Idiot Stick Figures With No Brains

I got really upset with Hollywood last night. I was watching "In Her Shoes" with Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette. The movie was so-so but that's not what upset me. What really got me steaming was the fact that Toni Collette's character was supposed to be considered fat. There were many jokes about her size yet if she was wearing over a size 6, I'd be surprised. She is not fat, at all. But next to Cameron, with her boy body and no hips, anyone would look fat.

Now if the character was supposed to be on the heavy side, as she was in the book, why not hire an actress who is a bit larger? Why hire a skinny actress to play a fat character? Would you hire a white person to play a black one? A man to play a woman? It is so taboo to show heavy people on the big screen. Would sales plummet that severely if there were a non-anorexic-looking person on the screen? And if that is the case, then it's not just Hollywood who has the problem. It's all of us.

I am just happy I don't have daughters yet. Or live in LA. This portrayal of women as skinny, sexual stick-figures as opposed to curvy, intelligent people is gross to me. People will say things about the scary photos of Posh Spice, with all of her bones jutting out or Nicole Richie looking like a 12-year-old girl, but those two will still get jobs in the industry. But a woman with a real body will have to work harder, lose weight to even be considered or play the undesirable role as the unattractive friend in the blockbuster movies. "The camera adds 10 lbs" the head honchos will say. I want to see a movie about the regular girl who gets a great guy in the end (or doesn't!) but not because she stooped to the standards of everyone around her. She doesn't get a make-over, or lose 20 lbs or strive to become a popular cheerleader to finally win his attention. The guy likes her because she is smart, sensitive, creative, funny. He likes that she doesn't have a boob job or wear make-up or a size 0. She's not insecure about who she is just because she's surrounded by skinny clones who play dumb to look cute. In fact, that's what makes her like herself more.

And I am not promoting obesity. I think exercise and eating well are important. I think you feel better when you're fit and healthy. But I don't think the size of your pants is indicative of your overall health. I have seen plenty of non-skeletal people who can run 10 miles. That's fit. And healthy, even if her jeans are bigger than the girl that lives on Starbucks coffee and air. And I think Hollywood should take responsibility for the messages that they convey to the public and in particular, the young public. Or, we the public should take responsibility for which messages stick.