The Incredible Shrinking Actress

As a society that believes heavily in quick-fixes, the United States has recently become obsessed with the idea of the shedding pounds as quickly as possible. Fad diets such as the South Beach Diet, Atkins Diet, Jenny Craig, and many more have influenced the women of America that beauty comes from being thin. Actresses are in the spotlight as the media constantly scrutinizes their every move. They must adhere to society's demands of beauty and take drastic measures to be role models for other women. Through the constant struggle to be thinner and thinner, an ethical problem evolves as the quest for thinness erupts into more drastic problems such as anorexia and bulimia. In the book Biting the Hand that Starves You, Borden writes, “The only 'safe houses' in a culture so infiltrated by anorexia/bulimia are the anti-anorexia/bulimia sites that we construct” (Borden 2). Attention must be paid to the epidemic that is the shrinking actress in order to save the general populous from the downward spiral. If society does not shift its ideals of beauty to incorporate women who have normal BMIs, many actresses as well as the general populous will become susceptible to eating disorders. Society must acknowledge and understand the ethical dilemma of the shrinking actress and shift its thinking towards a healthier body.

The history of the ideals of female beauty in America is important because it shows the trends of beauty follow the world of fashion. In the past, women wore clothing that concealed the lower half but would accentuate the upper body (Mazur). Women would wear corsets and bodices which caused smaller waists but bigger, fuller busts. In order to fit the clothing choices, the women had to look like the clothing. The lower portion of women at that time was hidden under large, elaborate skirts; therefore, society did not place emphasis on hips, legs, or thighs (Mazur). As fashion progressed throughout the years, clothing became more revealing which caused a shift in beauty to include waists, legs, and hips. In order for society to see the shrinking actress as an ethical problem, it is important to examine how beauty ideals were constructed in the past.

The 19th century did not have a definite ideal for beauty because it portrayed two types of women. There were two prominent images of beauty: the “steel engraving woman” and the “voluptuous woman” (Mazur). The thinner image of the steel engraving woman was being challenged by “bustier, hippier, heavy legged woman found in the lower classes, particularly among actresses and prostitutes” (Mazur). At this point in time, actresses were women from the lower classes and were heftier than the women in the higher classes. Actresses started out as larger women who were considered beautiful. In the 1880s, women were afraid of being too thin so they padded themselves to look larger. The upper class decided that the lower class' ideals for beauty should not be society's ideals and created a shift toward thinner women. The heavy-bodied voluptuous woman was still portrayed in burlesque and in photographs (see Fig. 1), but in 1913 a new image of the beautiful woman emerged. It was the first-known calendar nude, “September Morn” (see Fig. 2), that showed women the slender “steel engraving woman.”

Fig. 1. “New Orleans Prostitute” photographed by E. Bellocq, 1912. Source: Allan Mazur.

Fig. 2. “September Morn,” by Paul Chabas. Source: Allan Mazur.

In the 1920s the ideal bodies became curveless and almost boylike, and in the 1930s small waists were popular. The corsets were taken away from the fashion and the women were flattened out by the flapper dresses in the 20s. Mazur notes that “the woman's physical attractiveness was now judged by her face, exposed legs and everything else being covered and formless” (Mazur). After the 1930s, the dresses got shorter and the beauty was based on small waists. The breasts and curvaceousness were more pronounced in the nudes and pinups of the 1930s than those of the 1920s. The shift became to accentuate the legs; Betty Grable's famous photo (Fig. 3) became an iconic image for women in the 1930s. The ideal woman of the 30s were ones with a small waist, small hips, small rear and flat stomach. The new beauty trend of the 1930s was the flat stomach; models and actresses try to emulate that quality in photo shoots.

Fig. 3. Betty Grable, 1942. Source: Allan Mazur.

The shift switched in the 1960s to incorporate larger breasts in the beauty ideals of females. The emphasis on legs diminshed as the emphasis on a large bust thrived. The trend of focusing on busts was evident in erotic pinup pictures, Hollywood stars, and in Miss America Pageant Yearbook stats (Mazur). The mean bust-waist-hips measurements of Miss American contest winners in the 1920 were 32-25-35 and none have a larger bust than hips. In the 1930s, mean measurements of Miss Americas were 34-35-35 with nearly half the winners having larger bust than hips (Mazur). The Hollywood actresses that emerged during the voluptuous era were Lana Turner and buxom Jane Russell.

