Tues Trends

by

This week I wanna talk about a trend.

As in a trend Ive noticed and a trend I trendmendously dislike.

A little while ago Zandria did a fantastic post (and sparked some interesting comments) about fitness magazines & whether they make us feel better or worse about ourselves.

For me (the short version. I rambled a smidge in her comment section) the answer is neither. They dont impact me either way.

What does impact me, you ask?

What gets the MizFit’s shortshorts in a wad?

The new trend of actress models (sometimes they are modelmodels but rarely) and how magazines hath started profiling their behavior on cover shoots.

Sure, I find it as interesting as the next trashymagaddicted woman when they share that Sarah Jessica Parker arrived at her photo-op in her signature manolos & toting a picture lovingly drawn by her son, James Wilkie.*

I read the part about how Katie Holmes arrived on the set with Tom firmly taped to her side and he had to be forcibly removed so that the camera lovemaking could commence.*

What I cant stand is the FOOD INFORMATION.

The lady doth protest too much way that magazines such as In Style or Allure try and convince readers that the women carb load/borderline binge both before and during a shoot.

REALLY, Magazine editors? (Renaissance Man? should you read this entry that’s for you)

You expect us, the masses, to believe any of that?

And, since we all know that you *dont* (or perhaps you do since the table of contents always includes at least one article on I EAT LOTS OF JUNK FOOD AND I JUST LOOK THIS WAY! by SuperModel McGee), then why do you bother putting it in there?

Is it supposed to be your attempt at “cover models: they’re just like us!”?

Because I know that, while I never ever count calories, there’s no way Id eat a single morsel before or DURING being photographed for the cover of a national magazine (did you hear that Shape? Call me! I promise not to eat until after!).

nothing. Id even skip my coffee.

(steps down off Tuesday Rant soapbox)

That’s the trend which is on my nerves.

Does this bug you at all? gotta different trend grumble or gripe? hit us up in the comments.

*these are all completely fabricated situations. please not to sue the MizFit for both of her dollars.

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Comments

  1. Man, this is why I don’t have a TV, rarely read the paper, and limit my magazine subscriptions to Time Out London. All this crap would just piss me off!

  2. I so rarely read magazines that I’ve never noticed that particular trend. If them celeb-folks was just folks they wouldn’t be in them magazines, and them editors would know better than to print that crap.

    My peeve is the media’s believing that the general population “needs” to know intimate details about celeb lives – who cares? And when one dies…especially one who has lived in a drug-induced fog and should have been a tester for Serta mattresses…now that bugs me. And even after several years they won’t let it go…Ugh!

    Yikes – that was my rant of the day. My students will be relieved that they don’t get to hear it today.

  3. I wouldn’t skip the coffee (horrors) but you can bet if for some bizarre reason the editors of Women’s Health and Fitness or Shape or Health wanted a picture of an aging crustacean in their magazine? I’d be skipping the junk food at least for a few hours.

    They’re lying, methinks.

    In a weird way, though, I think it’s an attempt not to normalize the extreme things actresses and models do to stay slim. The fake food info may be a way to say: Do Not Attempt This (starvation diet + pills) at home.

  4. That does drive me nuts too….but what really makes my head asplode is that celebrity “news” is now part of the “regular” news broadcasts. grrr…I want to hear the weather, the traffic, political news etc., NOT Britny’s latest drunken escapade or who Lindsy is shacked up with this week. Some of the newscasters on my favorite early morning show do look embarassed at having to read this garbage…..

  5. Haha I completely agree… I’d definitely be working out hardcore prior and not eating until the end LOL… I’m still trying to search for a good women’s magazine that is realistic and filled w/ good food/fitness information sans ridiculous articles/ads… here’s to hoping!

  6. I often wonder if those models/actresses fast for a few days before the shoot and then make a point of eating in front of the film crew so that the magazine says “she snacked the whole time). Then they get to look like they’re “just lucky with metabolism” instead of exposing the uglier truth of disordered eating…

  8. Excellent point. I hate this too. Although I have noticed a smaller but emerging countertrend of honesty among some lesser celebs. Marcia Cross for instance, admitted in a public interview that she is “hungry all the time.” Debbie Matopolous answered “I don’t eat” when asked how she got so thin. And then followed it up with “Seriously. You think this is easy?” Over the weekend I read a book by a personal trainer to the stars type and she (Jillian Michaels) and he (Gunnar Peterson) both detailed what stars go through for a week before they do covers: fasting, diet pills, diuretics, excessive exercise and so forth.

    Hollywood is built on lies but the truth does have a way of coming out…eventually. Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later:)

  9. To add to Charlotte’s list, Julianna Moore said she lives on yogurt and lettuce, or something like that.

    I’ve read several articles trying to out the celebs who say they stay in shape by eating healthy and playing with their kids or taking the dog on a walk. I’ll believe this for about 2% of them, but not every one!

    Here’s where the celebs lose me: We normal people are proud of our workout accomplishments. We brag to each other, compare stats, share healthy recipes. We admit that we work hard at our health and fitness. Why then do the celebs feel the need to pretend they don’t have to go through the same things we do? Are they really going to lose fans and press time if they admit they’re human and spend time in the gym while having a chef cook for them? ‘Cause honestly? As long as they can act, I don’t really care whether they won the genetic lottery or not!

