You've seen the tabloid covers. Bikini-clad celebrities on luxurious vacations treated to the ultimate in tabloid humiliations: the close-up, sharpie circled cellulite photo. AAAGHHH!!!!!The latest victim is the sultry 22 year-old Mischa Barton on vacation with her mom in Australia. While donning panties on her hotel balcony, photographers captured her dimpled bottom and thighs, prompting a cruel Daily Telegraph headline about losing the cellulite battle.
She's hardly alone. Jennifer Love Hewitt, recently on vacation with her fiance, was also photographed from an unflattering angle, sparking lots of online chatter about what is beautiful, normal, and fair in the age of the paparazzi. Jennifer's feisty response to the expose endeared her to women and may explain why she remains a Jockey Underwear model and spokesperson despite the flap.
A few months ago, I was complaining to my sister about my ever-expanding pregnant belly. "My belly feels heavier", I lamented. "The doctor says the baby is the same size as all the other ones, I must have no ab muscles left. This is going to be the pregnancy that does my belly in for good". A short while later,she sent me what I thought was a very thoughtful and sisterly e-mail: A picture of super-model Cindy Crawford in a bikini coming out of the ocean with a surprisingly loose post-baby belly. I'd be lying if I told you that it didn't lift my spirits just a little.
The comments that followed the Mischa story admonished the British tabloid to "Just leave her alone!!". Hear, hear.
But while the intentions of the tabloids are clear (they're cruel bastards), women enjoy the photos for reasons that are hardly malicious. Celebrity "fat and cellulite" revelations, while embarrassing for the stars, generates body acceptance and even a sense of gender solidarity among the greater female population. A cursory look at the internet comments overwhelmingly reveals women rallying around the stars. Countless women will look at themselves a little less harshly in the mirror after viewing celebrity cellulite.
Cindy's belly undeniably provided some comfort to this pregnant mom. Is that so bad?
1. Rachel, I couldn't agree more with you on this one. I am a mom of 2, and my body will never be the same. I think it's unfortunate that celebrities have a camera zooming in on their rear end, as they get out of the pool, but it does provide comfort to me. We live in a society where women are idolized because they are back to their pre pregancy shape in less than three months, it almost seems like a competition to see who can get their body back in the shortest amount of time. I applaud the women who are working out and eating healthy, it just doesn't seem to be the norm for us moms at home with the kids or back in the work force. I am always grabbing the tabloid that has "guess the cellulite" because for every pair of cellulite thighs, there are 10 times more pictures depicting what women should look like.
Posted at 2:31PM on May 8th 2008 by Elizabeth