Campaign for Curves

Hollywood dictates the tastes of the world, to those who do not have minds of their owns. That ugly pair of pants you would have burnt last month is now somehow cool because it was worn by Hollywood Hunk A when he saved Hollywood Babe B in Movie of the Week C.

This seems to carry over into even more personal aspects of our lives. Namely, what we find attractive. I often wonder in earlier times, if people were a bit more independent, and liked people of the opposite or same sex based on their own unbiased tastes. Or if there was some kind of force out there that, even then, was influencing them to whatever the societal norm of beauty was.

Maybe since motion pictures, everything has been fouled up. Sometimes for the better, but usually for the worse. When compared to those we see on TV and films, most of us cannot compare to what society sees as beauty. No normal guy out there looks like James Vanderbeek (sorry Dawnie, but it's true) and no normal girl looks like Kate Moss. It just isn't something that any of us normal folks can attain to, and because of this, we are usually pushed to the side, in favor of the supposedly cute Britney Spears wannabe.

But why, when it comes to women, is thin the so-called attractive look? It seems even those females who originally had curves are shedding amazing amounts of weight to fit in with the current trend in Hollywood. Those of us who have found people like Jessica Alba to be an oasis in the desert of waifs was disappointed when she lost a dangerous amount of weight for Dark Angel season 2.

First off, I'm not sure where to begin with how wrong all of this is. At here heaviest, curviest, whatever, Jessica Alba was certainly more skinny than 99.9% of the women in the real world. Having wide hips and breasts does not make one fat! And besides, aren't girls supposed to have hips and breasts? If you wanted a razor thin, androgynous looking waifs, why not just go after 12 year old boys? (Other than the obvious moral and legal reasons that is).

I'm not overreacting either. Sarah Michelle Gellar, or Buffy as she will forever be known, is the latest example. Since Season 4 of the show, she has dropped pound after pound, in a bid to become more popular with Hollywood Producers, or maybe just show producer Joss Whedon. The once curvaceous Gellar, with a nice set of breasts and hips is now looking more and more like Calista Flockhart with each passing episode. Her most recent appearance at the MTV Video Awards show how far she's come. Her waist and hips are growing more and more narrow and the beautiful pair of breasts she once had are no more. It almost looks like she had them surgically removed and the surface sanded down smooth. I'm betting we see her skeleton in a mere six months.

So where is a guy or girl who love real women supposed to go? Maybe Hollywood isn't the right place at the moment, but things are looking up. Supposedly Alba is doing her best to eat more healthy and get back to where she was before. Good for her! Also, recent pics and TV appearances by Rachael Leigh Cook seems to suggest she's gained a bit of weight. Of course, she's still one of the tiniest girls around, but at least she has some curves now.

Even though I slagged Joss Whedon earlier in this piece, he is actually one of the better ones at this. A quick look at the girls of Buffy wouldn't seem to suggest this, but he did have Eliza Dushku on for Season Three, with people like Amber Benson as Tara and Mercedes McNab as Harmony in many episodes over the years.

When asked "Which Buffy character would you most want to snuggle with?" in a recent poll of alt.tv.buffy regulars, most males and lesbians, most picked Amber Benson. The reasons time and time again was she was softer looking, more to hold on to, her body type made her more the comforter type, etc, etc. And those who picked Mercedes said pretty much the same thing. And for the record, I picked both of these ladies too. Only a few people picked Dawn, and though I love her too, not many people picked Willow either.

Wake up Hollywood! This is pretty much your audience. Maybe there are some guys out there who go for the razor thin look, but more and more they're getting sick of it. Maybe it's time you start casting people who look a bit more normal, and womanly in your shows. Girls who have the body of 10 year old boys is becoming quickly passe, and hopefully nobody will go for it in a few years. We're at the point now that even former sex symbols like Bettie Paige and Marilyn Monroe would be considered "fat." When we're at that point, things can only get better.

Ellie Dee - http://www.5-x-5.org/