With all of these images of thin and beautiful people constantly on every media form possible, many people are going to the extremes to try to shed the extra weight, but not everyone can afford liposuction or other plastic surgeries. In just about every webpage you see the advertisements for the new diet pill or the quick workout that will solve your problems. Often times however, these too are unrealistic. For example: in The Black Swan, Natalie Portman had to shed 20 pounds for the role (“Natalie Portman: I Was ‘Barely Eating’ During ‘Black Swan'”)! She said that she was “barely eating and working 16 hours a day” (“Natalie Portman: I Was ‘Barely Eating’ During ‘Black Swan'”). Her costar Mila Kunis also had to loose weight for the part getting all the way down to 95 pounds (“Natalie Portman: I Was ‘Barely Eating’ During ‘Black Swan'”).
The thing is that loosing this weight (besides being terribly unhealthy) is their job. Take Hugh Jackman for his role in Wolverine, he too was working out for hours a day trying to prepare his body to look animalistic. We see these people on screen and don’t realize all the things they have had to go through to get that body. They have personal trainers, dietitians, nutritionists, and time. They have all day to work out to prepare for their upcoming roles, while other people have to work.
I don’t want to take away the hope someone may have about loosing weight, but it
must be done in a healthy way. Starving yourself or just drinking cleansing beverages is not the way to do it. I think this picture says it all, but when did this switch occur?
Nowadays, more people are overweight but the media is portraying skinnier and skinnier people. The stars have such great bodies, but also have the resources to get that way. I know for me at least, I become frustrated by not seeing the same results. I know that I work hard enough and eat right, but I feel as though I’ll never look the way I want. But sometimes that may be a good thing. You can step back and look in the mirror and finally just see you without the comparison of someone else’s body in your mind. In my next post I will talk more about our minds and how it effects our perceptions of ourselves.
Cited:
“Natalie Portman: I Was ‘Barely Eating’ During ‘Black Swan'” Huffingtonpost.com. N.p., 07 Jan. 2011. Web. 30 Nov. 2013.