America Ferrera on Body Image

That's wonderful! It's high time that someone within the industry champions positive self-esteem and healthy thinking on this image.

I love America Ferrera! I think she is a great actress and an excellent body-image role model for young girls. I first saw her in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants...and the scene that gave her the movie to me, was when she went off on her soon to be step-mom and wedding boutique salesperson. She expressed the frustration of every-non-size 2, curvy, full-figured woman in the world!

You go America!!!

America Ferrara is a size 6. And that's what passes for "curvy" in hollywood.

Don't get me wrong, I love this girl and I love her attitude and I think she's fabulous. But yeah. A six. That's sad.

It is interesting how stress affects people differently. For me, stress kills my appetite and keeps me awake all night. I feel it like a tangible pressure upon my entire body. Yet some of my friends experience the exact opposite -- both overeating and oversleeping. I certainly hope America F is not experiencing an unhealthy level of stress from her work, but rather, is keeping very busy and reaping some joy from living a productive [and quite enviable] life. She looks very happy in the photo.

Nic, I agree with you. She is the "curvy", "fat" chick at a size 6. The girl from Grey's Anatomy (Dr. Callie Torres) is "really fat" in Hollywood being a size 12 and tall (so, normal in Regular People Land). It always horrifies me. The "good body role models" that are even called "fat" are people that in the real world, are thin, like America Ferrera, Drew Barrymore, and Kate Winslet.

SO WHAT if she's a size six? She's 5 feet tall! Size six is on the large end of what is appropriate for someone so short. What should she be in order for people to be happy? 12? 26?

Powerpuffin, nobody said she should be fatter, relax. She looks great at her size, and yes, she is 5'1", but no, size 6 is not at the large end of what is normal. I'm 5'1" myself and I used to wear an 8/10 when I was in the end of the HWR, so she is still in the thin/normal category, not "curvy" or "fat" as Hollywood deems her. That is all Nic was saying, and I was agreeing with, that the standards in the real world are different. In Hollywood, America Ferrera is "curvy" and Jennifer Hudson (now) is "fat", but in the real world, America Ferrera is thin, Jennifer Hudson is curvy, and Roseanne is fat. It is a different planet.

I like her too, but let's be honest how the hell can u take anyone in hollywood seriously when it comes to weight, the whole subject not just parts of it. She already looks thinner than when she started. Drew is on the same boat.

America Ferrera can't be a size 6 (UK size 8), its impossible, in the real world a size 6 person would be really slim, or maybe my eyes are distorted by the media. She looks like someone thats size 8-10. I'm size 8/10 and I assumed I was slimmer than her. If she looks like a curvy girl on screen I'd be interested to know how I'd look - probably obese.

Tara said:
America Ferrera can't be a size 6 (UK size 8), its impossible, in the real world a size 6 person would be really slim, or maybe my eyes are distorted by the media. She looks like someone thats size 8-10. I'm size 8/10 and I assumed I was slimmer than her. If she looks like a curvy girl on screen I'd be interested to know how I'd look - probably obe[...]

Link: http://www.styledash.com/2007/02/05/just-how-curvy-is-america-ferrara/

Powerpuffin, the statement "Size six is at the upper end of what is appropriate for someone 5 feet tall" is ridiculous. Height and dress size may have some relation, but a person who is 5 feet tall may be healthy at a range of sizes that's much larger than a 00-6. Your statement is what's inappropriate, not being larger than a 6 at 5' tall. And no, no one is saying America should be bigger. I think she looks good, fit and healthy and cute.

I think she looks beautiful =)

jeez. O_O. i'm 5'2," have been working out significantly trying to GET into a size 6 (long-time size 10). we have to also keep in mind that it really depends on your body TYPE too (hourglass vs pear shape vs apple shape, etc)--because a smaller person can have a wider ribcage and need a bigger size or something.

i'm just curious, though--where did the "size six" fact originate anyway?

If you're trying to drop sizes, make sure you buy the SAME cut from the SAME company, to make sure you're making progress.
I'm a 10 and a 7 (uneven number, o.O) in Mudd jeans, try THAT on for size! Yeep.

The lowest I could possibly squeeze might be a 4/6. My frame is stupid, and wide. I've always been able to glimpse my hipbones.

