Our society is funny. Thin celebrities are bashed for being thin, yet stars who gain more than five "extra" pounds are criticized for being overweight. What the hell?

I look around my neighborhood and see lots of happy people of all different shapes and sizes, and I imagine (not in a creepy lewd and lascivious way) that many of those people are having sex! You know ... they "get busy" and "do the deed." So my thought process in the long run is that sexy is really not so much about looking like a Calvin Klein model, but more about the way we act and feel.

So what makes you feel sexy? Lots of girls seem to strut their stuff in lingerie, stilettos or shiny shirts. Guys work the boot cut jeans or Under Armour T's, I suppose. Me? I feel best in my black cowboy boots. Am I a western girl at all? Not really. But those boots make me feel just a tad more powerful and as you'll read next ... I love power.

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The Dove Campaign For Real Beauty has been based upon the idea that, while our bodies might have flaws (real or perceived), we're all beautiful. It's a good message, and they're looking to boost the self-esteem of females of all ages, starting with young girls. I'm all for it -- it's important that women realize that they don't need to be able to trade clothes with their favorite actress or be stalked by paparazzi in order to be beautiful.

However, some discussion has recently surfaced saying that the women in the Real Beauty ads were retouched. Premiere retoucher, Pascal Dangin, told The New Yorker that there was a great deal of retouching done on those ads, "But it was great to do, a challenge, to keep everyone's skin and faces showing the mileage but not looking unattractive."

What do you think about this development? I can't say I'm surprised -- I appreciate the fact that Dove still used women of different shapes and sizes. I mean, these are regular women being photographed and filmed in their undies! I can't say I would object to a little digital help were I in their position. But, others feel that it destroys the message -- they're not showing "real" beauty if there's retouching. What do you think?

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Ghost Whisperer actress Jennifer Love Hewitt can't catch a break. First, the media scrutinized her bikini body and blamed her for putting on too much weight. Now a new rumor has surfaced: Jennifer Love Hewitt is pregnant.

"She is not pregnant," says the star's rep, despite reports to the contrary.

Love Hewitt was spotted recently wearing flowing, baby doll styles while running errands and while attending last weekend's Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. That's when baby rumors began to flow.

It seems Love Hewitt can't bare her body or cover it up without being scrutinized. Fortunately, the actress seems happy with her body on all occasions.

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I can't even count the ways I love George Clooney. A lot of celebrities could take a lesson from him on how to handle the media attention (at least most of the time).

He was recently interviewed for the April 2008 issue of Esquire, and when asked if it was true that he had cosmetic surgery on his eyes, he said he didn't, but went on to joke, "I did get my balls done, though. I got them unwrinkled. It's the new thing in Hollywood -- ball ironing."

This was the same interview in which he went online to see what rumors were circulating about him, and in response to one that said he was "GAY, GAY, GAY," he left a comment saying, "No, I'm gay, gay. The third gay -- that was pushing it."

The man clearly has a good sense of humor about himself, his fame, and the public's response to all that is George Clooney. If only more celebrities could be that secure -- we'd have more jokes than drugs, and more bouts of uncontrollable laughter than bouts of depression.

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Jennifer Love Hewitt is happily talking about those bikini photos the media recently spread about, the photos they used to criticize her alleged weight gain.

Yep, the 29-year-old actress is happy. Happy that she is engaged to Scottish actor Ross McCall. Happy that he loves her just the way she is. Happy she isn't worried about how she looks.

If Love Hewitt does anything about her weight, it will be for health reasons only.

"If I do work out more it will be for my health, so I can live a long time and we can have kids and be happy together until we are in our 80s."

I'm happy for her. How about you?

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Three quarters of a million teenage girls will get pregnant in 2008. That's a statistic coming from this article by CBS trying to uncover how the media is influencing the depiction of sex among teenagers.

It's fairly common to see trends in movies and TV gearing adolescents toward more mature behavior. These depictions were normally reserved for adults and more mature audiences. But with teen pregnancies on the rise, it's clear that perhaps it is not as taboo as it used to be.

