share: Celebrity dieters and being famous for 'fat' - is this hurting or helping?
I just saw that Kirstie Alley is on the cover of People Magazine. Not for her work as a actress or for a charity she's involved with, or some family or relationship drama. She's on the cover because, according to her, she's fat.
She was also the subject of a recent, one-hour Oprah interview. Oprah herself has been open about the fact that she herself gained back many of the pounds she worked hard to lose. Oprah looked at Kirstie and asked if she agreed with the fact that Oprah said "after all these years, I can't believe I'm STILL talking about my weight!". Kirstie agreed that she was becoming known for her weight, not her work.
Many of the celebrities who are famous for their weight loss (or gain) are often spokespeople for diet programs. They start off over-weight, go on the diet plan (and are very generously paid) and each week we see them shrink down a little more until the inevitable "TA DA!" moment where they sashay onto the screen (sometimes in a bikini) and show off their new bodies. We cheer them on. They inspire us.
They also pay their rent by doing this - many of these actresses, in their 40s and 50s, have (unfortunately) trouble finding work.
Then the ad campaign is over, the money train ends and they gain weight again. Many have. Joy Behar, Oprah, Whoopie Goldberg and Kristie Alley are among the many who have regained weight. Some, like Kirstie, gain back a lot.
And the cycle begins again.
Kirstie is launching her own diet line soon and hopes to lose the 85 pounds she has gained. She was replaced in the famous diet program by actress Valerie Bertinelli who graced People Magazine herself a couple of weeks ago, looking stunning and svelt in a bikini. Kirstie intimated she was both envious and inspired. Will Bertinelli also gain back the weight? Time will tell.
We then wonder if these yo-yo success-then-failure stories are helpful or harmful. Is there too much emphasis on the final curtain, where the star comes out looking nothing like her former fat self? Is the journey not more important? Or do these failures (I use that term cautiously) actually serve as even more inspirational? That these women are actually human, after all? That despite tons of money, personal trainers and chefs and state of the art gyms, they fall - just like us. And we watch as they pick themselves us again, just like we do, and try to march on.
Is it dangerous that someone's weight gain becomes their identity? Kirstie lamented that she is now known for being fat, not an actress. Would they be better off not making such a song-and-dance of everything? Isn't the fall less painful when it's not witnessed by millions of people?
But then again, many have said that it inspires regular folk to keep trying, and to pick themselves up again. It seems this weight battle is a a struggle for all of us - even the 'beautiful people'.
Tell Us
Is the celebrity craze of public diet programs and dramatic weight loss reveal too much? Is Kirstie only hurting herself by continually broadcasting her weight issues by jumping on different weight loss bandwagons? Or do you find that it inspires you in your own life?
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Susan, this is such a good post and such an interesting question.
When celebrities are too thin, we talk about them. When they are overweight, we talk about them. If they have a baby and gain too much (or too little) weight, we talk about them. And society feeds our interest by throwing magazines and television shows at us every time someone famous loses or gains more than a few pounds (as well as coming up with titillating reasons that it might have happened.)
I saw the episide with Kirstie, and I thought she was brave. And honest. She said she started eating the moment she stopped being a spokesperson, and didn't quit. She said she turned her dining room back into a dining room (it had been her gym while she was working for Jenny Craig, and after she stopped, she had all the weight equipment moved back out). She gained back everything she lost, and ten extra pounds.
She also said that while celebrities are being spokespeople, they are weighed every week by the company they are working for. They actually come to your house and weigh you to insure that you are indeed losing the pounds you say you are losing. It's a matter of legality. And once she knew no one was coming to the house to weigh her, it was simple to not care.
It's hard to understand feeling like this, once you achieve a weight loss that was so important to you. So many of us would look at her and say, "If I could lose this weight, I would never do that." But it's clearly a lot easier said than done.
It's important to note that people who put weight back on mention exercise. When Oprah gained back her weight, she had thyroid issues and actually had to stop exercising for a while. When Kirstie regained her weight, she had all the exercise machines moved to the garage. I don't know about Whoopie or Joy. But it's clear that those who say "it's not a diet, it's a lifetime choice" are the ones who are right.
Maintaining a weight loss is the most difficult thing. Sometimes I think that weight programs should operate this way: Lose 10 pounds, maintain for a month, lose 10 pounds, maintain for another month. It would both slow down our weight loss, giving our bodies a chance to adjust, and it would teach us how to maintain our weight while we were still in an active dieting phase. But once we're losing, we want to keep on losing. We don't want to pause -- we want things quickly. Noone ever sold magazines that said "Lose weight carefully and slowly by using portion control and exercise!" No. They sell magazines that say, "Lose 10 pounds by this weekend!"
We're certainly in a bit of a trap, here. I for one am glad for the celebrities who are honest about the battle. It makes me feel more realistic about what I can expect. Yes, Oprah has personal trainers and chefs, but if she doesn't stick with the program, she will gain. Yes, Kirstie Alley had Jenny Craig and an entire gymnasium in her home, but if she stops the effort, she will gain.
We have to make decisions about diet and exercise once and for all.
May 7, 2009 - 9:17amAnd we have to stop buying magazines that are cruel and that make their money by pouncing on people's failures.
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