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Celebrity mags are bullying bile, which damage more than Kim Kardashian Celebrity mags are bullying bile, which damage more than Kim Kardashian
(7 months later)
Young people today have it so much easier, don't they? For instance, as a teenage anorexic in the 1980s, I had to make my own thinspiration. There just weren't any CURSE OF SIZE ZERO!!! pieces leaping out at me from the nearest magazine rack. No CELEBRITY BODY SHOCKS, no faux concern over the latest emaciated celebrity's "heartbreak diet". I'd scour the shelves at WHSmith and once or twice a year, if I was lucky, Woman's Realm would produce a relatively dull interview with Lena Zavaroni, which I'd treasure like gold dust. Inbetween times I had to settle for the odd picture of the super-skinny Princess of Wales or the skeletal Nancy Reagan. Even so, there just wasn't the same "look how THIN they are!!!" frenzy surrounding such photos. I'm not saying that the magazines back then weren't full of crap. It just wasn't hardcore, take-no-prisoners, we-don't-care-if-it-destroys-you crap.Young people today have it so much easier, don't they? For instance, as a teenage anorexic in the 1980s, I had to make my own thinspiration. There just weren't any CURSE OF SIZE ZERO!!! pieces leaping out at me from the nearest magazine rack. No CELEBRITY BODY SHOCKS, no faux concern over the latest emaciated celebrity's "heartbreak diet". I'd scour the shelves at WHSmith and once or twice a year, if I was lucky, Woman's Realm would produce a relatively dull interview with Lena Zavaroni, which I'd treasure like gold dust. Inbetween times I had to settle for the odd picture of the super-skinny Princess of Wales or the skeletal Nancy Reagan. Even so, there just wasn't the same "look how THIN they are!!!" frenzy surrounding such photos. I'm not saying that the magazines back then weren't full of crap. It just wasn't hardcore, take-no-prisoners, we-don't-care-if-it-destroys-you crap.
These days you don't even have to buy a magazine to absorb the body hatred. This evening, shopping at Sainsbury's, I was greeted by the following headlines, in bold capitals and at eye level, as I entered the store: WEIGHT TORMENT (new! magazine), OUR BODY WARS (Star), BODY PANICS! (heat). All such headlines are accompanied by photographs of young celebrities caught in the act of being human-shaped. And of course, as someone who has beaten anorexia, I obviously think, "What a load of rubbish! I am so over all that!" And then, as a normal person with normal responses to cultural messages, I also think, "Aaaargh! I'm so much fatter than the celebrity fat – AKA "curvy" – people!" The very existence of these things can mess with your head. You can try to avert your eyes as you head for the fruit and veg but if you look back once – sneak even the slightest glance – all this can send you straight to the cake counter for yet another miserable pre-starvation-diet binge.These days you don't even have to buy a magazine to absorb the body hatred. This evening, shopping at Sainsbury's, I was greeted by the following headlines, in bold capitals and at eye level, as I entered the store: WEIGHT TORMENT (new! magazine), OUR BODY WARS (Star), BODY PANICS! (heat). All such headlines are accompanied by photographs of young celebrities caught in the act of being human-shaped. And of course, as someone who has beaten anorexia, I obviously think, "What a load of rubbish! I am so over all that!" And then, as a normal person with normal responses to cultural messages, I also think, "Aaaargh! I'm so much fatter than the celebrity fat – AKA "curvy" – people!" The very existence of these things can mess with your head. You can try to avert your eyes as you head for the fruit and veg but if you look back once – sneak even the slightest glance – all this can send you straight to the cake counter for yet another miserable pre-starvation-diet binge.
I think most adults understand the language of magazines such as heat, new! and Star. Any woman seen "flaunting her curves" is being castigated for daring to have enough fat to make menstruation vaguely possible. Any article that starts with "Fears for X" is packed with mouth-watering rumour and conjecture relating to the various ways in which X is ruining her life (with no one actually appearing very fearful). Any woman who is looking "red hot" will be looking "worryingly thin" a week – or even a few pages – later (then "flaunting her curves" before you reach the back cover). We know what's really being said and it's spiteful and petty. But then again, they're only celebrities, right? Surely they've got enough money to cushion the blows? And if as a reader you don't like it, you know what they say – just don't buy it! The trouble is, I don't think these excuses are good enough. Even if you are clever enough to see through what the magazines are telling you, it doesn't mean they can't hurt you. And as for those who don't have the confidence and/or the critical nous to take on the braying of Closer – don't they still deserve better?I think most adults understand the language of magazines such as heat, new! and Star. Any woman seen "flaunting her curves" is being castigated for daring to have enough fat to make menstruation vaguely possible. Any article that starts with "Fears for X" is packed with mouth-watering rumour and conjecture relating to the various ways in which X is ruining her life (with no one actually appearing very fearful). Any woman who is looking "red hot" will be looking "worryingly thin" a week – or even a few pages – later (then "flaunting her curves" before you reach the back cover). We know what's really being said and it's spiteful and petty. But then again, they're only celebrities, right? Surely they've got enough money to cushion the blows? And if as a reader you don't like it, you know what they say – just don't buy it! The trouble is, I don't think these excuses are good enough. Even if you are clever enough to see through what the magazines are telling you, it doesn't mean they can't hurt you. And as for those who don't have the confidence and/or the critical nous to take on the braying of Closer – don't they still deserve better?