The 1950s was much like the 19th century because the era had both slender and voluptuous ideals of beauty. The iconic slender actresses of the era were the bustless Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn. Many aspiring actresses used them as ideals of what they should look like in order to be a successful actress. They symbolized a classy sensuality and represented the high fashion era. On the other hand, Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Loren symbolized the innate sexuality of women. There was not an ideal body type that reigned in the 1950s because both were accepted as beautiful in their own ways.

In the late 1960s there was another shift away from the large bust to the thin lower torso so people began to diet. Diet and exercise industries grew at a fast rate and promoted slender rear ends (Mazur). Women felt the need to start dieting because of the cultural pressure to conform to the new slim ideal of beauty. The era of dieting was unprecedented because of the aid of the growing media, entertainment, magazines, fashion, and retail industries. The rising incidence of anorexia nervosa and bulimia among teenagers and young women since the early 1970s has been widely noted (Mazur). Women also turn to cosmetic surgery to fit the ideal of beauty by breast enlargements, liposuction, botox, or any other means of keeping the body young and slim.

The women's liberation movement is cited as a possible factor to the shrinking woman epidemic. Although it is disputed when or how this trend started, it could be explained by the advertisements of the “emancipated woman as seen in Cosmopolitan, smoking Virginia Slims, making it on the job and with men, by having a stylishly slim figure” (Mazur). Women were urging equality but using images of thin women to show the ideal free woman. The trend continued as the women wanted to be slim and liberated. However, a new era of the 60s was beginning a new trend among the ideal liberated woman. The mid 1960s were heavily influenced by the Beatles-led British invasion of U.S. pop culture which brought on the miniskirt. The miniskirt promoted the slender hips and slim legs. The Hollywood actresses that were used as iconic ideals in the 60s were Farrah Fawcett and Cherl Tiegs.

In our society today, women are heavier than they were years ago. According to the National Health Examination and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys between 1960 and 2002, the mean weight of women in the United States has increased more than 24 pounds (Carroll). Among 12-17 year old teens the mean weight for girls increased approximately 12 pounds from 118 to 130 between the years of 1960 and 2002 (Carroll). The BMI of the girls in that age range increased by more than 4 units between 1963-5 and 1999-2002. The mean weight of the average adult woman has increased 24 pounds and the mean height only one inch. In 1999-2002 the mean weight for women was 163, height 64 inches, and BMI 25 to 28 (Carroll). The data shows that the average female teenager and adult women weigh more and have a higher BMI in 2002 than they did in 1960.

As the average weight of American women skyrockets today, the average weight of actresses plummets to a dangerous level. Michael George, a celebrity physical trainer, notes that “the average actress is about five to ten pounds thinner than she was a couple of years ago and the average size has dropped from a size four to a size two” (Goober). Danna Weiss, a celebrity stylist, describes the perception of overweight in Hollywood to be anything above a size six (Goober). It is said that “the average bust-to-waist ratio of actresses from the 1960s and 1970s was significantly smaller than that of actresses from the 1940s and 1950s” (Angood). The actresses that were popular in the 40s and 50s faded in the background as new actresses emerged that were thinner and more beautiful to the populous. However, the actresses' weight reached new lows that are similar to women who have anorexia.

In society today Keira Knightley has become the poster-child for actresses who at an unhealthy weight. In an article in People Magazine, Keira is quoted as saying that she has had “'a lot of experience with anorexia—my grandmother and great-grandmother suffered from it, and I had a lot of friends at school who suffered from it. I know it's not something to be taken lightly” (Pisa). Even though she claims she does not have anorexia, her thin frame speaks for itself (see Fig 4). Keira Knightley has been in the spotlight and has repeatedly denied any allegations of an eating disorder.
Fig. 4. Keira Knightley at the premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean, 2006. Source: People.

