Chapter 2: Models, Stars and Celebrities

Models, stars and other female celebrities are the most recognizable women in the world. Do they deserve their fame and fortune, or are there other women you think should be showered with praise and rewards?

Do you feel pressured to look and be like the women you see in the media?

Comments

[g]

Some of them deserve the praise---they work hard and they use their position for good. Then, there's other people who DON'T deserve it, and reinforce all those stupid sterotypes. Like the French actress in the da Vinci code, I read a quote from her and it was like this: "I don't considor myself beautiful. I'm just trying to make myself less ugly." What kind of message is THAT sending out?????
Some of them should DEFINITELY get praise, because they persevered and got their dreams.
But, um, other celebs? Not so much.
Even the models are pressured! There was this Irish model who went to France, and the designers told her that she was fat, and that she shouldn't eat anything. At all. While she was there, another model died because she didn't eat anything. That girl got really ill, and eventually she went home to Ireland.
I mean, we've got all these models going like: "Use this and you can look like me!!!" when in fact, that stuff is harmful to your health. I don't know about you, but I'd rather be healthy then wreck my body trying to look like some airbrushed celeb.

I don't really feel pressured to look like people in the media. A while ago, I went through a stage where I was looking at magazines and going: "It's not fair, how come they're so pretty and I'm ugly?" I'm SO glad I'm over that. Sure, I have days when I hate that I'm tall, that my shoulders are bigger then anyone I know, and that I have mad, curly hair. I envy my friends sometimes, because they're so much slimmer, don't have huge shoulders, and have stick-straight hair. But I know that I can't change how I am, and that they have just as much self-esteem issues---
I think I'd better stop now, this is practically a book!
!!!

[Miranda]

Models shouldn't get any praise 'cause all they do is kill themselves trying to look pretty. Umm...where's the skill in that? Are they saving the world? No. But I still feel pressured to look like models. I don't have super-skinny legs which always makes me feel self-concious and feel like I should be super-skinny like models.

[julia]

for one thing models stars do NOT NOT NOT never evr NOT NOT NOT deseve praise .they are being paid to be skinny and "BEAUTIFUL" they do nothing to help humanity all they do is look pretty.
I do not feel prsure to look like women i see in the media because i know alot of people in the media and would never feel presured to be like them so why anyone else? plus i seemodels and stars in magizines for ads they have WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY to much make up on alot of the time . to model for me would be to suffer cruel and unusual punishment.

[Amanda, Alicia & Via]

We think that models recieve way too much praise. Nothing about being super-super skinny (at least this is what we think) is beautiful.

Models really do nothing but excessivley spend money on facials and stuff like that. If we all thought about what is really important, then models would not exist.

WE think that these models should be spending their cash on the important stuff like...

Charity, books, and helping out those third world countries.

If they all cared and shared a bit of their mulah, our world would not only be a better place, but they would also be getting publicity for the right reasons.

Also, if they cared about things half as much as they say they do, then they would be famous because of their good deeds and contributions to socitey rather that being famous for their looks.

Being super skinny and wearing ridiculous clothing should NOT be celebrated. WE also think that they should not only be famous for how much money they have and get payed, but they should be famous for how they use that salary that they get yearly. Alot of the money they spend on clothing, beauty products, and stylists could be put towards a better cause. They need to take time to think about this stuff.

Thank you for your speech @ our school. It really made us think about the important things in life. We appreciate all you have done to make the fact that the celeb buissenes is sometimes not all that it seems clear to students like us. You have made such an impact on our lives. It is people like YOU that should be celebrated.

Sincerely,
Amanda
Alicia and
Via

[Audrey]

WOW. We've got some great comments on this thread! But stop making me blush :-).

And I, too, am so curious about why--with all their insane amounts of cash--we don't see more celebrity donations, charitible foundations etc. It's just not right!

Glad to know that people are thinking and wondering about these issues as much as I am!

Audrey

[Abby11]

Why should they deserve praise? At first the want to be, lets say a pop star, then after seeing how skinny other popstars are, they stop eating. Now they are getting paid for killing themselves, and even getting compliments on how good they look. Everyone thinks that being all skin and bones is sexy, when really this popstar is killing herself!
Real women should be praised, they like their bodies, and help make the world better. Most celebs, HATE what they look like.
I don't feel presured to look like women in the media. I like my body, even if I'm not as skinny as celebrities. Though, I sometimes wish the world could be like a private school, everyone wears the same uniform, and looks alike. We wouldn't have to worry about how we look, we would all look the same. But back to realality, we are all different, and we have to deal with it. Even if it means ignoring the media. But ignoring the media, is a billion times better than to stop eating, right?