  10. I agree with you that it’s frustrating (and I’m pretty sure I’d want to be going to a photo shoot on an empty stomach, too!), but the difficulty is in these extremes and the way that celebrities are portrayed. If they’re honest that they don’t eat or they only eat a very strict diet or take laxatives or whatever, the media jumps on the oh-look-she’s-a-bad-role-model bandwagon. (which is sort of true… I mean, it’s not exactly a GOOD thing and other people might think “okay thats what I’ve got to do for her body then”). And if they say something like “I’ve just got great genes and walk my dog for exercise!”, then they’ve got this army of women hating them.

    To me its lose-lose either way. I’m still a major sucker for magazines. But I’m pretty disgusted by them at the same time.

  11. I with you. I feel like the obligatory “I eat like a moose” statements have no meaning. Because if she eats like a real human than she doesn’t exercise like one – there has to be something abnormal in the mix to maintain that level of thin.

  12. Totally agree, but what I find even more discouraging is that there is so much airbrushing/photoshopping going on that you don’t even know what is real about a picture anymore. Take a recent picture of Kelly Ripa, who seriously works out and is in great shape, but when they photographed here her they changed her belly button from an outy to an inny .

    Maybe the models did just eat a bunch of junk food because they knew that unlike real life, the pictures could just be photoshopped . Ugh….

  13. i don’t believe anything i read/see in a magazine when it comes to peoples body shapes and what they eat. it is almost always fabricated and/or airbrushed. i just take them for the mindless fun read they are.

  14. I hadnt see that, Kristen, with K.R. and her button šŸ™‚

    I HEART her outie.

    That’s just plain silly…

    M.

  16. i feel like sometimes, i believe them when they say “Heidi Klum…snacked on chicken kabobs and veggies and rocked out to hubby Seal’s tunes while she got her makeup done.” But when the actresses themselves are like, “I eat cupcakes all daylong – really -I was awkward and skinny in school!” I want to throttle them.
    Did you catch Julianne Moore’s very honest comment from March: ā€œI still battle with my diet. Iā€™m hungry all the time. All actresses are hungry all the time.ā€

  17. Oh, who cares about those people? I feel a little sorry for them. My tombstone will NOT say “She only ate rice crackers.” Want fitness tips from a woman in shape? Well, I think we’ve come to the right place. And look, no trees have been killed! I’ll take your coffee if you don’t want it…

  18. Kristen is right. Photoshopping is done on every photo. If you look closely you can actually see it.

    I love my favorite trainer’s (the other one Miz) saying “Do Your Best and Forget The Rest”

  19. Im with you WG (and so have that couplecrush raging strong for the Klum & the Seal).
    And was so saddened about the julianne moore thing.

    Thanks Marianne. I appreciate your words and, M., love the words of your trainer.

    Cant believe Id not heard those before!

    M.

  20. What?! It’s all lies and fabrications?! *Gasp*
    The Bag Lady is shocked and saddened by this news. Now she remembers why she doesn’t keep up with the celebrity news anymore.
    And she agrees whole-heartedly with Missicat regarding the trash they try to pass off as news nowadays. Sheesh. The Bag Lady is old enough to remember when the newscasters were old guys who read the news in deep, portentous voices, imparting the seriousness of the situation, whatever it was. None of this bullshit about who so-and-so is boinking. That’s not news – that’s gossip. The television stations are all about ratings anymore.

  21. Everyone has brought up excellent points! I agree with The Bag Lady – the media and news stations only want ratings now, and that leads me to not believe anything anymore.

  22. Sadly this is the kind of stuff that affects young girls and their eating habits, their self esteem, etc. It has affected me in the past, usually after having a baby–well a year after having a baby and still trying to get by sixpack, tight skin and all…it worked the magazine model, where did I go wrong?!!

    I’ve learned to speak outloud about TV and print models so my daughters usually say something like “wow they must have really sprayed her good” — good girls!! Welcome to the real world. Thanks MizFit for sharing with us what gets on your nerves šŸ™‚

  23. In order for them to be good role models, who celebrated the abilities of their bodies and the loving way they nourish themselves, there would have to be a radical change up in Hollywood. I think there would be a 98% drop in skinnyskinny actresses (and likely a 75% drop in over-muscled super-low-body-fat actors).

    One more thing – my partner told me recently that someone did a study where they gave men pictures of women sized 0 through 10. The men were most attracted to the size 8 and 10 women. Not that anyone should be doing anything just because it’s what men like, and there was the obvious problem of cutting off the women at size 10, but it makes ya wonder…where is the obsession with thin coming from??

  24. It’s all lies, just the same way they all get their 6-packs and bubble butts by hiking with their dogs on the weekend and 1 hr yoga class once a week. mm-hmm. Just think how many pictures there are of celebs out running or leaving the gym and stuff. How many more celebrities do this in their own house (where they have state of the art gyms anyway?) There are many more pictures of celebs outside exercising than there are of them eating.

  25. And then there is poor Lisa Marie. Because she decided to indulge during her pregnancy, they are all over her and taking less than flattering shots of her!

  26. This is *sooooo* funny and so true …. sorry it has taken me so long to get online and check blogs and messages (it is currently 1 am in the UK whatever time this computer ends up saying I posted this at!).

  27. Thanks for the shout-out, my friend! I liked your response to my post, and I’m glad you expanded it into one of your own. šŸ™‚

  28. Amen. šŸ™‚

    If it’s worth it to them to go through what they do, then God bless ’em…but you know what? I really think they should all just be honest about it. Maybe then we wouldn’t have so many preteen girls hating themselves for not being able to eat a gallon of Ben & Jerry’s a day and still look like a praying mantis.

    They’re not normal. Normal doesn’t net you millions of dollars a year, unfortunately. It’s sort of annoying that they want to be fabulous AND normal. Sorry, you only get one. šŸ™‚

    V.

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