Perhaps this gives me hope in the event of childbearing *sigh*

I say just buy a measuring tape, cause even the same cut from the same company has differences, over time as well as over what piece you get. When they make clothes industrially, they lay out 10 pieces of fabric, and the way the cutter works is that the piece at the top is smaller, the next one is slightly bigger, and so on, up until the bottom one is quite a bit larger. So if you grab a size at a store and it is almost good, just a bit too small or a bit too big, you can often just grab a few more the same size and find the perfect fit.

She looks great and very healthy, congrats to her!

I agree, saying a US size 6 is at the upper end for someone 5ft1 is ridiculous. I'm 5ft2 and was a US size 10-12 on my hips at one point, yet I was still at a perfectly healthy weight. I'm now a US size 6-8 and nowhere near overweight, I wouldn't want to be less than a US size 4-6 either.

Also to the other girl who said America can't be a size 6, it is actually the equivilent of a UK size 10, although I think she looks a bit bigger than that unless she has lost more weight....we are only on the first series of UB here in the UK.

Whatever size she is, she looks beatiful as always.

Kiera

I'm from new zealand, so I'm not sure how the american sizes differ from the nz ones but I think that there is a difference between them. I'm a NZ size 10.

powerpuffin said:
SO WHAT if she's a size six? She's 5 feet tall! Size six is on the large end of what is appropriate for someone so short. What should she be in order for people to be happy? 12? 26?[...]

Though I think what America Ferrera was presenting is positive for many young girls, but in reality she is slim-normal (also by Renaissance standards). I agree with both Nic and Jan, the lack of thereof actually analyzing their bodies leads to misunderstanding. If this were the Renaissance, Keira Knightley would be skeletal slight and the Romanticized portrayals of women were voluptuous but would be deemed "fat" by modern Southern California/Beverly Hills standards.
The women in many Pre-Raphaelite and art nouveau illustrations are beautiful, soft and voluptuous, in many paintings the heathen goddess Venus was often portrayed as volutupuous and nude. Again by Hollywood standards, they would be considered fat.

Hollywood is something of a warped, parallel universe as the media it promotes, that is where you see (very)skinny women all the time but missing the reality of it (like sin, AIDS killing children, famine). In that universe, slim-normal women would be "curvy", curvy women "fat" and fat women "obese". America Ferrera only seems that way because of the media and our brains are playing illusions on how we percieve people. Besides, other actresses look too gawky in comparison to the moderately slender America Ferrera.

If Jessica Alba was recently considered the sexiest woman on Earth, why is Marilyn Monroe considered the most beautiful woman even by many Americans? Subconsciously, religiously, spiritually, biologically and psychologically wide hips and shoulders on a woman are associated with birth, life and fertility so this is why most men prefer curvy women more than slender ones, not to mention suited for childrearing.

To quite Anthony Kiedis's lyrics from his band's (Red Hot Chili Peppers)song "Under the Bridge", I don't want to feel like I did that thing and take me to the place I love, take me to the other way (that is reality, faith in God and learning to control my anger).

Sorry I never watched Ugly Betty, only some scenes from the original Spanish series that started its American counterpart, Betty LaFea and some scenes from UB on celebrity talk shows.

If this were the Renaissance, America Ferrera would be considered thin-normal but not that thin. I agree with you Nic and Jan on this subject, if Ms Ferrera were to show up live, to me she'd look like a slightly thinner version of me. I'm average for an Asian girl, though when I look into the mirror, I have wide hips, since we don't eat that much amount of trans fat though starting all thanks to the popularity of fast food and junk food.
I wish I was a bit bulkier because I feel like I look thin in a big shirt.
My school uniform is sort of large and it fits on me, but when I wear something big, I worry that I look thin, that is the opposite of a Western Caucausian girl who worries that she's fat.

Hollywood is something like a warped parallel universe in contrast to the real world. Even Reality TV, I honestly suspect that some of the episodes are scripted and are only manipulated reality. That world denies sin and the Devil!

Sakurapower, great posts. Also, I'm sure America Ferrera is a lot fitter and healthier than most skinny women being portrayed as "the picture of health" in the media.

America has a more beautiful and healthy figure than the 'starving starlets' image Hollywood tries to push.Their idea of 'normal' is ridiculous.

Is this a website for fat acceptance? Why are so many people praising the curvy figure? Current fashion is to be very thin, why can't we accept that? Who wouldn't kill for the body of Gisele Bundchen or Heidi Klum? Come on, let's be honest now.

