference I've ever seen!

The idea that Alex Kingston even thinks that she might be too curvy by someone else's standards should be a red flag. She is a gorgeous woman and has a figure that any woman could envy. Who on earth thinks that skeletons like Terri Hatcher, Calista Flockhart, Nicole Richie, or Paris Hilton are really attractive and womanly? I'm not suggesting that fat is good or being overweight is preferable - I just wonder who it is that decided that anorexia is fashionable? Is it just these women themselves? And if so, why should any of us care what celebrities think anyway? Are they in touch with anything close to the reality that we call everyday life? You know they aren't.

I worry about the numbers of children and teens becoming obese in the US and now in other countries as well - the lack of education about nutrition, the absence of Physical Education in our schools, and the accessibility of junk food in schools. It seems that these days kids are allowed to eat any kind of cr@p they want to and call it a meal, and no one in the school system will stop them. Thank goodness some of the major soft drink companies finally decided to stop putting their full sugar products in elementary schools and junior highs.

On the other hand, I worry more about the rising popularity of this anorexia and bulimia trend. I've seen the blogs and websites and it's real. The media really is warping the minds of our youth when it comes to body image and they are killing themselves to be like their idols. So scary.

No offense but let's face it: slim is in, slim is hot, slim is IT. And you know why? Because you are like five or so times more likely to DIE if you are really overweight (i.e. not slim and fit). And having a BMI over 25 (unless you've got lots of muscle) just isn't attractive, too. I also think that being fat is a symbol of gluttony (no, I don't care if you're going through some emotional "trauma" or inherited "the fat gene"), since no one should be eating more than they should. It's just plain old greediness and lack of self-control. And I also don't see what's "so scary" about being skinny- it just shows that the individual eats just enough, exercises, and knows the difference between a wheat roll and a glazed donut. *So props to Nicole Richie!!!*

lizzie, attitudes like yours are exactly why there are so many people with eating disorders. comments like those are what make young girls everywhere embrace the thin at any cost motto. if i'm not wrong, nicole ricjie herself said that she knew that she was too thin. if being underweight like nicole richie is "in, hot and it" then i would rather be behind the times.

I was saying yay for SLIM AND FIT, not super-skinny-bones-sticking-out-emaciated-see-through-freaky slim. And Nicole lost most, if not all, of her weight by working out really hard and eating the right food. (I also was giving most of my props to the look she had before she went all bony and stuff--sorry that I didn't specify that.)

How about yay for loving your body, eating well, and exercising because YOU want to?
And yeah, I'm sure Nicole Ritchie lost all that weight in a healthy way. You know, like Hollywood stars always do.

OH MY GOODNESS James, how can you denounce vegetarianism?!!?!? You should be really ashamed of yourself for trying to illustrate one of the few good things in this world as unhealthy and bad. Vegetarians are just as good and healthy (actually, probabaly much, much, much more!) as meat-eaters, and should never EVER be made fun of or criticized. There is no reason why so many animals should be slaughtered each year -- the earth has sufficient sources of energy that do not require taking the life a BEING. (True, plants are 'beings' as well, but it doesn't HURT them to 'die'). How can people sit and eat steak, while their dog or cat is right next to them? Because they're HYPOCRITES!!! Eating a cow (no, its not 'beef' - its a COW!!!) is no different than eating your pet dog. You still take the LIFE of an animal away. You deprive it of the chance to LIVE--which is GOD'S intention. He did't create lambs and pigs and cows and chicken to be killed and eaten and digested. He created them to have a LIFE on earth - to play, mate, bathe, run - all the things we SELFISH humans to do.

Jane! Shhhhh! Don't get him started on the bison again! Please!

Lizzie, I think we're being an intsy bit ignorant. Correct me if I'm mistaken, but "exercising really hard" to look like a Blow Pop is commonly referred to as compulsive exercizing. It's a disorder, and whether or not the afflicted understands the difference between complex and refined carbs won't help them after they've collapsed on their StairMaster.

