From Blonde to Bald: Are Celebrities Cracking Under Pressure?

With award show season underway, the media are focusing more than ever on the stars, what they are wearing, and most importantly, how much they weigh. In a sea of size two actresses strutting down the red carpet, it is the full-figured stars such as Dream Girl Jennifer Hudson (pictured to the right) and Ugly Betty’s America Ferrera who are stealing the show. While it is encouraging to see these women setting an example for young girls as they defy the typical mold of Hollywood beauty, I still find myself worrying that it might be too little too late. Despite the fact that both Hudson and Ferrera are Golden Globe winning actresses, every magazine headline about them exclaims: “Is Ugly the New Beautiful?” or “She’s a size twelve and designers still want to dress her!” In reality, neither actress is overweight, and by discussing them as such, the media are only enforcing misconception that beauty only comes in one color, shape, and size. I am pleased to see diverse women gracing the covers of magazines; and I hope that such positive representation becomes the norm rather than the exception. If the media truly aims to celebrate healthier role models, they should stop glamorizing emaciated celebrities and start portraying a more realistic model of fitness and beauty on television and in the magazines.

Time and time again a fresh-faced new star steps into the spotlight and within months of her newfound stardom she drops fifteen pounds by “working out and healthy dieting.” When 27-year old singer Norah Jones was asked to lose weight for her upcoming film "My Blueberry Nights" she said, "It was a horrible thing to hear but I understand the game. I was just amazed that it really was an issue, and it made me have a lot more sympathy for really skinny actresses." But some stars have not had as much luck withstanding the pressure to fit the Hollywood prototype. Young celebrities such as Ashlee Simpson and Carrie Underwood, who once embraced their healthy curves and vowed never to surrender to the pressure to be thin, soon swapped these admirable attitudes for new bodies, fake hair extensions, and expensive new noses. In 2006 a pre-nose job Ashlee Simpson preached to her fans, “Everyone is made differently, and that is what makes us beautiful and unique. I want girls to look in the mirror and feel confident.” Ironically enough, Simpson reemerged just a few months later sporting a new nose, long blonde extensions, and a much thinner figure (Simpson's transformation is shown to the left). One really has to question the impossible standards that the media are setting for our youth when Carmen Electra, one of our country’s most prevalent sex symbols, becomes the new spokesperson for Taco Bell fast food while simultaneously endorsing the new NV diet pill! It is ridiculous that Electra, who is known for her rock solid abs and svelte body, is even allowed to promote a diet pill. Mixed messages such as these convince women every day that to be successful, they must achieve these expectations of beauty by starving themselves and taking potentially dangerous pills.

With an entire nation tracking the every move of these young female starlets, it is no wonder that they are beginning to suffer the consequences. While media attention has always been part of the job description, I think our society’s celebrity obsession may be crossing over from what is appropriate and entertaining to a harmful and dangerous zone. A perfect example of this phenomenon is the recent Britney Spears scandal, when she spontaneously decided to shave her head (her new look is pictured below). Gossip columnists and news channels alike became completely obsessed with the story and stalked poor Britney like predators hunting their prey. I, like Britney Spears, just shaved my head. One of my many motivations for doing so was because I was tired of perpetuating our society’s unfounded and unrealistic conventions of beauty. I firmly believe that women give so much power to their hair because we think it is what makes us feminine and beautiful. Shaving it all off was my way of saying that we don’t need long, blonde hair to be sexy. After so many years of being judged by her appearance, maybe Britney and I shared a similar sentiment. Of course, the media had their own take on Britney’s situation, speculating that she is having a nervous breakdown. Entire websites were devoted to bashing her new look and some even accusing her of being gay. Although I do not know Britney personally, I know that if I had to read about my fashion disasters, horrible parenting skills, cheating husband, and the cellulite on my thighs every single day, I would not be in the best state of mind either. Britney Spears, the same teen queen who produced hit after hit, who dated heart-throb Justin Timberlake, and who was the first major teen icon of my generation, has become one of our media's favorite punching bags. Despite her questionable actions as of late, I cannot help but sympathize for the former starlet. It seems that we, the public who helped build the Britney Spears brand, have completely turned our backs on her and are now relishing her failures for their entertainment value.

In American Ferrera's Golden Globe acceptance speech the "Ugly Betty" star said, “Thank you to the foreign press for recognizing this show and this character who is truly bringing a new face to television… and such a beautiful, beautiful message about beauty that lies deeper than what we can see. It’s such an honor to play a role that I hear from young girls on a daily basis how it makes them feel worthy and lovable and that they have more to offer the world than they thought. It’s such an honor to play this role.” Messages such at these can help change the way our society views women, and more importantly help change women’s attitudes toward themselves. With all the negative publicity that so many young stars both receive and generate for women, it is refreshing and inspiring that shows such as "Ugly Betty" are striving to put the focus back on women in a positive light.