Karen Carpenter had one of the most beautiful contralto voices that I have ever heard. Hers was a heavy loss for music. In addition to her stunning vocals, she was a rare female drummer who was awarded Best Rock Drummer in Playboy's 1975 annual magazine poll. (How prestigious was this poll? Apparently, enough to piss off John Bonham of Led Zeppelin, landing in second.)
Her death sparked a national conversation about anorexia and bulimia and inspired several celebrities to go public with their eating disorders, including Jane Fonda and Princess Diana, helping millions of people realize that they are not alone.
(Karen Carpenter wiki.)
There are so many talented women artists out there, and they are some of my biggest inspirations. And yet many female celebrities, held to a very thin standard, continue to perpetuate a harmful discourse about their size being more important than their careers.
(And here's the part where I dive into the dreaded garbage media. And lose my mind.)
Jennifer Hudson, weight watchers spokesman, said: "Before Weight Watchers, my world was can't", even though she was already a major star with an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA Award, NAACP Image Award, Screen Actor's Guild Award, Grammy, and platinum album. (In a similar vein: Janet Jackson reveals that Nutrisystem brought her success.)
On the Oz Show (I didn't realize that quack had his own show!), Dr. Oz reveals "America's most famous yo-yo dieter" (how about actress with a very long and distinguished career?!) Kirstie Alley, who reveals her dark secret for gaining weight: being in her 50s and wanting to spend time with her kids. Her awful addiction to baking treats cause the women sitting in the audience to flash politely incredulous looks. (Do you think the "look judgemental" sign is flashing right next to the one for "applause"?)
And a quick interjection - if you wonder how Oz makes his millions, I watched a 10 minute video on that website and saw no less than five commercials.
Rihanna in a recent interview with Complex magazine: she wants to steal another actress' identity who "just a had a baby and looks even better than I do". Does better mean thinner? Why would RiRi want to be thinner?? Hasn't she reached the celebrity gold standard of a perfect, media-sanctioned body?
I'm starting to notice a trend. Could it be that there's a very strong correlation between weight loss and obsessive body dysmorphia?
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| credit Toothpaste for Dinner |
Readers, I need your help. Do these celebrity attitudes towards their weight at all resemble yours? Do you feel that the process of losing weight is inherently traumatic, since your size is such an integral part of their identity? Or is it important to feel like you have some degree of control over your body, in a way that symbolizes you have control over your life? Was losing weight empowering for you or was it an impossible endeavor that made you crazy?
Please, tell me about your experiences with weight loss! You can send me an e-mail or a facebook message, and of course you can leave your story in the comments if you're comfortable with that.
Thanks, guys, and stay phat.
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