Jane, Nic's right. We veggies have to pick our battles, and James tends to make everyone's ears and eyes bleed. He will continue to cuss and cry about his ongoing conflict with Kashi, advocation for bison meat, and love affair with Mercola. Just sit back, think of Ghandi, and let it go.

Oh, and James- have you ever seen Happy Gilmore, that golf flick with Adam Sandler? Well, Bob Barker beats the daylights out of Happy. If you have any doubts about the guy's health, I suggest you refer to the video. XD

How on earth did this post lead to a discussion of vegetarianism? "Please keep comments related to this post"...

Anyway, the statement "slim is in, slim is hot, slim is IT" is what goes on in the minds of the TV execs. If slim = hot = popular = ratings = $$ -- then slim goes the cast.

No matter what is politically correct - this is the thinking that underlies certain TV shows.

I won't dispute that (Jim). But, it had to start somewhere, right? I mean, did those executives set the standard, or did they observe and maintain a set of values inspired by something else entirely? Maybe I missed that conversation elsewhere on the site, and maybe it's glaringly obvious which transpired first, but I thought I'd throw it out there. -shrug-

The funny thing is that we all sit here and say, "I don't know how you'd think those girls are attractive, etc." But, they are the ones that are pulling in the ratings, aren't they? I personally think Desperate Housewives would be as popular if it had the cast of ER, but maybe I'm not the target audience.

Certainly, I'm not the audience anyone wants. I don't buy the books, the shirts, the magazines, all the paraphanelia that goes with being a fan of any show. But, if we (say a majority of the viewing population) aren't really impressed with the "thin is in" push, are we really the majority? Or, are we just kidding ourselves and saying we don't care, even though we do? Or worse, are we the minority, and is the world really this shallow and easily manipulated?

-Danielle

Hey lizzie- you were aware that Nicole Richie was addicted to Heroin? Yay why to go! I know that when I want to lose alot of weight I always look at the models of good society like celebrities. I really wish that we didn't keep showing how vapid a society we really have become. Like ya know? Like I would never want to be fat because that is just so uncool! I want to look so hot for all the like, you know, guys. What the hell is "MY PROPS" ? When did this become acceptable language? what does this even mean? More importantly why are we looking at celebrites as anything more than what they are? ACTORS! Do they save millons from illness? NO, Do they invent new important technology? NO so why do they matter so much? Who cares what they look like they are there to fill in an hour or so as brain candy. Not as a why to emmulate for us to live. Half the time they are trying to emmulate us, Who cares if one is fatter or thinner. There are more important issues in the world right now and I'm pretty sure that there always will be. I shouldn't have known that Nicole Ritchie was addicted to drugs but I know that it's passed my eyes while reading the news. Sorry but I can't understand it. None of it.

Yes I am aware of the irony that several words got mistyped, carry on and feel free to point that out....

Wow, before you make a rebuttal, you should at least have some valid evidence. Nicole Richie was charged for heroin possession in FEBRUARY 2003 - that's over three years ago! After she finished her rehab, she decided that she needed a change of lifestyle, which included exercise and proper nutrition. What's so shameful about that??

Looks like I should specify my definition of SLIM even more. I mean slim like - healthy (above all), not overweight, BMI under 25 (aka not overweight), good levels of cholesterol etc, active lifestyle (hence not flabby or overweight), like under size 14? (I'm not too familar with how those double-digit sizes look like), happy and content with yourself, no weird eating habits (like binging or fasting), able to touch your toes, can SEE your toes, able to jog at least a mile without collapsing (aka fit with good stamina), attractive to your spouse/mate (at least), eats enough protein (soy and whey, preferably), receives a good amount of vitamins and minerals from diet, and yeahh well you get the idea. What's so bad about that stuff, heh? I think Nicole Richie AND LOTS OF NORMAL EVERYDAY TYPICAL people meet those standards, not just those actors you despise. So please, don't get go emo on me like that.

