I don’t think I’m saying anything shocking when I complain that Hollywood’s standard of beauty is warped beyond measure. Nevermind the damage it does to everyday people who try to follow the examples of their idols.
I find Renee Zellweger’s “daring transformation” particularly egregious. The woman is essentially being rewarded for being rail thin, then being heralded as brave by putting on pounds to portray a regular-sized woman in the Bridget Jones movies. This in face of the fact that Zellweger was actually paid A BONUS for each pound she put on to achieve the appropriate look in the Bridget Jones sequel.
Weight gain for the first movie probably wasn’t a big deal for the first Bridget Jones when she was languishing in movies like One True Thing and Me, Myself and Irene. But after Chicago and Cold Mountain and becoming a certifiable “A-lister” made packing on the pound a more risky proposition.
So, instead of approaching the issue from an artistic perspective – that the Bridget Jones character is, yes, a little overweight and it would seem odd to play the part as a skeletal figure (as she appeared at the ’03 Oscars) – she would let money grease the wheels. Bribe her in to looking normal.
Excuse me if I find the whole thing offensive.
You’ll have to excuse me for going light on the backgrounds of today’s comic, but I have a good reason. Cami and I spent most of the afternoon putting the Spoiler t-shirts into envelopes and preparing them to mail today. In fact, there were so many shirts, one could say it was a little overwhelming!
That’s not all of the packages, obviously. Just enough to give you the idea it was a lot. Here’s a picture of all the envelopes in a tidy box, ready to be taken to the fine folks at the Unites States Postal Service…
I’m really excited to get these shirts off to everyone who placed an order. Mostly because I know if you’re anything like me, you hate to wait! But rest assured that they’re on their way to you now and I appreciate your support!
I know I said once I could get this first shipment sent out, I would open up the pre-order process again for anyone who didn’t get an opportunity to place an order. I still plan on doing that… just, not yet.
I want to set aside some time to go over the details of the first mailing and tighten up the process by which I receive orders first. Plus, I plan on unveiling a new t-shirt at the same time I offer pre-ordering for the Spoiler shirt. And it’ll happen this time! I swear!
In the meantime, I hope everyone is enjoying their Monday because I have nothing else to add!
Later!
In the real world, if you were dangerously underweight, people would say something like this to you:
Jane, your anorexia is ruining your health. As your physician, I’m worried about you.
If you were able to overcome your weight issues, you might hear something like this:
Jane, it’s good to see you eating healthy and maintaining an appropriate weight!
But if you were Renee Zellweger, lived in Hollywood and were underweight, people might say something like this:
Renee, you’re a size 2 and look fabulous! What does it feel like to be nominated for an Oscar?
Oddly, gaining weight for a role that makes you look like a normal person might illicit this response:
Renee, we know Bridget Jones’s Diary was a big hit for you, but you’re ruining your career looking like that.
