Chubby Celebrities - Do They Make Us Fat?

by Maggie Vink (Subscribe to Maggie Vink's posts)
Jul 2nd 2009 12:00PM

Photo: slava/Flickr

Super-skinny models and celebrities have long taken some of the blame for eating disorders. When inundated with image after image of rail-thin waifs, it's human nature to compare your own body to those you see in magazines or on the screen. But does the flip side of that coin hold true? Do overweight celebrities give us the green light to be overweight too?

Obesity expert Michael McMahon thinks so. "The increasing profile of larger celebrities means that being overweight is now perceived as being 'normal' in the eyes of the public," McMahon told the Daily Mail. "We talk about the dangers of skinny media images, but the problem actually swings both ways."

We're drawn to celebrities, particularly when there's something about them that we find relatable. But what we see on glossy magazine pages isn't always the full truth. Super-thin celebrities are often airbrushed to portray a level of perfection even they can't achieve. What's more, like Natasha Henstridge recently admitted, the measures that celebrities take to stay skinny are often damaging to their health. And overweight celebrities have their fair share of issues, too. Nia Vardalos had blood sugar issues and Kevin Smith had a wake-up call when his doctor told him he was morbidly obese.

Our interest in celebrities should be just that -- an interest, but certainly not a lifestyle guide. When it comes to your weight, decisions should be made solely for the sake of your health. We each have to be responsible for our own health -- seeking advice from real medical experts, and not someone from Seattle Grace.

Do images of celebrities inspire you to lose/gain weight?

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Comments (51)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Kristen 7-02-2009 @ 9:06PM

I'm not gonna lie. If I'm at the gym, and one of those "Best Bikini Bodies" type shows comes on, I'll totally watch it. It definitely makes me work harder. I don't know that I'd take their advice(although, sometimes, I can't help but give it a try), but the vision of a super hot body helps motivate me to burn more calories.

goldengolfball 7-06-2009 @ 6:53AM

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Jason 7-06-2009 @ 10:28AM

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gjb 7-06-2009 @ 7:10AM

I am so sick of hearing about obesity. Some of us are too fat, some are too skinny, and some are just right. It makes for diversity. I think eating disorders are a problem but not on the scale the media would have you think. The hatred of the obese is scarey. The one group that it's still all right to belittle, make fun of and intimidate. It's not like we can hide our problem.

Lauren 7-06-2009 @ 10:00PM

Yeah.......being "different" doesn't give you the excuse to make bad food choices, be lazy, not exercise and be healthy, as well as setting a horrible example for the younger genereation.

Alexis 8-17-2009 @ 12:08PM

Seriously? Do you realize that the actual rates of eating disorders are an UNDERestimation? Do you realize that 25% of all anorexics will die as a result of the illness? Do you realize 10 year olds are now being admitted to eating disorder hospitals? Do you realize that in the US more people die from an eating disorder than from AIDS? More and more people are diagnosed with an eating disorder each year and we are only just getting statistics on males with eating disorders because the stigma attached to having an eating disorder is even greater for them.
Eating disorders aren't overrated. Maybe if they were taken seriously, eight of my friends wouldn't have died in the past year-and-a-half.

angelaxx3 7-06-2009 @ 7:15AM

I think that it's total crap if you think celebrities are the reason we have overweight people in America, or any other country for that matter. Overweight people are the ones who decide if they want to be bigger or not by what they eat, not what they see. And seeing as how most celebrities don't have degrees in the health field, why look to them for examples? That's just plain stupid.

Allison 7-06-2009 @ 12:08PM

Yes I agree. Celebs are not the reason we have over weight people. They are the reason why we have so many anorexic and bulemic people. For the very resaon stated. They have pictorials air brushed so its not actually them. They also get paid to train everyday and can afford to have personal chefs and prepared foods. My life is hectic. There is no time tothink about what Im eating and no one is cooking a healthy meal from me at 700 when I get home. They live a privledged life and plater it all over the magazines. WHy tthese people are paid what they are paid is beyond me. Scientist research cancer shoyuld get that kind of money not people on screen. They are nothing but jestures for the king!