America Ferrera has the body I used to have back when I was a normal body fat %. I thought I was too curvy then and I THOUGHT I wanted to be as skinny as a model. I'm 5'3" and I was a 6 at 125 lbs. Now I've gotten too skinny (from increasing my running) and I wish I had my old body back, actually. I kind of look boyish right now.

I used to have a "curvy" body. I was 5'1" and weighed 112lbs. Then I started doing a lot more aerobic exercise, especially spinning. I am much happier with my body now. I weigh 104 lbs. My belly is flat and I can hardly pinch any fat around my waist. I feel slender, light and feminine. I have more energy, I move more gracefully, I look better in clothes. I will never go back to the way I was before. Curvy is not where it's at.

You know people, "curvy" doesn't always mean fat. Curvy means you have curves, in other words, an hourglass shape. You can be curvy at any size, and America definitely falls into the curvy category. Stop reading it as an insult. I think curves are much more attractive than small chests and non-existant hips.

Yeah, curves are generally made of muscle (at least the good kind are). You have to have a little padding over them, but monique is right...curvy doesn't mean "fat".

DOES ANYBODY KNOW HOW MUCH SHE REALLY WEIGHTS?CUZ I REALLY LIKE TO KNOW AND DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHAT KINDA MUSIC SHE LIKES?AND WHATS HER FAVORITE FOOD?PLEASE TELL ME IM NOT EVEN A FAN BUT, IM DOING A PROGECT ON WHICH CELEBRITY LOST MORE WEIGHT OVER THE YEARS I'M ONLY DOING THIS FOR EXTRA CREDIT NOT BECAUSE I LOVE HER AND ARE OBSESED WITH HER LIKE YOU GUYS ARE,I JUST WANNA GET AN A.

sorry i have no idea. But maybe try to type her name into google and search it

Hi.....America Ferrera is a good actress ok.............

Spectra said:
Yeah, curves are generally made of muscle (at least the good kind are). You have to have a little padding over them, but monique is right...curvy doesn't mean "fat". [...]

Curves are made of fat. What do you think hips and breasts are? But curvy means having fat in the right places, so on the hips, thighs and breasts as opposed to around the waist which isn't healthy. America is curvy and healthy looking.

She doesn't need to be a size 2 to look good and a size 6 is not big for 5ft! Anyone who is shorter and not small framed or narrow hipped knows this. If some of you think short people are scaled down versions of tall people, you are very wrong and if you are short and small boned, try to understand that some of us have larger builds or in my case a wider pelvic structure.

Thank you : )

The question is: Is she really healthy with that fat on her?

Healthy Girl said:
The question is: Is she really healthy with that fat on her?[...]

You need to get your eyes checked.

Healthy Girl said:
The question is: Is she really healthy with that fat on her?[...]

YES!

EWWWW I just can't stand these b*che..ummm girls who think that being pin thin is like the greatest thing on earth and being a bigger size is like "you're fat and unhealthy, and you should blame yourself for it..." The truth of the matter is, weight and size in women can be so tricky, and should never be used as a means of defining whether one is skinny, fat or "curvy"...thumbs up to America, you're talented regardless!!!

"healthy girl" do u think u sound smart with that much SHIT in your head? or is it just that your lack of food is making you, let's say...NOT THINK?

i dont think she is big at all im 5'10 and i weigh, 220 and am a size 16. i kinda think i should lose some weight

How a size 6 can be fat is beyond me....
Its funny because I say that, and here I am at 5'8 and 130 pounds and think I am the biggest cow in the universe. I used to be 120, and I'd give anything to be back there. Yet when I see the frail bones of Angie Jolie I think it is gross. I'm a walking contradiction.
Having said that, I think that Ugly Betty will lose her character and her appeal if she starts to lose weight. Its part of the reaon why people lover her, and the show, so much. She seems normal. And she looks like she has lost some lbs. I hope she doesnt lose anymore

Look America F. is not a size six at the least she is a size ten. Who cares if your fat or not what matters is that God created you that way and that you should be happy with it because you are blessed to be healthy because you could have cancer and be skinny and die or could be deformed because of some wierd disease so just be thankful for what ya got cuz you are you and not Heidi Klum!

All you who wrote that skinny is cool its not and you need to get some serius help