Why do actresses have to be so skinny?
It has always been part of Hollywood — the pressure to be thin, young, and beautiful. In any given gossip magazine, you will find pictures of Hollywood celebrities who look like they have recently missed a few important meals:) – and we assume it is probably all in the name of staying competitive in their field.
Of course the public gives celebrities like these a very hard time – primarily because this body type is not the norm for society. Unfortunately, we find that retailers, media, and even the men and women that we love compare us to these standards.
On Camera
For example, let’s look at the women on the mega television hit Desperate Housewives. It’s basically a soap opera, so we’re not suppose to take it too seriously right? Well unfortunately, many people subconsciously look at the show as real housewives who are living fictitious lives. They believe the story lines are fantasy – but believe in the validity of the women.
But do these Hollywood actresses really represent a true suburban housewife? Uh, not really. Not when the average American woman is a size 14 — especially after having children. All five of the major players in this TV Soap are thin, beautiful, and well-dressed everyday.
But Hollywood actresses are not your average American are they? Their business dictates that they have to look a certain way in order to get their fair chance at parts on television and in film. Examples of this are Hollywood moms.
Megastar moms
Actresses like Courteney Cox, Reese Witherspoon, and Kelly Ripa look like they did prior to pregnancy and almost every pregnant Hollywood mom has been interviewed by the media on “how she shaped up during or after pregnancy”. It is a story that is run in every gossip rag, month after month. That alone is pressure for these actresses. If their peers did it – shouldn’t they be able to do it?
And of course the pressure to be thin is not just limited to the Hollywood actresses. For example, in the new book The Starter Wife, author and Hollywood wife Gigi Levangie Grazer writes about the pressure for wives of Hollywood actors, directors, producers etc. to stay young and thin so that they will not be replaced by younger women.
Let’s face it, the pressure to be thin in Hollywood is very real and probably very difficult for many of the women who are faced with their daily struggle of dieting, fitness, etc. Yes, of course they reap benefits in other areas — but let’s remember that these women are still human beings. They have ups and downs, and other emotional struggles common to the rest of us.
So in order to save our daughters and ourselves from a lifetime of unhealthy celebrity-thin worship – let’s be honest. Celebrities are just a sliver of our population. Do not look at them as “normal” — look at them as what they are, people who are just trying to keep their jobs:)
Additional Reading:
Read more articles on celebrities at GirlShrink.
Take a look at the Hollywood buzz book: The Starter Wife
Additional Resource:
Are you an emotional eater? Talk about it with GirlShrink.
Lisa Angelettie, M.S.W., is a psychotherapist, author, and life coach. She has been helping people make smarter life choices since 1998. Get more free tips like this when you subscribe to the GirlShrink newsletter .
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