The media has constantly questioned her thin frame asking if its natural or if she should gain weight. She seemingly has no problem with her appearance because she said, “Hollywood is all about the way you look, and I don't think that's the healthy thing for anyone. But, if you're strong and comfortable with yourself, then you're going to be fine" (Pisa). She is a role model for younger girls who think that her body weight is acceptable. She is teaching the kids and older women that her sickly frame is what is going to keep her beautiful and a star in the media's eyes and the populous' eyes. It sends a wrong message to girls and does not acknowledge that this is a serious epidemic of the shrinking actress.

Without a closer examination of the reasons why the actresses' bodies are shrinking, it is easy to blame only the actresses; however, the problem extends much further. Actresses are scrutinized for their bodies, actions, and relationships on a daily basis by tabloids and online blogger sites such as Perez Hilton and TMZ. As a society America has become fascinated with the lives of celebrities and even made celebrity bloggers famous for reporting on the every day lives of the celebrities. America has built up high expectations of what an actress should look like and behave like. Therefore, the actresses are under constant pressure to fit the ideals that society expects of them (Goober). Society demands that the “star” is an actress who does not have excess fat on her body and looks good in a bikini. As soon as a star puts on a couple of pounds, the media goes into a frenzy calling them overweight or ugly. An example that has recently occurred is Jessica Simpson's recent weight gain. Perez Hilton and other sites ridiculed her because she looked as though she had gained weight in a photo. The constant pressure of having to be thin causes the actresses to control their weight by any means that they can in order to be in the favor of society.

The age old saying “the camera adds ten pounds” creates a paranoid atmosphere for the actresses. Christian Kaplan, vice president of feature film casting at 20th Century Fox, acknowledges the trend of younger actresses becoming famous and notes that it creates a competitive atmosphere for the older actresses to look younger (Goober). The older actresses will not be able to get the good roles if they do not look how a leading lady should look. The younger actresses are thin and have youthful looking bodies; the older actresses have to compete with them for good roles. The shrinking actresses also have to compete with each other on set. If one actress feels that she will look fat in a scene compared with another actress, she will lose weight in order to look normal. All the competition creates an unhealthy atmosphere for the actresses in which the thinnest woman gets the best parts.

The people in power of the celebrity status of the actresses create an unhealthy environment. The designers for magazine covers and photo shoots hold the power of deciding which body type is desirable; they only place the actresses whom they think look appropriate and thin as their cover girls. Celebrity stylists are demanding that the actresses fit clothing made for models, called sample sizes, for shoots (Goober). Casting directors, managers, and agents are the people who create the definition of an actress. Currently, their thoughts are the thinner the actress, the bigger roles she will get and the bigger star she will become (Goober). One TV agent in Goober's article that remains nameless says, “The truth is, we can't have someone who's not skinny playing a character who has a boyfriend” (Goober). It is that mentality from the people who have the power to hire actresses that causes the actresses to feel like they need to shrink in order to be successful.

In order to try to dig to the root of the shrinking actress epidemic, it is valuable to examine the role of media in the lives of the actresses. Media is a powerful tool for the actress because it can inflate the stardom of an actress or it can completely deflate it causing the populous to lose interest. In Goober's article, she recalls the story of Selma Blair, an American actress, as she experiences the cancelation of her show called Zoe in 2000. A writer for a magazine wrote, “'I don't know why any network would chose this pudgy girl as the lead of their show'” (Goober). Once Selma read the critique, she called her mother and cried to her saying that she “felt ugly” (Goober). How the media critiques the actresses adds to the problem. If the media is constantly calling an actress fat and making fun of her, she will undoubtedly lose weight in order to be out of the harsh criticisms. If the media was not as harsh or did not report on the weight of the actresses, the actresses would not feel the pinch to shrink.

The media has the power to influence society's expectation of beauty by selecting who they want to represent as beautiful. A former Harper Bazaar editor, Kate Betts, chose not to have Renee Zellweger on the cover because she was “too fat” (Goober). Renee Zellweger had gained thirty pounds for the role of Bridget Jones in Bridget Jones' Diary. Prior to the role, Renee Zellweger only weighed 105 pounds (Goober). Betts did apologize to Zellweger after the media blew up the story. However, the actresses are well aware that any extra pounds could cost them covers. The actresses are under pressure to be thin in order to advertise themselves on magazines; the more they advertise themselves, the more people will go see their movies.

