Recently names like Oprah, Kathy Ireland, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Love Hewitt and even Seth Rogen have made headlines for their struggles with weight, and in some cases, the “struggle” seems a little far-fetched. Why are we so obsessed with celebrity weight changes, even minor shifts? Why do we judge them so harshly for even a five pound weight gain or loss? Do we believe it is a job requirement of fame to maintain a personal peak condition? On one hand, we want to believe that it is so “easy” for celebrities to lose weight and stay in shape because they don’t have “real jobs” and can afford to hire professionals to help them out all day every day. On the other hand, do we feel better about ourselves when celebrities are not perfect?
So much has been written about the dangers of exposure to extreme images, accepting those as the norm, as well as of being focused on your own weight, excluding BMI and health as measures. Yet we continue to analyze paparazzi photos for even the hint of a change. A shift in fabric, poor posture, normal bloating, or ill-fitting clothing could all explain a less than flattering photo more than a body change. Focusing on someone else’s weight and making comparisons is just as damaging as criticizing yourself.
People focus on celebrities as a way to escape mentally from their life. Having an opinion about designer dresses, fashion choices that we can never afford, what is and isn’t a healthy body choice, and relationships that are not available to us allow people to feel as if they might have an opportunity to make such choices at some point. When we have a negative assessment of another person’s life or choices, we can feel as if we have more value because we would make “better” choices. Even such negative comparisons do not build self-esteem.
People tend to idolize celebrities for their talent or beauty or luck. When you look up to someone for one reason, you often give more weight to their opinions in other areas as well. We also want to be as much like the people we idolize as possible. Even if we realize that our bodies are different and some bodies react differently to different diets, people see to want to try what their favorite celeb is trying. Again, it gives them more connection to the life of fame and fortune.
Unfortunately, this obsession is not really helpful for every day folk or the rich and famous. Although there are some that enjoy such attention, the majority of people do not want their every choice observed and critiqued. Comparing yourself to others, regardless if the comparison is positive or negative, will never help you improve your personal self-esteem. Every individual has our own strengths and endearing flaws. That is your beauty, not how much you resemble some standard. Finally, I always wonder how newsworthy such stories really are when we consider all that’s going on in the world with pirates, death, disease, and proposed restrictions on organic farming.
Why is it, that in this article as with so many others , you include everyone as if everyone actually reads you , or agrees with you, or considers the topic to be worthwhile… I don’t give a damn about celebrities or what they think, or wear, or their political views … Most are a bunch of airheads without the brains God gave a goose. So please say something like, ” A portion of he people are obsessed with celebrities weight but most of the populace wouldn’t give a Tinkers Dam to know anything about them “
Someone woke-up on the wrong side of the bed. Did you ever stop to think that the writers of articles are using the “editorial we”? It’s used commonly in writing to avoid being too personal or specific by using “I” or to represent a collective viewpoint. Anyway if you had bothered to read the entire article you’d know that Brooke is agreeing with you kind of. She’s say celebs weight problems or lack there of aren’t really newsworthy, that bigger things are going on in the world. So everyone deep breath in….. and out.
Well, Puck, Heather is right in part about the use of the “editorial we”. “We” refers to people in general -on average- or our readers; it does not always, as in this case, include me specifically. I am a strong proponent that there are generally more within group differences than between group differences. I seek diversity in people and opinions, and I am glad that you feel comfortable sharing that you do not agree.
Heather, thank you for your response and the reminder to utilize diaphragmatic breathing to help ourselves relax.