After being scrutinized in tabloids for gaining weight, there’s not much celebrities can do except move on and try to ignore the comments. In the past weeks, Lady Gaga has been the media’s latest target regarding her body. But instead of backing away from these attacks, Lady Gaga has embraced them with pride and class. She didn’t succumb to their pressures by hiding away and trying to lose the weight. Instead she created a social media movement called Body Revolution.
On Sept. 25, Lady Gaga posted pictures of herself in just her underwear on her members only website, littlemonsters.com. She included a different caption for each of the four photos that said, “Bulimia and anorexia since I was 15. But today I joined the BODY REVOLUTION. To Inspire Bravery. And BREED some m$therf*cking COMPASSION.” The power Lady Gaga holds in the world of social media is unbelievable. In 2011, she ranked number one on Forbes Most Powerful Celebrities. In an interview with Times, Forbes editor Dorothy Pomerantz commented, “Lady Gaga beat Oprah this year because of her social media power.” So with no surprise, this online movement spread like wildfire when Lady Gaga invited all of her “little monsters” to post pictures of themselves on the website.
As I logged on to her Little Monsters website, I couldn’t help but smile. Young people across the world were posting pictures of themselves revealing their biggest insecurity. From amputations to obesity, acne to self-inflicted wounds, big noses to love handles, ordinary people expressed what they’ve always believed were their biggest flaw. The comments they received for their pictures were all positive and supportive from their fellow Little Monsters. In a world where anyone can hide behind their computer and write vicious comments, it was a breath of fresh air to see that all these comments were kind and caring.
Over the years, we have come to criticize the media’s unrealistic portrayal of women. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, the average model is five feet 11 inches, weighing 117 pounds, but the average American woman weighs 140 pounds standing at five feet four inches. We continue to say how horrible it is that Hollywood feeds these false perceptions of women to young, impressionable girls, but even so, not much has been done to change it. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, one in four college women binge and purge in order to lose weight. It gets even worse when I read that over 42 percent of first to third graders would like to be skinnier. At a time when your only concerns should be playing with your friends and learning in class, it worries me to see how self-conscious these young girls are becoming due to the media. As hard as doctors try to treat these disorders, they stand an unfair match to a society where the media makes you believe you must fit one certain mold.
However, by having celebrities openly embrace their appearance and other alternative appearances, I truly believe it can help other people accept theirs. It’s the whole idea of visibility of acceptance. We see how it has been working for the gay community. As more and more celebrities have publicly stepped out of the closet, more of the world is starting to see that it’s okay. They have made it visible to the world that they accept who they are despite the judgment of others. Members of the young LGBT community who might have been too scared to come out on their own are now able to draw inspiration and courage from successful actors and artists. In a video interview with BigThink.com, celebrity blogger, Perez Hilton, stated, “It would be infinitely better for the community if Anderson Cooper came out, if Kevin Spacey came out, if Jodie Foster came out. Why? Because visibility is key. The more straight people see that there are gay folks out there, the easier it is for us to achieve change, the easier it will be for us to achieve marriage equality, the harder it is for people to hate.” If we could have more celebrities open up about their struggles with their body, couldn’t it do the same? Lady Gaga, Demi Lovato and Katie Couric aim to do just that.
You couldn’t pick a more random crowd: Katie Couric, an older and clean-cut talk show host, Lady Gaga, a pop star known for her wacky assortment of outfits and Demi Lovato, Disney Channel’s little sweetheart. But that goes to show how negative self-image is a problem that all girls can go through. On Sept. 24 Katie Couric interviewed Demi Lovato on her show, who opened up about her eating disorder. During the show, Couric revealed that she too suffered from bulimia for two years in college. Seeing Katie Couric, a well put together, successful and confident woman on her talk show made it hard for me to imagine her as a young, insecure college student throwing up meals in secret. But I think that her admitting her problems gives hope to young women that they can become successful and work through their insecurities.
We watched in 2010 as Demi Lovato was admitted to rehab due to suffering from anorexia, bulimia and cutting. Since leaving rehab she carries herself quite confidently in her healthier looking body as she continues to win awards for her music and stars as a judge on The X Factor. These celebrities don’t owe it to anyone to open up about their most private problems, but by doing so they become strong role models for young people. Even boys can go through these issues. Hopefully, by having some male celebrities open up about their struggles with eating disorders or other forms of self-harm, they will give hope to the young men who are going through this too.
The Little Monsters website continues to be updated with people sharing their ‘Body Revolution.’ In order for this movement to be successful, it will have to spread in other facets of the media and we must all begin to share the positive attitude Lady Gaga elaborates on in her interview with People. “Be brave and celebrate with us your ‘perceived flaws’ as society tells us. May we make our flaws famous, and thus redefine the heinous.”
Vanessa Righeimer can be reached at vanessa.righeimer@spartans.ut.edu
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