[sara]

Okay. Don't get me wrong, some actresses/actors, singers and other celebs have talent - so they do deserve praise. But all in all, I guess it's not fair if they get praise based on their looks not their talent. But everyone deserves praise for something, otherwise the self-esteem of the girls in our world would be really low. But people who change the world for the better, they deserve praise.

And no, me personally, I do not feel presure to look like anyone else. I'm proud of who i am: an individual.

[Rachel]

Hi! I own your book. I haven't actually read the whole thing yet, but I have a small complaint.

I'm twelve, and I would really like to be an actress. So now you're probably already thinking "Okay, this is probably another one of those 'star-struck' girls who is obsessed with being famous and beautiful." And that's not right. I want to be an actress because I really like acting, not because I'm obsessed with fashion. And you know, I have good drama marks too. (96%) So I felt like you were stereotyping girls who have dreams of being actresses.

Does wanting to be an actress automatically make you a wanna-be? A star-struck blind girl who doesn't understand the dangers of being sucked into the whole fashion/trendy thing? Because you kind of made it sound like being an actress is a bad job, and that probably offended a lot of people.

What's wrong with acting?

[Audrey]

Hi Rachel..

Thanks for posting... and I think you bring up a really good point. I don't mean to stereotype girls who want to act/model etc. It's not that those professions are inherently evil or anything like that, it's the fact that we--as a society-- have let them become become so important and that they have become so closely tied to a specific look. Because for the most part in those professions, one still has to conform to some pretty strict beauty standards. Sure, there are examples of variation (HELLO UGLY BETTY! YAY!) But we haven't broken away from the standards yet.

So no, I don't think that makes YOU starstruck automatically.. ESPECIALLY if you're really interested in the craft of acting (conveying stories of human emotion, reaching out to people to share experiences etc) instead of just the fame. I think it's our pop culture that's startstruck... and that that can end up getting passed on to lots of people.

Hope that helps, and good luck!

[Jessie]

I ALWAYS fell pressured to look like a model. One of my friends is a model, and she is so pretty! Plus, she's going out with the hottest guy in my grade. I am really jealous, and angry. Why can't I look like HER?!?! Then my friends tell me that I am pretty INSIDE AND OUT. I check out this book and I read it half way and I was happy to be me!!!

I still fell jealous, but I am proud to be me, thanks to this book and my friends!! Thank you!!!! :D

[Phoebe]

i think all celebrities should deserve the fame and fortune... except for models. they can only advetise and do catwalks.... and define beautiful for once again, advertising. They pretty much can't do without shops and products to ADVERTISE. How can being beautiful be a talent???
well yes, i feel pressured to be like women in the media. Like i blabbed about in my previous comment in the first topic, why should we be like that just to get the look?? why must we get the look?? The media really makes as use our cuh-chings ($$Money) to look good.... why must we look good?? We're fine like ourselves. If i could talk to the media or a model, i would tell them to think about what they are doing. why must people get the look? Why pay people to look good?

Well, that's my opinion.

[jessie]

i dont think this book should have been based on not beleaving the hype because i just rentend this book from my library and it offendes me.i am a very succesful 19 yearold girl.so there...thppppppppppt!

[madison]

Ithink models have fake everything

[Azure]

I do want to become a model, but its not for the popularity [I would enjoy the expensive stuff because I'm middle class and I go to school with a whole bunch of rich people that buy the expensive stuff]. But I only want to model because I can get the money I need [by the time I'm 18] to start my own buisness. Me and my friends [a couple from my school] have started to design clothes and it takes thousands of dollars just to make a design, have the store sell it [takes money], ship it to the store, and all this for about 30 of the same designs. So it would be nice to get the money just so I can start my buisness.

But if it wasn't for my whole buisness, I would never even have thought about modeling.

[CJ]

I think becoming a model would be cool if you could pose for sport clothes or forest clothes. Then it would show people that you don't care about being stick thin, you just want to be fit!

[CJ]

POST! POST! POST!

[CJ]

No Post yet !!!!!!!!!!???????????????????? Gee Whiz people!