Curves are Back in Hollywood!

Hi Everyone -

Wow, it's been a crazy 2 days. I appeared on CNN Showbiz Tonight last night and the night before and now I will also appear on Friday - it is Jessica Weiner week on CNN - ha! Actually, this particular show, Showbiz Tonight, attempts to zero in on this weight/body image controversy in Hollywood. They really try to do the best they can to untangle this tricky situation between celerbrity and reality and commerce! Cause in the end it's all about money!

Last night I spoke about the 'war on Anorexia' and the Italian government's idea to issue a national manifesto basically punishing runway shows if they use underweight models. While they say the goal is to erradicate eating disorders and negative body image issues in girls, they still try to punish or blame a model in the fashion industry. My take is that they are completely going about it in the wrong way. Models hold NO power in the industry unless they get to super star status and very little do.

The real power belongs to the agents, agencies, fashion designers, editors, and publishers. They are the ones deciding the trends and casting the women. Models are girls and women with dreams. There are no unions in modeling yet and so their is no organized protection of their rights. If people want to erradicate diseases like eating disorders then we have to move toward broad sweeping education in schools, communities and homes. In addition, we'd have to educate the entire entertainment industry so that they are aware of the consequence of their actions.

I wish this issue was as clear cut and simple as a 3 minute news story. But it's not. It is waaaay more complex and will take some time to sort out. But in the meamtime, I'll keep popping up and talking about these issues in whatever forum we have available because someone should be raising their voice.

Tomorrow, I'll be on CNN when I discuss how curves are back in Hollywood! (8 pm PST / 11 pm EST)
We are going to be exploring the new (and hopefully lasting) trend of fuller women gracing our media. Think America Ferrera, Jennifer Hudson, .....? Where are the new curvy girls anyway?? You can count them all on one hand in Hollywood yet over 60 million women in this country wear above a size 12. What do you think about this? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Comments

I would love to see more curvy, healthy, natural women in the spot light. I think that Italy is on the right track, though its a shame to punish models for things beyond their control. Designers need to be held more accountable for their role in shaping our cultures view of "beautiful" I understand that uber thin models may be easier to dress, but any designer thats worth a d@mn should realize that their creations should look good on "real" women. All of these people, designers, publishers, and agents are trying to sell an image, why not target a larger audience of "larger" i.e. real, women?

Entertainment is supposed to 'entertain' not remind us of the grim reality that most people are overweight. Save the fatties for reality television, not the sitcoms and soap operas. It's uncomfortable to have to look at fat people, because I feel for them. That really throws a wrench in my ability to relax and enjoy myself, and that's what I try to do when I sit in front of the boob tube.

Well, pecan, I don't really think of size 12 women as 'fatties'..And as a size 12 woman, I don't want your sympathy or whatever you think your doing. While I may not be in the best shape ever, I love my curvy, womanly body..

*sigh* I doubt you were trying to be offensive, and I'm sorry for comprehending your comment that way..

I for one would love to see more curvy women. And by curvy, I mean anything other than skin and bones. Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Coolidge, America Ferrera, they are all beautiful and hardly what I'd call fat. And entertainment is not ALL about what you see or hear, it's about the emotion and the substance put into a role or a song by the person performing.

I agree with most of you-it would be wonderful to see more healthy and "real" looking women and men in the media. I am disgusted with our North American society for being caught up in what seems to be a never-ending cycle of favoring skinny, anorexic-looking models. Our society supports this way of living in almost every single way, from the most minute suggestions such as cigarette smoking, beauty ads, and everyother form of entertainment. I find it sad that if these stereotypical models are not portrayed in the media, the advertisers go out of there way to say "PLUS size" or something similar. I also find it sad that there is such an emphasis put on appearance; all too often peoples' health on other levels are neglected, and look at what we're doing to our consumer driven world? I am not a bra-burning feminist or tree-hugging environmentalist, just am realistic, and concerned about the future of our world-our environment and people that will make up our communities. This problem is only getting worse...

Be careful, Pecan...your words that you use in your post sound a lot like you struggle with some sizism and fat phobia. You can express your opinion without putting people down by calling them 'fatties' - not sure whether you are trying to be funny or not - but I think that sounded ignorant and insensitive. And not that it matters anyway but I am not a full figured woman - and it still offended me!!

Statistics show that this country has an obesity problem. Therefore..ok, we can ask for models to resemble reality, but shouldn't we be changing our reality instead because we're heading down such an unhealthy path? I don't like looking at emaciated models either, but certain models do have awesome bodies and have muscle definition and those women inspire me to work out and eat healthy and I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.

