Home » » Women's Fashion » Is Thin Really In?

Is Thin Really In?

© Anne Paxton

Is it me or are women in Hollywood living on water and cigarettes? That seems to be the case with most of the popular actresses that grace our movie and TV screens. Critics and women's organizations alike have criticized Hollywood for portraying women in an unhealthy light. Hollywood often hits back with the age old excuse of "The camera adds ten pounds," thereby justifying the necessity of thin women. And if that doesn't work they claim this is the image of women that audiences want and like, but is this true or our we just taking what Hollywood shoves down our throats? The only thing I know for sure is that the media is sending confusing and hurtful messages to women: A recent People magazine bemoaned the skinny bodies of people like Lara Flynn Boyle, but at the same time chastised Christina Aguilera for gaining a few pounds during her tour. Sadly, these are the same kind of articles I used to see when I was a teenager. The problem has not gotten better, in fact, it has gotten worse. And the media is doing nothing to discourage it: Magazines do their part by dragging out these old articles, wagging their fingers at Hollywood and then continue promoting advertisement and movies that feature stick thin women. Is it possible for people to have a healthy body in this body-conscious society? Where is the happy medium? Often it feels that a woman is either too thin or too fat, while actors like Jack Nicholson and John Travolta are merely labeled robust. What happened? Once upon a time there were women like Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor. They were gorgeous, yes, and glamorous, but more importantly they had bodies that were similar in shape to most normal women. Their curvy bodies were a turn-on and having hips was something to be proud of. Yet, in came the sixties and Twiggy and body image instantly changed. However, Audrey Hepburn had been on the scene since the early fifties with her waiflike body and she didn't have women starving themselves in droves. Was it just a change in taste or something else? How did we go from voluptuous stars to actresses who look like boys with breasts? The answer to that question is something that I am still trying to figure out, but I do know how we can stop the rising feeling of inadequacy in this country. If the media and the studios and the companies claim they only give us what we want, then it is time for us to starting show them what we really want. Stop buying the magazines, stop going to the movies and stop watching the TV shows that promote this kind of body image that forces a woman to be fifteen pounds underweight. Women have to start taking charge of what it is we buy and consume. Women are responsible for more than half of the billions of dollars the so-called "beauty" industry make each year. There is nothing wrong with make-up, perfume, or beautiful clothes, but why are they always represented by a woman who is a size 2 when most women are a size 12? The time to take a stand is now for ourselves and for the little girls all across the country who feel they need to throw-up just to feel better about themselves. Not only will we be doing ourselves a favor, but we'll be the liberator of every actress who was ever told to lose weight for a role. Maybe in the near future actresses will finally be asked to gain those ten pounds for the camera.

The copyright of the article Is Thin Really In? in Women's Fashion is owned by . Permission to republish Is Thin Really In? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.