Nicole Richie in my opinion cannot be included in "healthy" definition. It is obvious that she has weird eating habits and some kind of an eating problem. So I think it is tasteless to write those "props" things. Normal typical ( normal weight) people, do not look like Richie. Promoting normal weight and being fat faschist are two separate things.

Lizzie, you are so very off course here. Being overweight is one thing, but this article references people like Alex Kingston, who are not overweight, just not stick thin, versus others in Hollywood who are taking thinness to the extreme. We're asking the question, "Why do actresses (and some actors) become stick figures?" And your reasoning is that they are trying not to be overweight and keep a low BMI? That's BS and you know it. The reason we have all these women competing to be super skinny is people like you who idolize them for it. "Props" to everyone who doesn't fall for this sick game. Maybe Lizzie will one day grow up and see that you don't have to be skin and bones to be healthy.

Hey lizzie, at my healthy weight I am very muscular and the smallest I go is a size 14. So are you saying that I should lose more of that so that I can fit into your norm? It must be nice to be so ignorant. You must live a pretty shallow life. For that I feel very sorry for you.

Yeah, Robyn,
I think according to Lizzie's "definition" of being overweight, we would both fall under that category :-) (Not that I give a sh!t).

Lizzie:
The BMI is only one tool to measure if a person is obese or overweight or whatever. There are more accurate ways to do that. If you have an athletic or muscular person (such as myself , size ten minimum, as for now) your BMI-Index might be off already. Also you have to consider how the people are built. Go to Europe and check out how tall and wide (not fat) the people are in the Northern countries and you will see what I am talking about.

Finally: People here have been so brainwashed that they think that very thin is THE ONLY desirable body type (which is bullsh!t)... and that these celebs represent anything more than people who make a living out of their work. Nothing more. If they want to be skinny so be it. But we all have enough brains to say : Nope, not for me, Thanks.

Robyn, of course you skip over the "healthy, active lifestyle, good stamina" part of my definition and pick at the part I was least sure about, sizes. How convenient.

All, I don't see what is so bad about Nicole Richie. I think that you're all just being really jealous, because she has never done anything wrong to hurt anyone. She participates in charity events, has written a book (and is coming out with a sequel), and has totally changed from her drug-addict image. Just because she's thin doesn't mean that she's a bad person. Ironically, you're doing what most people would do with an overweight person: looking right through her inner self and just focusing on her appearance. Shame on you.

Mandy, I'm not even talking about the article. I'm not the type to follow Hollywood and gossip and the 'drama.' I was giving props to Nicole for being able to show the world how changing eating and lifestyle regimens can be such a positive thing: she went from a druggie who was stuck in Paris Hilton's shadow to a mature woman and published author with a generous heart by revamping her diet and exercise patterns (and of course other things, like rehab). And if young girls look to her as a role model for 'thin', thats their problem. I look at her as a role model for goodness, generosity, kindness, intelligence, and inner beauty.

Katy, thanks, but I am quite aware already of the limits of the BMI. That's why I mentioned so many other things besides BMI.

Hmph.

You are like, so right lizze, I am like, totally, like jealous of Nicole Ritchie, I mean if I could like want to be like anyone who is so good and kind and generous I would totally be like her, not Ghandi, not Mother Teresa, not Pope John Paul the second, Get a freakin grip there are people who have suffered, put their lives on the line, given up everything that they have to better society and you think I am jealous because of some over-inflated, self absorbed, rich daddy's little girl? are you bloody insane? I don't care if I weight 100 or a 1000 pounds if I could have some of the intelligence, grace and honest goodwill that some of the people I mentioned above. I would trade looks for all that. But you keep thinking that I a jealous over some hollywood bimbo. God people like you lizze need to step back and really examine what you value in life. But for know I'll just have to keep banging an already bloody head against this brickwall of stupidity. And thank you Katy, I guess that you and I can go be jealous together and better ourselves for it.