Women in the general populous are influenced by the actresses they see on magazine covers. In a research study that was conducted to see how fashion magazines can influence women's body image, a group of 49 female undergraduates were tested; 24 of them looked at fashion magazines and 25 of them looked at news magazines (Angood). There was no significant difference in the mean height, weight, or age of the two groups of participants. After looking at the magazines, the two groups of women were given questionnaires about their body image satisfaction. The body image satisfaction of the women polled were influenced by their exposure to the thin ideal in the fashion magazines. The conclusion of the study was that the media shapes women's views of the female body (Angood). The actresses who have to be thin to get on a cover influence the general populous that being thin is the only way to be beautiful.

Actresses are trying to keep their figures thin, but they do not want the media to think that they starve themselves. The actresses create little tricks that will help them lose weight or have a sensation of being full; they don't realize that it is an eating disorder similar to anorexia. Goober's article states the many tricks that actresses perform in order to stay thin but look like they are eating. The article works in two ways: it informs the populous that actresses are indeed struggling to maintain their weight and it serves as tips for the younger populous to stay thin. Articles or stories that comment on the actresses weight are somewhat contradictory in their function because the populous who are leaning towards eating disorders can relate to the actresses and use their tricks to create their ideal body of the actress. Charisse Goodman describes the research for her 1995 book The Invisible Woman: Confronting Weight Prejudice in America:
I did my research. I watched the commercials. I studied the billboards, magazine articles and ads. I carefully noted the size of characters in dozens of movies and television shows. I cut out article after article until my apartment became a miniature paper warehouse .Time after time I typed into my computer,"Ad for Product Such-- and-Such, f eaturing thin woman only," "movie featuring thin women only," or "movie featuring fat woman as minor character/stupid/loser/sexless sidekick." . . . Message to all large women: You're not sexy. The only beautiful woman is a thin woman.” (Addison)

The message that the actresses send out is that being thin is the only way to be beautiful in our society and it does not matter how one gets to the ideal body as long as she gets there.
The pressures put upon the actresses by society cause eating disorders which often lead to death. When actress Marietta Milner died in 1929, an article in Photoplay speculated about the role her weight clause may have played: "From Vienna came the news that Marietta Milner, Hollywood film actress was dead as the result of following a starvation diet. It was said she died of tuberculosis as an aftermath of too strenuous dieting. Friends said she reduced to get under weight limit set by a film contract" (Addison). There are many actresses who have and are struggling with eating disorders; however, because our society only wants thin, their problem has not come in the spotlight. If society does not recognize the problem of the shrinking actress, many actresses will have eating disorders.

We contribute to a culture that supports eating disorders. The only way to ameliorate the problem is to draw attention to the severity of the problem and make the move to accept a healthier body. It is a small but significant step that might shift the thinking of the media and the populous. Actresses and celebrities are the role models for the ideal beauty construct and if a healthier weight is accepted in Hollywood, it will translate to the masses to create a healthier populous that does not thrive on eating disorders. A more tangible solution but one that may not be feasible, is to have the president of SAG issue a statement regarding the issue of anorexia and bulimia. In the letter he would discuss the epidemic of the shrinking actress and create a BMI regulation for actresses. He would follow in the example of Spain; Spain was the first to instate the regulation that their models must have a BMI of 18 or greater. If society shifts its thinking toward an actress with a healthy BMI and a healthy frame, then the actresses will not be in danger of resorting to eating disorders in order to please the media and the populous.


Works Cited
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Angood, Laurie M., et al. “The Influence of Fashion Magazines on the Body Image Satisfaction of College Women: an Exploratory Analysis.” .
Borden, Ali, David Epston, Richard Linn Maisel. Biting the Hand that Starves You. W. W. Norton & Company, 2004.
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Fig. 4. Pisa, Katie, Stephen M. Silverman. “Keira Knightley Dismisses Weight Criticism.” PEOPLE. 2006. .
Goober, Lesley. "The incredible shrinking stars." Cosmopolitan 1 Oct. 2002: 208-211. General Interest Module. ProQuest. USC Libraries, Los Angeles, CA. 10 Apr. 2009
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Pisa, Katie, Stephen M. Silverman. “Keira Knightley Dismisses Weight Criticism.” PEOPLE. 2006. .