Fatblastzone.com 7-06-2009 @ 7:51AM

I agree with the sentiment that we have to take responsibility for our own actions and the resulting consequences. Ultimately, we are in control of whether or not we are overweight...or underweight for that matter. It's easy to openly place blame on celebrities and media outlets though.. But when we are faced with the decision to go and exercise for 30 minutes or to sit on our butt and WATCH television, the true culprit is revealed.

cherylmanns 7-06-2009 @ 8:14AM

All of these magazines are using these kind of storys to sell their rags. To skinny, to fat, skinny but with cellulite, skinny but with a puckered butt, saggy boobs, wrinkled knees and whatever, it just makes me so mad that they are making money off of people's insecurities. All of the perfect people look at these rags and cannot recognize theirselves because of the airbrushing and tweeking of their bodies and faces. I have never looked at a magazine and thought I wished I was that scary skinny or that I would like to be that fat. Stop letting the media make you ashamed of your body and to buy their products. Be heathly, exercise and live your life.

lonestarfi 7-06-2009 @ 8:14AM

Only one person can make you fat....you. Here is another example of American idealogy. That someone else can "make" you do something. WEakness of character or willpower is the only thing that controls or cause us to lose control of ourselves. We establish our own habits and it is up to no one else to help us break those habits. I guess the next thing we will want BO to make out our menus for us , deliver to the front door and what next , "feed us".You deserve what you get when you let someone else tell you whats best for you.

swchgo 7-06-2009 @ 12:25PM

Clearly you've never heard of genetics.

Normal size and fit 7-06-2009 @ 8:26AM

Seems to me it's this What's His Name and his ilk who are behind the rush to skinny that has so many of our children and teens worried about their bodies. Shame on you for fueling the flames of those who would have us all be skinny. I don't want to hear about body sizes again. Tell us upbeat stories that everyone can aspire to about family fitness, now there's a story I will be happy to read.

hoosier bob 7-06-2009 @ 8:34AM

you know actors are a mirror of society , meaning for a movie to be real , the actors in it should look like us . I for one don't think there are enough fat people in movies . Lets face it folks , most of us are too busy to spend 4 hours a day on our appearance . And while we're on the subject must we listen to these quacks ?

Skyboi 7-06-2009 @ 9:24AM

Obesity expert? That's a new title. When will these so called "experts" start backing what they say with hard data. If you watch UK TV, most of the funny people are fat. So is this obesity expert saying that if your fat, you are also funny? Hmmmm......

Emily 7-06-2009 @ 9:32AM

Wouldn't it be nice if we would all concentrate on being healthy instead of trying to look like celebrities who probably don't know the first thing about being healthy? Starving yourself to look like Kate Moss (whose BMI has been known to dip into the "dangerously low" range) is not healthy. Thinking it's okay to be huge because Aretha Franklin is overweight is also not healthy. Besides, what's "healthy" for one person may not be for someone else--everyone is different.

Jamie 7-06-2009 @ 9:45AM

This is total nonsense! People who are overweight are that way because of their own issues and problems,not because Kirstie Alley is fat!

Teach4middle 7-06-2009 @ 9:55AM

Bravo! I wish more men would tell their true feelings.

Mike 7-06-2009 @ 10:12AM

How about those "celebrities" who aren't "celebrities" setting a bad example of just how whacked out Hollywood is these days. When you've got "no talent" nobodies who are known for nothing more than standing on a carpet for a bunch of leech photographers, and making money because of it, I'd say there's a serious "message" problem with setting an example. Just tell your no talent kid to dress and act whacked out and some Hollywood scuzball will package it and try to sell it.

pd39 7-06-2009 @ 11:18AM

"Obesity expert Michael McMahon" has built himself a lifelong income off of an arguable medical quantity. Who is he to say I'm obese when I weigh 265, stand 6'2", BP is 118/64 and pulse 72 after I run 5 miles with full field pack? He can't do that, I'll guarantee. My cholesterol is LDL 97, HDL 43, I eat what I dam well please and exercise two hours every day in addition to my daily run. And I'm 65 years old! Those charts are 90% crap, they are made by and for the skinny-minnie community, and are being forced on the rest of us - those of us who need the extry strength, and the weight that comes with it, to do our work. Bet McMahon never made a living moving painos or heavy equipment. You can't do it if you're 150 pounds. You need to have some lead in your ass to counter the weight you are pushing, or it will run right over you.

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