One of the things I really loved about Crazy Thing Called Love was the idea of two celebrities in their own fields, who appeared on the outside to be successful and in control and underneath were a mass of insecurity. And it was insecurity that drove Maddy and Billy to work as hard as they did.
There is a lovely truth to that idea, something missing a lot in this weird cult of celebrity that drives a lot of our entertainment reporting.
Because even in "candid" moments, most celebrities are trying to sell us something. Jessica Simpson is selling weight loss, with the tagline,"if I can do it, then so can you." But what she never talks about is the personal trainer, the nutritionist, the chef and the team of nannies that are there to ensure she doesn't fail, or the $4 million dollars she was paid to lose the weight.
Or when a celebrity becomes an expert on motherhood. Jessica Alba is becoming one of those, with a line of eco diapers, but again, never mentions the team of nannies that are constantly in her house to help her day and night.
To me it's a lie by omission, because the tag line is out there, "I can do it and so can you", without discussing the help behind the scenes.
One person who does speak pretty candidly is Elizabeth Banks, who recently gave an interview where she talked about giving her nannies(yep, plural) two weeks off at Christmas, and those two weeks, with two young children were tough. It was hard for her and her husband, and that she admitted it makes her rare.
I love fiction because it gets to the truth behind a person, we get deep into their psyche and see what makes them tick, and maybe because of that it's made me more annoyed by the lack of truth out there.
From now on when someone is touted as a weight loss, or parenting role model, I'd like them to have achieved something by themselves. So the woman who lost 100 pounds, while working and raising a family is far more interesting to me. Give me the single mom who raised six college educated children, because she has knowledge to impart and no more of this celebrity fiction.
I'd like more truth in my celebrity reporting, please.
3 comments:
Amen! As a life long dieter when you see these celebreties "who struggle" - then seem to magically find the light it's always so frustrating.
Jessica where will you be in 2 years. Jennifer where will you be. Kirstie Alley - we know what happened to her.
Studies show that like 98% of people who lose the weight will put it back on. Now if you're getting paid millions to keep it off that might help. And truly if you make a committment to eat like that FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE... you should keep it off.
I think it's why I always loved Oprah - she has someone get her up in the morning and makes her exercise and she has a chef that makes healthy food taste better than anything... and still she struggles.
That's reality. Not I did Weight Watchers for 9 months, and worked out with a personal trainer 2 hours a day and look at me now.
I think Sarah Jessica Parker was pretty open about it after she had her children. I saw an interview with her (or I think I did) and they asked her about her rocking post-baby body and she said something about not many women being able to have a trainer and a nanny and chef.
Plus, let's face it. It's their job to look good. Or at least a good part of it.
I had this huge what the what moment when I realized that Sarah Jessica Parker doesn't use Garnier Nutrisse. Ever. Not once. COuld you imagine her in her kitchen, wearing a bra with a towel over her shoulders to dye her own hair???
Yes - those parents. There was one picture of Jennifer Garner, with her unsnapped nursing bra showing and barf on her shoulder. I'm sure she has a nanny or two, but I did like that picture.
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