Do you know who Star Jones is? She’s one of those women on the View. She used to be a pretty hefty woman and then she wasn’t. She won’t tell people what she did – whether it was a diet, a surgery or some miracle zap that turned her from a size 20 to a size 4 (or whatever she was to what she is) – but the point is – why do we all care so much?
Celebrities Influence Our Culture
First and foremost, it’s because Star Jones whether we like it or not is a celebrity. She’s on a prestigious show along with a select few of prestigious women and she’s been deemed news worthy. What she does is worth commenting on and when there is such a drastic change to her appearance – well they say curiousity is natural and healthy. Still – I look at Star Jones and feel a small shrug coming on. After all – she’s just another person. I’m glad she found a solution to her health issues.
What Worries Me
What worries me is when a celebrity like Star Jones is tight-lipped about how she managed such a radical change because the rampant speculation can lead to some unsavory conclusions. Because other women look up to her and respect her — they want to emulate her. If she got that way on a regular diet, why can’t they? If she elected surgery, does it make her accomplishment any less? What makes what a celebrity does so important to the personal psyche that people feel they not only need to know, they have a right to?
We Don’t Exist in a Vaccuum
Our celebrity worship is a way to reduce our sense of personal isolation. We do not live in a vaccuum. We like our celebrities when they do something great. We admire them. For example, who didn’t smile when Tom Cruise got braces at the same time as his son so that his kiddo wouldn’t feel strange about getting braces nor judged by anyone? That was a great act by a father. How quickly is that forgotten in light of recent scandals? When Kirstie Alley gained so much weight, there was a lot of sympathy. There was some appalling shock at her turn as the Fat Actress and then when she signed on to talk it out there for Jenny Craig and cataloging her weight loss – she seemed somehow diminished –and not just in weight.
Our celebrities are not perfect, no matter how much we admire them. They are human. We like that humanity about them, but we are equally quick to judge that humanity when it seems to be failing us. There are plenty of plus-sized actors and actressses who are not only beautiful and admirable, but upon whom weight loss might diminish.
What plus size actors and actresses can you name?