>From: "Lea Ann" <LeaAnn@k...>
>
>
> But, bottom line is that TOO much weight is
> just simply too much weight. Everyone should aim towards reaching and
> maintaining what is really and truly healthy for them. And aim for a
> modicum of fitness, besides. That is real beauty.
>
> PJ.
>
>
> PJ I am sure (unless you are naturally thin as a rail) you know this is
>easier said than done.
Let me preface this by saying that my figure is at least *partly* determined
by my heritage (a proud family of big strong women). The other part has
been determined by my refusal to live on leaf lettuce and diet soda. :-P
>Weight and looks in general are such complicated and passion inspiring
>topics we could probably discuss abortion and get less heated comments.
>But as far as image and a singing career go....it is easier to have a
>career if you have what current Hollywood standards deem a "hot body" and
>that most likely has nothing to do with health or beauty, didn't Lily
>Langtree weigh 250 pounds? The men of her time LOVED her!
Actually, Lily Langtry's figure (like Marilyn Monroe's) went through a few
changes during her career. She was QUITE slim at the start of her fame, and
one of the reasons men loved dancing with her was that she didn't wear a
corset!
(Fun fact: Francesca Annis, who played Lily Langtry in a "Masterpiece
Theater" series many years ago, was pregnant during the filming. The
producers dealt with that simply by filming the episodes in sequence-- so
that Ms. Annis progressing "expectation" coincided with Lily's weight.)
>It wasn't that long ago that few people owned a TV, and computers and
>videos were science fiction. So as few as 50 years ago a physical "ideal"
>was still something much more subjective than it is now....your body and
>looks could still be pretty but perhaps very different from my body and
>looks. However I think now...we have a more homogenous idea of what
>"ideal" is It's more like "Mc-Ideal".
>
> Lea Ann
>
It may be a McIdeal on the fashion runway, but if you look at currently
popular movie actors and actresses, there's a certain amount of variation
between say, Kathy Bates and Gwyneth Paltrow. (And skinny doesn't always
sell tickets; that movie Cynthia Crawford did a few years ago sank faster
than the Lusitania.)
Sure, maybe I could go on the leaf-lettuce-and-diet-soda regimen and get
down to my college weight-- but I'd never be skinny enough for a model. And
I know that a lot of leading roles are out of bounds for me, not just
because of my weight, but my height (5'6", as tall as or taller than a lot
of tenors in this area), my voice and, G*d help me, even my age. (&^%@!)
And one BIG complication in the weight discussion is the health vs. fashion
factor. I would suggest that, unless you're as tall as Shaquille O'Neal,
300 pounds (about 137 kilograms for you non-Usonians) is NOT healthy. I'm a
big girl, but I bike to work two or three days a week (6.5 miles) and try to
keep the ice cream binges to a minimum. Consequently, I can claim with only
a little bit of exaggeration that a good bit of me is muscle! (The rest is
hair, earrings and attitude.)
As far as image goes, Judi Dench is my hero.
Now, if I could just have a bust that matched the rest of me....
Elizabeth Finkler
mightymezzo@h...
(And after a fallow period, working again, thank you)
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