Friday, January 21, 2011

Oh Raven, You Were Fine The Way You Were...

There are so many cookie cutter celebrities, and lets face it, after a while they all look the same. It is for that reason I am a fan of anyone who is unique in the world of Hollywood.

To me, one of these inimitable stars was always Raven Symone. A great childhood talent who never seemed to derail the way many of her counterparts have. The thing I admired most about her was how confident she was to be a full figured gal who was into fashion. She also spoke out against the "skinny ideal" and stood up for girls and women's rights to be individuals and not just like images of their peers.

That is why when Raven came to the People's Choice Awards having dropped lots of weight, I felt a little disappointed.


Raven before (Google Images)

Raven After (Google Images)

I'm not saying that Raven looks bad or that she shouldn't be healthy...it is more of what she is saying that has me concerned...

Ravens Comments regarding her weight loss-
"Actually, now I wear bigger clothes because I don't like the way people stare at me."
"I liked it before. Now, you're just looking at me for the wrong reasons. Before, you were actually looking at me for a real reason."
"I thought I looked fabulous before and nobody else did. So, whatever."
Don't get me wrong, there is NOTHING wrong with Raven being healthy. I have no issues with that what so ever. But based on her comments I'm left with the distinct impression she felt pressured to lose the weight. And I think that is sad! I thought she looked perfectly fine before, and it sounds like she (at one point) enjoyed her curves and was proud of them.

This leads me to another point...why are we, as a society so thrilled when a curvy star shrinks? It's almost like a sick little pleasure to see a normal sized body fit into the Hollywood standard 0. What would be wrong with having all sorts of shapes and sizes of women? That would be REAL. That would be LIFE.

When will the industry change? When will we grow tired of looking at the same-old same-old? I for one am ready to see a variety of sizes and shapes...skinny, big, and everywhere in between. I don't need to have only one image of how society feels a women should look. What are your thoughts?

7 comments:

Meg O. said...

What a good point - like she was pressured to lose the weight. Also looks like she had plastic surgery done (esp. on her boobs). This is sad! She is such a beautiful girl, fat or not. I agree - it's great for someone to lose weight and be healthy on their own accord, but not because you were pressured.

Unknown said...

Great point! I was so sad about it as well! She is beautiful big or little, but she was just healthy to me..... healthy LOOKING compared to all the kids in Hollywood!

SonsiWoman said...

We LOVE this> "This leads me to another point...why are we, as a society so thrilled when a curvy star shrinks?" To that we add- OR gains weight! This is definitely a question our society should be addressing- healthy should be the goal. Everyone is unique, has different body types, different challenges. You must fit you. Thanks for the great post!

Anonymous said...

Ok, I saw the before picture and thought it was the after picture and thought, hey she did loose a little weight and looks great! But then I saw the real after and was like uggghhh. Shes not the Raven I use to know and love. And those comments obviously show how she was just fine with how she was. What a shame. i want old Raven back!

Maria said...

I love this! You are so right and I am so glad that you are using your voice to speak out. There is not enough talk about women's rights when it comes to body image.

Cindy S said...

Sadly I think that people need to realize that her "before" is pretty much the average size. She was not fat, just average.
This blog post made me think of the fact that I am annoyed by all the people posting diet goal and daily weigh in on facebook.

~Rachel~ said...

Thanks for the GREAT discussion on body image in the media ladies! You are all not only beautiful but intelligent as well! :-)