A woman could be a size 6 and in poor shape or she could be a size 10 and have a great endurance, it doesn't matter. What we need to take as a lesson is that treating your body like the beautiful temple that it is is key. So if there are women who are stick thin or overweight, those women need to change their attitude and lifestyle and that's that. We shouldn't be blaming the media, we should be teaching our children to feel good about themselves and take care of themselves. That's where the change should begin: at home and in school.

whenever i look at women i am amazed how much we feel WE are our size. it takes courage to just BE....wear what you want, express how you want, and listen to what the body has to say.
when i hear sizes i get so frustrated...because it perpetuates the idea that we are our numbers.
and we are not.
this is a deeper issue, andi applaud you jess for focusing on the CORE.
thank you and keep on shining!!:)

I, for one, am celebrating the fact that they are banning models from Madrid runways with a bmi under 18, which is way underweight. It is drawing a line in the sand and saying ENOUGH - there is a limit on how emaciated models can be. I only pray that others follow suit.
Jess totally ROCKS!!

Personally, I think those models look disgusting and malnourished. I don't see how the whole of america (and the world)could even believe that is beautiful! The main focus should be on health and happiness, not beauty. The most beautiful people in the world are not pretty, they are the people who care and help others, they are the ones who take someone else's life and help them turn it around for the better, and they are the ones who raise our future generations with this knowledge of good. It is not your physical beauty that matters...that is the message we SHOULD be sending our children around the world.

I agree with Fajita - it doesn't matter all all what size you are, it's if you're healthy or not.

I found this very motivational video on a site called fitnessgear101.com. The message is inspiring and I think the purpose of the video is really to challenge our media ideals of what makes a woman beautiful or not - here is the link: http://www.fitnessgear101.com/blogs/fitness_annas_blog/archive/2006/12/13/99651.aspx

I agree with the comments I have read. I would like to hear, however, from the male gender as to what their opinions would be. It seems that their message carries a lot of weight. Most of them that I know appreciate a fit and semi-muscular body in that it shows a great deal of work and care put into it.

i think that being confident about this matter is the best solution. If you are confident with your body then thats great! I mean, you don't have to be very slim to look beautiful. Some people look good when they are slim and some look better when they have curves in their body. It doesn't really matter what size you are as long as your happy withe your and healthy. Your size does not define you.

what amases me is that there are malnutrioned people in third world countrys that struggle just to get clean water and food yet at the other side of the scale there are people who wake up knowing that they have food in the cupboard and fresh clean water and money to spare yet still some of them manage to still be malnutrioned and choose to be. i consider myself extremly lucky to have the choice of eating well.

It's about time curves were back in! Im a curvy girl and a few of my friends are too! my best friend is a natural size 6 and she says that im lucky to be curvy! i used to HATE it but now im a bit older, i've come to realise that i should be proud to be the way i am and so should all the celebs! everyone judges them and slags them off if they're over a size 10 and it's stupid, i think the best (and healthiest) way to be is curves.

My sis pointed this site out to me so I hope you ladies don't mind the male response here. While no, most of us aren't attracted to hugely obese people (I would think that goes for women and men) yeah, I for one like a woman who's got some curves to her. Maybe it's having been raised in the Latin culture, where traditionally women have larger breats, wide hips, and round, grabbable butts. I for one thank God that these kind of women exist. But really, it's all about attitude. I've met and dated women who were twigs and hated themselves, and it showed in their attitudes! I've dated women who were size 16s, etc, and they had such passion for life and such confidence in themselves - they were gorgeous!! But if given the choice, I'll take a woman who looks like a woman, with an ass, nice breasts and a nice little tummy to curl up with at night. So don't be so hard on yourselves and don't listen to those men out there who want to go to bed with a stick every night...not all of us do!! Saludos!

I honestly don't know what to think anymore. I am a little bit curvy and so are my friends but most of them want to get rid of the curves in their body.
Somebody please tell me, is having no curves in a woman's body better then having curves. Personaly, I like my curvy body but it seems that now a days everybody just hate having curves. PLEASE ...ANYBODY, HELP AND TELL ME WHAT THEY THINK.

maya - i think you should embrace the body you've got and work to have the healthiest relationship you can with your self-esteem - don't worry about what other women are doing - your body is yours. and curves are a natural part of being female!!

Maya, your curves are a gift from God. Embrace them and enjoy looking and feeling like a woman. And you might also consider hanging out with people who make you feel good about yourself and who tell you you're wonderful and beautiful, because you ARE. Having curves is part of being a woman - enjoy it!!

When you think about it, in the 40's and 50's maybe even before then women had curves,look at Marilyn Munroe she was a real women, plus if you cater to the curvy women when it comes to design, I bet the increase in sales will probably go up.

What about Queen Latifa she is solid and beautiful,It does not seem to bother her. For too many years skinny, boney women is becoming very boring in fashion, the clothes do not do them any justice, they look like walking skeleton's.

im a 15 year old in high school and ive gotta say, ive seen alot of sticks!! and i feel sorry for these girls, they look very sickly and while some may be "popular"(whatever that means these days), there's no confidence in their bodies. I'm a big girl and ive got curves, so i know what it's like to feel large and awkward. hell, ive been a dancer for 11 years and ive always been the bigest! my advice is to love your body!! whether youre slim, curvy, or even curvier than most your confidence is what people should love about you!! don't let others judge who you should be.