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Thursday, September 25, 2008
Are skinny starlets on TV hurting our girls?
Entertainment Weekly calls out the young stars on the new ‘90210’ for being too thin and offers a scary statistic that some of our youngest girls are now worried about their weights.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In the Sept. 26 issue of Entertainment Weekly, the magazine questions whether the skinny starlets on the new ‘90210’ are setting a bad example for the young girls watching the show. (Check out the article and photos of the girls here.) Here are some highlights from the article in the News and Notes section:
“Almost without exception, the young actresses on The CW’s spin-off are alarmingly thin, with arms that seem thickest at the wrists, and legs that look, well, like arms. As we watched Kansas transplant Annie Wilson (Shenae Grimes, pictured, left) graze on a side salad as her lunch entrée, one question lingered: Are we the only ones overreacting to these skinny minnies? The answer, as it turns out, is no.”
“’ Everyone says television adds five or ten pounds, so if you’re watching and someone looks like they haven’t eaten in forever, what must they look like in person?’ asks a Hollywood insider who works with young actresses on popular series (nearly everyone asked about this subject preferred to remain anonymous)….”
” ‘I know in discussions at ABC and CBS that ‘too skinny’ is no good. They talk about it as a minus point,’ says the agent. ‘But at The CW it’s a different story. They’re trying to pull in the Gossip Girl audience and that’s the image: hyper-skinny models.’ “
It’s not a new trend, but it may be affecting even younger girls. The magazine reports that: “Besides, weight-related pressure is trickling down to the youngest of girls: The National Eating Disorders Association cites data from the 1990s in which 42 percent of girls in grades 1-3 reported a desire to be thinner. Says the association’s CEO Lynn S. Grefe, ‘There’s no doubt it’s gotten worse.’ “
In the ’90s, Calista Flockhart, Portia de Rossi and Lara Flynn Boyle were under scrutiny for being too skinny. Model Kate Moss is another one that pops to my mind. Currently, Keira Knightley’s weight is also under examination, with one tabloid claiming she’s only 97 pounds. And on “Dancing with the Stars” on Monday night one of the judges told Susan Lucci that basically she should put on more weight.
What do you think: Is the skinny minny trend one that crosses all networks and age demographics? Do you think the girls on the new “90210” and the CW in general are damaging to your daughter’s body image? Have you ever discussed the thin actresses and models with your daughters? Do you worry about eating disorders? Have your elementary school children ever expressed concern about their weight? (I have to say I do know a young girl who even as a first grader said she needed to be on a diet — which worries me very much!)
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