Celebrity Obsessed

Last night and this morning, I spent several hours writing "Beauty vs. Health" about my disgust for the media's coverage of the weight gain and weight loss of celebrities.  However, while I was working on that post, I realized that I'm a bit frustrated by society's obsession with celebrities altogether.   I learn more daily about the private lives of famous people I don't even know than about my own family members and friends.

Why is it acceptable for people to follow stalk celebrities and take pictures of them on vacation? at dinner with friends? or out shopping?
Because they're famous.
Why do people care so much about the lives of celebrities outside of the movies we enjoying watching them act in, songs we like hearing them perform, or material they've written that we enjoy reading?
Because they're famous.
Why do we compare ourselves to those who grace magazine covers and the glossy pages inside?
Because they're famous.

Well, "Because they're famous" is a stupid reason.  It's basically the equivalent of your mom saying, "Because I said so" as her 'explanation' of why you were required to do or could not do something.  There's no real meaning behind either 'reason'.  Just the same as "Because I said so" doesn't explain why a parent requires or opposes something, "Because they're famous" doesn't explain why you find a certain celebrity interesting or entertaining.

Would you care that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt bought snacks for their six children, whether Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake are back together (or that they had ever dated in the first place), or that Beyonce and Jay Z are expecting a baby if they weren't famous?
Probably not.

But most people do care about at least some celebrities - even me.  Yes, I admit that I'm ranting about something that even I do, but I can give you a reason for why I do it.  I take interest in Sandra Bullock, Will Smith, Jessica Alba, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Bradley Cooper, and Reese Witherspoon.  Why?  Because I like their movies/television series.  Notice my reason was not "Because they're famous."  I'm not interested in who they are dating, married to, or being cheated on by; but, I definitely want to know if they are being considered for a role, what characters they are going to be portraying, and when they have a new project coming out.  I appreciate them for their talent (and I have to admit for their beauty), but would prefer they be treated with the same respect for privacy that I enjoy.

Sadly, they'll never have respect from others regarding their privacy though because they're famous.  Very few boundaries exist protecting celebrities from the media.  Because of media's large financial profit made by harassing celebrities, those involved in photographing, writing about, and printing articles about celebrities will continue to ignore common courtesy and the implied (but obviously nonexistent) right to privacy of celebrities that the rest of us take for granted.

Take a moment to be grateful for your privacy.  Take a moment to enjoy that you can go to the grocery store without personal security detail.  Take a moment to appreciate that your face isn't recognized everywhere you go, that your body isn't scrutinized on television, in magazines, and online, and that your friends and family love you because of who you are rather than for the benefits of knowing you because you're famous.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like "Ready for This Jelly?" by Will Montgomery.

Beauty vs. Health

I think most of us can probably agree that society has a pretty skewed idea of beauty in relation to healthy weight.  Take a look below at a "normal" model's body compared to that of a "plus size" model.  It is my opinion that Nicole's body does not look like the body of a "normal" woman.  She is a beautiful girl and what I saw on America's Next Top Model made her seem like a sweetheart.  However, I think more woman can relate to Whitney's body type which allows her to fill out clothing more femininely and realistically.

Whitney Thompson
Cycle 10 Winner
America's Next Top Model
"Plus Size" Model

Nicole Fox
Cycle 13 Winner
America's Next Top Model
"Normal" Model

I have long found myself frustrated by media coverage of celebrities, scrutinizing them for weight gain or weight loss.  If we treasure these people so much for their ability to sing, act, direct, or write, why should their weight be so important? 

Maybe a cause of weight gain/loss is the stress of the limelight. Maybe these celebrities privately have health conditions or prescription medications that cause the weight gain/loss. Maybe they are human and shouldn't be required to fit into someone else's idea of perfection.

Most recently, I have seen numerous articles and pictures of LeAnn Rimes in which she is being attacked for being thin, but she doesn't look unhealthy to me.  She looks thin, yes, but muscular also.  She looks like she's been working out.  But, most importantly, she looks happy.  At least, she looks like she would be happy if everyone would back off.

LeAnn Rimes - June 2007
Celebrated for her abs.

LeAnn Rimes - May 2011
Called "Scary Skinny"
Probably only a 5-10 pound difference.

I feel that I should clarify that I'm not coming to LeAnn's defense because I'm her "biggest fan."  In all honesty, I can only name two songs of hers that I like.  (LeAnn, if you ever read this, it's not your music.  I'm just not a fan of country music.)  So, the issue isn't that people are picking on my favorite, it's that people need to have something better to do in life than harass others about their weight - or about anything else for that matter.

Our culture puts so much emphasis on being thin that girls (and boys) develop eating disorders and addictions to exercising in order to please their peers and find self worth.  According to the South Carolina Department of Mental Health, half of 11- to 13-year-old girls consider themselves to be overweight and eight of ten thirteen-year-olds have tried to lose weight. In a survey reported by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, the majority (91%) of women on a college campus had dieted in an attempt to control or lose weight.

An anorexic model on the runway.

How someone with anorexia views
the reflection in the mirror.

"The body type portrayed in advertising as the ideal is possessed naturally by only 5% of American females." (www.anad.org)