There's definitely a debate regarding the issue, and no simple answers. Movies don't seem to make having a baby seem like anything more than a bump in the road. Anyone seen Juno recently? And young media icons like Jamie Lynn Spears are 16 years old and already expecting. This definitely has an effect on the topic of sex in the hallways of high school. Even if Hollywood somewhat glamorizes pregnancy, is that transitioning to peers and classmates as well?

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I recently saw this video on Back in the Skinny Jeans and when I checked it out on YouTube, and was surprised (and a bit dismayed) to see that there are many similar videos showing how easy it is to make someone look skinnier in Photoshop or Paintshop.

I work as a photographer too and I know how to take a few pounds off the subject of a photo. Do I? Hardly ever, because when I make an adjustment like that, to me, the photo is no longer of something real -- it's a product of technology. Photos are meant to capture real life -- when you change it to resemble what you'd like to see, it becomes a sort of cartoon, don't you think?

What do you think? Is any beauty in the media these days real? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

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Jennifer Love Hewitt has been making quite a splash lately, ever since she was photographed in a bikini on the beach and the media began ridiculing her supposed weight gain. The Ghost Whisperer actress set the record straight in her November 29 "bikini blog post" when she declared her frustration over the scrutiny given to women and weight.

Hewitt has inspired other celebrities to show their solidarity. Here's what some of them have to say.

Model Petra Nemcova says, "There are different angles that everybody, even if you're in great shape, can look bad in a photograph. And printing these images is definitely influencing people's minds -- the stars themselves, but also the people who are reading and looking at the images, the teenagers. It's definitely good that she spoke out."

Rosario Dawson says, "They'll make a whole story about it if someone gains 5 lbs. ... I think there is a huge obsession with size-zero jeans, and it's just really scary. I don't really know where that comes from. We're not really in the Twiggy era anymore. It makes me really nervous, because I don't know how in the world we're supposed to be that thin unless we're totally starving and drugging up."

And Anne Hathaway says, "[As an actress], most of the year, your body is your own. But to be ridiculed for it is upsetting. But to also have to defend it or explain it or rejoice in it or put it down, or to be expected to have a public opinion about it ... I don't understand when that happened. I don't think women should only be defined by their bodies and their weight. It's a cycle we've been in for some time, and I don't really like it."

What do you have to say?

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Martha told us recently about news reports claiming Jennifer Love Hewitt is packing on the pounds. By Hollywood standards, maybe putting on a few pounds constitutes packing it on. By my standards, though, Hewitt is still one fit-looking gal. And most important, the actress says she's fine with how she looks.

"Like all women out there should, I love my body," says the newly-engaged 28-year-old. "I know what I look like, and so do my friends and family."

It's not easy managing all the media attention, though.

"I've sat by in silence for a long time now about the way women's bodies are constantly scrutinized. To set the record straight, I'm not upset for me, but for all of the girls out there that are struggling with their body image."

Finally, this Ghost Whisperer star declares: "A size 2 is not fat! Nor will it ever be. And being a size 0 doesn't make you beautiful . . . To all girls with butts, boobs, hips and a waist, put on a bikini -- put it on and stay strong."

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See What You're Made Of - Visit The Official Site

If you're a TV fan, you're probably excited about (or at least aware of) the new Bionic Woman series. In an effort to promote the show, NBC has created an online game that tests your memory, math skills and hand-eye coordination.

I consider myself a fairly competent person -- above average, even -- when it comes to these kinds of games. So, I figured I wouldn't have any problems as I clicked through the instructions and got started.

However, as you can see by my rather dismal results (above), I'm apparently no genius -- or, at least I'm not very "bionic." If you take the test, feel free to post your score below -- even if it will make my piddly 54% look even more embarrassing.

[via Neatorama]

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Until recently, Apple computers had a new campaign for their iMac that said "You can't be too thin, or too powerful." but it caused so much controversy they ended up changing it. The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness called on Apple to rethink the message they were sending, stating "What kind of message is Apple sending our youth with an ad campaign of this nature?"

