Cellulite- Proving Women's Imperfection

The Celebrity Condition recently published an article praising finally seeing Britney Spears' cellulite. Not only was she at the top of the list, but there were also numerous portrayals of celebrities sporting bikinis, with photographers obviously zooming in on their cellulite.
The writer of this particular blog chose to post these pictures for very obscure reasons. It seems that the writer, a woman, only wanted to point out that these celebrity women were not perfect, which may be misconstrued as noble to some.
But, the ways in which she did this were only demeaning to the women portrayed. The blog had a picture of Britney Spears, and besides it being a close-up of the cellulite on her thighs, it also recommended that she should don a bra. Spears has had two children, and is expected by many to be free from all of the signs that she was ever pregnant. Not only is this an unrealistic expectation, but it just continues to show that Americans think too highly of celebrity women, because we do not expect non-famous women to meet those high of standards.
Another picture of Charlotte Church talked of her up-and-coming career while simultaneously demeaning her body, but also chose it important to mention that her cornrows were “horrible.”
Yet another example was of Uma Thurman, who even the writer of the blog admits had a hard time finding any real cellulite, was made fun of for her “saggy boobs.”
This blog completely misses the point. In the process of pointing out the imperfections of these celebrity women, it completely demeans their characters. Most of the women were involved in a field other than bikini model, so their cellulite should not be a factor on the minds of the American public. These women are talented, many are mothers, and most importantly, they are people. None of the photos stated that these celebrity women were claiming to have perfect bodies, and that statement is rarely, if ever, heard anywhere. So, to pick on the faults of these celebrity women, we are trying to bring them down to our level as non-perfect. But, in doing so, we bring the entire class of women down by subjecting them to the ideals of perfection, and then “proving” that the concept of the perfect woman is impossible.


Sources used:
The Celebrity Condition: Diet, Fitness & Health News of the Rich and Famous. 2008.
http://www.thecelebritycondition.com/cellulite/index.html

Why Women in Hollywood? Start of the Issue

Women in Hollywood originated around the same time as Hollywood. People began moving to Hollywood in the late 19th/ early 20th century, as it offered a lot of unused land for movie production (Allen; 2008). D.W. Griffith shot the first movie in Hollywood, In Old California, in 1910. Now Hollywood is a hubbub of activity, including several lots of studios for television and movies.
Hollywood is not just known for its movies. Hollywood is a part of Los-Angeles, and it is known for several reasons. There are award shows, shopping, numerous clubs, and a lot of paparazzi to go along with all three. It is a breading ground for celebrities and the rich and famous.
Because of the culture of Hollywood, and the opportunities available for the up-and-coming, a lot of media gets focused in Hollywood. Tabloids and magazines produce pictures of celebrities daily, and a lot of times ones that portray these people, especially women, poorly. There have been numerous times that Lindsey Lohan and Britney Spears have been caught getting out of a car without underwear on. Tabloids run pictures of celebrity women in bathing suits, and then circle the areas on their bodies that are not perfect.
A lot of times, movies and television shows are not any better in their portrayal of women. Many movies still show women as delicate housewives, or if they do work, as unfit mothers. A couple of new movies, The Women and House Bunny, show women in an unfriendly light. The former shows women in a department store advertising facelifts and joking about cooking, and this is just in the previews. The latter shows women in scantily clad outfits, pretending to be dumb to get the attention of their male counterparts.
Our population is already obsessed with how we look. We do not need these movies and magazines telling us that our bodies are ugly and that we should dumb ourselves down for the sake of getting a boyfriend. We are presenting a negative image to younger generations, who see these portrayals and act accordingly. No wonder eating disorders and plastic surgery are common in the United States. These celebrities, who have so much influence on the nation, are giving women everywhere a bad name, and influencing the population in a negative way.
This issue is highly prevalent today, and I am personally sick of watching television or movies, or having to see tabloid magazines while I am grocery shopping, that portray women in such a negative way. These women who allow themselves to be shown like this need to realize that they are influencing so many people, and need to either not play the roles that treat women unfairly, or the general public needs to stop buying tabloids that take women back to the 1940’s.

Sources sited:

Allen, R. "Sociology of Film." WSU, Fall 2008.