Yeah,

I envy Nicole Richie! Yeah, right. FOR WHAT?

LOL.

I envy artists (painters and writers) mainly for their creativity, I admire certain politicians for putting up with an army of dickheads, I admire people who sacrifice themselves for others, I admire intelligent people in general, I admire people who don't eat everything up the media tells them and I admire people who see that being a celebrity does not make you a better person.
I also like people who don't chase after the so - called "ideal of beauty".

OK maybe you aren't jealous of her, but there is no reason to criticize her and that's that. She might not have qualities as great as war heroes and saints and politicians etc, but neither do you. She -and the Mischa Bartons and the Lindsay Lohans and the Olsens and the Giseles of the world- are not bad people, even if they are skinny and pretty. No one actually deserves to be picked on, except obviously if they've killed someone or enjoy torturing animals. And last time I looked, Nicole Richie has a pretty clean record. So back off her and skinny celebrities and skinny people in general - they have just as big a heart and brains as anyone else. And though it may not compare to Gandhi, true, yours doesn't either. And skinny celebrities should be respected just as much as Rosie O'Donnell and Oprah for their donations to charities. Also, you don't seem to realize that they are PEOPLE too - while they may be pressured by Hollywood to be thin, they also want to be thin because its just not healthy to be overweight (heart disease, diabetes, etc). Yes, they sometimes take thin to an extreme level, but then you have to recognize that its part of their job. And quite frankly, I think that you're much better off being thin at an extreme level (through good nutrition and exercise) rather than being fat at an extreme level.

Okay Jake I guess that you missed the point as well. This is not an attack on skinny people, this is an attack on ignorant thinkers. First off this post was centered on hollywood trying to push a unhealthy ideal on everyone. Lizze stated that Nicole Richtie was a person to look up to in that regard and that is a scary thought. We already have kids suffering from eating disorders. Who think that it's okay to shove their fingers down their throats and stop eating. And celebrities help fuel that desire. And there is no way that any celebrity comes close to the people I have mentioned above. I don't see them giving every last dime they own to charity and helping the less fortunate. Am I saying that they should? that is their own decision but you cannot lump them together ever. And you are completely wrong that pushing thin to the extreme is "safer" because it not. Be around someone that has survived an eating disorder and ask them how they felt when their nails started to fall completely off. How it felt when they were told they had damaged their brains through starvation. What you are saying doesn't even make sense there is no way that you could become thin at an extreme level if you were following good nutrition and excercise. When someone has the gall to turn around and accuse me of being jealous over someone that I frankly can't see a place for in society you had better believe that I am going to respond and it isn't going to be pretty. And frankly considering that you are simply reading a post that I put on a board how do you know that I don't have those qualities? you have never seen me, or met me so you can only go by the words that I put down here. So don't critize me about judging when you do the same thing. You know what, maybe Nicole Ritchie is a really nice person, but she got famous for being A) Too stupid to handle every day life. and B) Too pampered to live for any length of time like a normal person. And actually work for a living. The little snippets that I caught of the "simple life" which was her rise to fame showed her putting people down, asking people for money and damaging property while being a spoiled brat. Say what you will for editing but if she hadn't of acted like that then there would be nothing there to edit. I will repeat myself, for the most part people should be turning off their TV's in the first place. But secondly they should realize that these people are not there to emmulate. Pick up a book and form your own thoughts and ideas, stop trying to catch the latest gossip coming out of a place that was built on the selling of flesh and form. The true answer behind does hollywood sell you an ideal to live by is I WASN'T PAYING ATTENTION IN THE FIRST PLACE AND WHO CARES? It's only selling something when people are buying stop buying it and they will no longer have the market to sell it. You can't turn around after being led to the slaughter and try and tell them that you really aren't a sheep!

Comments closed. When the same person uses two different names - that's a sure sign of trolling (Lizzie/Jake).