I don't wish to patronise the young 'uns. All the same, I think we should be seriously concerned that people in their formative years are prime targets for the playground bullies of Celebrity Magland. Young readers might think that the joke's on Kim Kardashian or Tulisa or that other one from Towie, but it's not. Deep down they will know that if that other one from Towie doesn't measure up, then neither do they, especially since at least the former is famous. They're not famous, just faceless hangers-on. Recoil at that muffin top! Sneer at this dress! Make fun of Kerry Katona! Do it, do it, or you're not one of us! All this mean-spirited poking and pushing will leave bruises in the end. And yet the magazines get away with it. We're scared to criticise because we're scared it will look as though we're the ones with the problem, that of taking it all too seriously. Closer and heat, we all know, are put together by clever people, people who don't really believe in this superficial nonsense. It's all a bit ironic. Hence if you call them out on their sheer meanness, you're made to feel stupid. Hell, if you believe that, you deserve to have low self-esteem! But do we?I don't wish to patronise the young 'uns. All the same, I think we should be seriously concerned that people in their formative years are prime targets for the playground bullies of Celebrity Magland. Young readers might think that the joke's on Kim Kardashian or Tulisa or that other one from Towie, but it's not. Deep down they will know that if that other one from Towie doesn't measure up, then neither do they, especially since at least the former is famous. They're not famous, just faceless hangers-on. Recoil at that muffin top! Sneer at this dress! Make fun of Kerry Katona! Do it, do it, or you're not one of us! All this mean-spirited poking and pushing will leave bruises in the end. And yet the magazines get away with it. We're scared to criticise because we're scared it will look as though we're the ones with the problem, that of taking it all too seriously. Closer and heat, we all know, are put together by clever people, people who don't really believe in this superficial nonsense. It's all a bit ironic. Hence if you call them out on their sheer meanness, you're made to feel stupid. Hell, if you believe that, you deserve to have low self-esteem! But do we?
For a long time – decades in fact – I was in denial about the fact that my own struggle with eating disorders could have anything to do with the influence of popular culture. To do so, I felt, would involve admitting to being a vain, superficial idiot who'd rather kill herself than not have a figure like Posh Spice. The truth is, though, it's not that simple. People grow up to hate their flesh for a whole range of reasons. For those who are vulnerable, it's often a mix. Deep psychological trauma is seen as a legitimate reason for distress, yet dominant cultural messages about appearance and gender are not. These days I look at magazines like Star and I don't know how I'd have ever recovered if I'd had to contend with that 25 years ago. At 12 years old, I found advertisements for Shape yoghurts and St Ivel Gold a big enough obstacle. God knows how I'd have coped with Star's "body news" spread and detailed analysis of the weights of Miranda Kerr, Mel B and Pink.For a long time – decades in fact – I was in denial about the fact that my own struggle with eating disorders could have anything to do with the influence of popular culture. To do so, I felt, would involve admitting to being a vain, superficial idiot who'd rather kill herself than not have a figure like Posh Spice. The truth is, though, it's not that simple. People grow up to hate their flesh for a whole range of reasons. For those who are vulnerable, it's often a mix. Deep psychological trauma is seen as a legitimate reason for distress, yet dominant cultural messages about appearance and gender are not. These days I look at magazines like Star and I don't know how I'd have ever recovered if I'd had to contend with that 25 years ago. At 12 years old, I found advertisements for Shape yoghurts and St Ivel Gold a big enough obstacle. God knows how I'd have coped with Star's "body news" spread and detailed analysis of the weights of Miranda Kerr, Mel B and Pink.
I'm not about to call for censorship of these publications. Hell, there's worse stuff, probably (I was going to look at Nuts but I'm only 5'1", meaning that, unlike the average teenage boy, I couldn't get it down off the top shelf and was too ashamed to ask). Nonetheless, it strikes me as odd that so many people are so eager to defend the ethics of celebrity magazines and to downplay the harm they do. You might be strong and smart enough to rise above it; many others (myself included) are not. We don't like witnessing bullying, however vacuous the immediate targets, whenever we pop out for a pint of milk. Unfortunately, right now there doesn't seem to be much pressure on the editors of these magazines to start behaving like decent human beings. But how much bile can they keep churning out without eventually drowning in it? Perhaps once they're consumed by their own hate, we can go back to wallowing in the everyday, common-or-garden bitchiness that was once enough to sustain us.I'm not about to call for censorship of these publications. Hell, there's worse stuff, probably (I was going to look at Nuts but I'm only 5'1", meaning that, unlike the average teenage boy, I couldn't get it down off the top shelf and was too ashamed to ask). Nonetheless, it strikes me as odd that so many people are so eager to defend the ethics of celebrity magazines and to downplay the harm they do. You might be strong and smart enough to rise above it; many others (myself included) are not. We don't like witnessing bullying, however vacuous the immediate targets, whenever we pop out for a pint of milk. Unfortunately, right now there doesn't seem to be much pressure on the editors of these magazines to start behaving like decent human beings. But how much bile can they keep churning out without eventually drowning in it? Perhaps once they're consumed by their own hate, we can go back to wallowing in the everyday, common-or-garden bitchiness that was once enough to sustain us.
• This article was commissioned after a suggestion from Brimelow. If there's a subject you'd like to see covered on Comment is free, please visit our You Tell Us page• This article was commissioned after a suggestion from Brimelow. If there's a subject you'd like to see covered on Comment is free, please visit our You Tell Us page
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