This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/feb/04/entertainment-weekly-beyond-beautiful-cover

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Four stars, one cover, 1,000 stylists: why EW's Beyond Beautiful photo is beyond belief Four stars, one cover, 1,000 stylists: why EW's Beyond Beautiful photo is beyond belief
(7 months later)
When you look at the Oscars red carpet, chances are you see a swath of glamorous millionaires gleefully soaking up adoration on a global scale, but that’s not how it is. Not really. Because, when you’re on it, that thing becomes a nightmarish sniper’s alley of barely concealed imposter syndrome.When you look at the Oscars red carpet, chances are you see a swath of glamorous millionaires gleefully soaking up adoration on a global scale, but that’s not how it is. Not really. Because, when you’re on it, that thing becomes a nightmarish sniper’s alley of barely concealed imposter syndrome.
Related: Ten for the bonfire: Vanity Fair's most awkward Hollywood issue covers
Everyone on that red carpet is desperately worried about being seen as a vacuous opportunist. That’s why, at this time of year, they’ll scatter about, being as benevolently extra-curricular as they can. It’s why Leonardo DiCaprio just went to meet the pope; it gives him an interview option that doesn’t involve muttering, “Oh god I really want an Oscar I really want it I’d do anything for an Oscar seriously though it’s literally the only important thing in my life right now just give me an Oscar” over and over again at his fingernails.Everyone on that red carpet is desperately worried about being seen as a vacuous opportunist. That’s why, at this time of year, they’ll scatter about, being as benevolently extra-curricular as they can. It’s why Leonardo DiCaprio just went to meet the pope; it gives him an interview option that doesn’t involve muttering, “Oh god I really want an Oscar I really want it I’d do anything for an Oscar seriously though it’s literally the only important thing in my life right now just give me an Oscar” over and over again at his fingernails.
And this probably also explains the cover of Entertainment Weekly’s new Beyond Beautiful issue, which ostensibly depicts a “roundtable discussion with some of Hollywood’s smartest, funniest and bravest actresses”, but actually seems like photographic evidence of the time that Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, Eva Longoria and Elizabeth Banks all accidentally turned up to the same Halloween party dressed as 2002-era Anthea Turner.And this probably also explains the cover of Entertainment Weekly’s new Beyond Beautiful issue, which ostensibly depicts a “roundtable discussion with some of Hollywood’s smartest, funniest and bravest actresses”, but actually seems like photographic evidence of the time that Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, Eva Longoria and Elizabeth Banks all accidentally turned up to the same Halloween party dressed as 2002-era Anthea Turner.
Related: Reese Witherspoon blows whistle on Hollywood sexism: 'I don't want to be the girlfriend in a dumb comedy'
The roundtable itself is a natural expansion of last year’s #AskHerMore campaign, which urged interviewers to confront the inherent gender bias in their line of red-carpet patter. So it’s an opportunity for Witherspoon to talk up her achievements as a producer, and for Banks to discuss having the highest-ever opening weekend for a first-time director. Less impressively, it’s also an opportunity for Longoria to describe the time that she became so thin that everyone thought she was pregnant just because she’d eaten a burger, but you can’t have it all.The roundtable itself is a natural expansion of last year’s #AskHerMore campaign, which urged interviewers to confront the inherent gender bias in their line of red-carpet patter. So it’s an opportunity for Witherspoon to talk up her achievements as a producer, and for Banks to discuss having the highest-ever opening weekend for a first-time director. Less impressively, it’s also an opportunity for Longoria to describe the time that she became so thin that everyone thought she was pregnant just because she’d eaten a burger, but you can’t have it all.
Of course, that much is perfectly clear from the cover. In Witherspoon, Longoria, Washington and Banks, Entertainment Weekly has picked an exact visual cross-section of American women – 25% black, 25% part-Mexican, 50% white and blonde and so physically similar that it’s genuinely quite difficult to tell them apart, and 100% conventionally attractive.Of course, that much is perfectly clear from the cover. In Witherspoon, Longoria, Washington and Banks, Entertainment Weekly has picked an exact visual cross-section of American women – 25% black, 25% part-Mexican, 50% white and blonde and so physically similar that it’s genuinely quite difficult to tell them apart, and 100% conventionally attractive.
These actors are just like you, that’s the message here. Just look at the text on the cover: “4 friends. 1 conversation. 1,000 ideas about running businesses, unequal pay, social media and potato chips (?!)” You’ve got friends. You’ve had conversations. You have responsibilities and gender barriers to overcome. Plus you can’t so much as even think about crisps without everyone immediately inferring the sort of “Oh-no-she-DIDN’T!” interrobang that, if it happened during a film trailer, would be accompanied by the sound of a needle scratching across a vinyl record.These actors are just like you, that’s the message here. Just look at the text on the cover: “4 friends. 1 conversation. 1,000 ideas about running businesses, unequal pay, social media and potato chips (?!)” You’ve got friends. You’ve had conversations. You have responsibilities and gender barriers to overcome. Plus you can’t so much as even think about crisps without everyone immediately inferring the sort of “Oh-no-she-DIDN’T!” interrobang that, if it happened during a film trailer, would be accompanied by the sound of a needle scratching across a vinyl record.
Crisps! Imagine! They eat crisps! I mean, admittedly, they’re not eating any during the roundtable, because their platter only includes crackers, grapes and the universe’s most incomprehensibly untouched bowl of Oreos. But they do drink lots of water. And, really, what is water if not liquid crisps?Crisps! Imagine! They eat crisps! I mean, admittedly, they’re not eating any during the roundtable, because their platter only includes crackers, grapes and the universe’s most incomprehensibly untouched bowl of Oreos. But they do drink lots of water. And, really, what is water if not liquid crisps?
These actors are just like you. They don’t flounce around in ballgowns. They wear pristine, perfectly tailored white shirts that were picked during a lengthy consultation with a team of stylists. They’re always beautifully lit. They have fans blowing into their faces to make their hair bounce. They need to be in constant physical contact with each other at all times, otherwise they’ll wither and die. They smile all the time, even though they don’t actually look that happy. And potato chips?! Forget about it. Truly, these actors are beyond beautiful.These actors are just like you. They don’t flounce around in ballgowns. They wear pristine, perfectly tailored white shirts that were picked during a lengthy consultation with a team of stylists. They’re always beautifully lit. They have fans blowing into their faces to make their hair bounce. They need to be in constant physical contact with each other at all times, otherwise they’ll wither and die. They smile all the time, even though they don’t actually look that happy. And potato chips?! Forget about it. Truly, these actors are beyond beautiful.