When Alexis Bledel Is Told to Lose Weight…
As a fan of the off-the-air show Gilmore Girls, I got curious as to what Alexis Bledel is doing, and whether there’s any chance I’d see her on Ugly Betty, visiting her Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants costar America Ferrara. While digging through the IMDB on her info, I found this quote from her about her child modeling craeer:
“Before I got “Gilmore Girls” (2000), I was modeling. I went in for a call and was told, “Sweetie, you need to lose two inches off those hips”. I was 14. So I just replied, “I have more jobs than I can do. I’m in high school. I can’t go to all the trouble of losing the two inches, so I’ll pass”. Someone might tell you to lose weight, but you can say no”.
Yikes. Alexis is the last person on earth who needs to lose weight, ever. Yay her for saying no! But yow, telling a thin 14 year old to lose weight? Why is no one pressing charges for child abuse on these people?
Two things to say here: people aren’t dying from the “obesity epidemic.” But models are dying every year from the quiet plague of anorexia instilled by these fashion “professionals.”
Second – will someone PLEASE write a comedy vehicle for Lauren Graham? She keeps getting put in the cheerleader spot in these movies, when she belongs in the spotlight.
This has been an on-going problem with the modeling industry for as long as I can remember. I am a plus-size model who became dangerously thin in the 70s and 80s when I succeeded in making my 5′10′ frame a size 4! When I finally couldn’t take it anymore, I thought I had to walk away from modeling, but luckily, I found acceptance in the plus-size world. Now I’m happy and healthy, exactly how everyone should be. I don’t know when the obsession over thin will end, but I hope that other girls out there can be as smart as Alexis and realize there is more to life than being too skinny!
Sincerely,
Christine Alt,
Style Consultant for Woman Within