What do you think, was Apple's slogan in bad taste? I hate the stigma of today's media pressuring young people to be ultra-thin as much as the next person, but electronics are another story. Can't we separate the two?

I can see the point of how a message like that could easily be misconstrued, but if the modeling and fashion industries were promoting healthy images this wouldn't even be an issue -- the slogan would be about computers and that's it. Seems like people are getting all bent out of shape over side issues instead of the real problem.

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Starting today I want you to begin focusing on the big picture in life. The main stream media is so full of nonsense in order to sell sensational stories that normal non-psychotic people don't know what to do with themselves. Fitness is simple. Sweat often and avoid putting too much crap in your mouth. That's it! If you make daily vigorous movement a consistency in your life and seek out healthful foods 90% of the time, you'll be great!

The daily NEWSFLASH findings like "Eat dark chocolate", "Drink wine daily", "Diet soda makes you fat" is nonsense and cruel! Most of my clients end up on my doorstep, because they've become confused. They don't know who to trust and the constant newsflash reports have sent them in circles. Avoid it if you can.

Do what you learned in kindergarten. Eat lots of fruits and veggies, lean dairy, lean meat. Avoid sugary and fat laden sweets. Go play. Sweat, grunt, breath heavy, move your body. It's truly not that confusing......so when a "breakthrough fitness flash" turns up on your TV.....turn it off.

Marketers are going further and further these days to grab people's attention, but one series of yogurt ads may have gone a little too far, and has subsequently been stirring up a considerable amount of controversy.

The ads are for a Itambé Fit Light Yogurt, and spoof famous scenes from Basic Instinct, The Seven-Year Itch, and American Beauty. In the spots, plus-sized models replace Sharon Stone (Basic Instinct), Marilyn Monroe (Seven-Year Itch) and Mena Suvari (American Beauty). The tag line reads: "Forget about it. Men's preference will never chance. Fit Light Yogurt."

Essentially, "men will never find plus-sized women attractive, so eat our yogurt and stay thin."

Most of the reaction to the ads on the Internet has been negative, calling the ads offensive to their target audience, and reliant on outdated, backwards thinking. However, some have noted an unintentional positive message in the spots -- essentially, that "those pictures of an XXL-size lady look good!"

What do you think? Is it an effective ad, or simply in poor taste?

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Nickelodeon is the latest to come under fire in the battle against childhood obesity. A recent study showed that more than 80% of the foods and snacks advertised on the network are unhealthy -- including products tied to popular characters like SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer. As a result (and in light of the growing childhood obesity problem), a nutrition advocacy group is asking Nickelodeon to make some changes -- saying they could advertise less junk food and more toys or games.

People for Nickelodeon insist that they have been and remain focused on "balanced messaging," and that currently 10% of the network's airtime is devoted to promoting healthy food choices like fruits and vegetables. They say they will continue to work with advertisers to encourage healthy lifestyle choices for kids.

Sounds like nothing is changing anytime soon.

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My outlook, when it comes to weight loss and beauty fads, is a kind of mix between realistic skepticism and dreamy hopefulness. It's no fun to go through life all pessimistic and negative, shooting down every new invention and medical breakthrough before it even has a chance, but on the flip side you don't want to fall victim to random fads and gimmicks either. But how to know when they're just gimmicks and when they might be the real thing? After all, if that tube of lotion really does melt fat right off I don't want to be the one missing out!

Obviously there's no good answer to that question, except that if a product really does what it says it can then you'll definitely hear about it. But other than that, trying stuff out (and avoiding claims that seem to good to be true) is really the only way, and thankfully there are plenty of people out there willing to do that and share what they think. Case in point? This article from the Seattle Times, where three lotions claiming weight loss and firming properties were tested by real ladies, who share their thoughts and opinions to hopefully save us all some time and potential grief.

And let me encourage you all to please feel free to share your own experiences, so we can all know more of what works and what doesn't!

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