Body Morphing Madness

I recently wrote an editorial piece on the new Mark Wahlberg film and his weight loss for a new role. Wahlberg lost a reported 60lbs for his new film The Gambler in which he plays a literature teacher caught up in the shady world of gambling addiction. The Max Payne actor spoke to USA Today about his commitment to the role and mentioned; "Forget losing the weight. Being believable as a teacher was on of my greatest challenges and most rewarding". He quickly dismisses the weight loss as anything specifically important and it made me wonder, how seriously do super-star actors take changing their bodies for a role and how healthily do we, as reporters and readers, understand and relate to such drastic physical changes. 

There doesn't go a day without reading about an actors and more frequently, an actress', weight gain or weight loss, so much so that it's become the norm in daily journalism and when we read about star's losing mega weight for a role, we commend them. How strong, what brilliant perseverance, and yet it isn't the same for those who put on the weight. Is that just resorting to fat shaming? It is possible to believe that we're teaching readers, of all ages and genders, that losing weight, particularly serious amounts of weight, is normal, no matter what size you start at. Surely this isn't a healthy idea to install in our brains? Christian Bale is an interesting example of actors that push the limits of their bodies to commit to role. The Batman star lost a shocking 63lbs to bring him to just 121lbs in order to play an insomniac who's mind quickly turns on him. The images of him were so shocking, he looked completely skeletal, and yet people were impressed with his dedication to his role, particularly the films director, Brad Anderson. However, is this not a really careless relationship and attitude to ones one physical health?

Another interesting example is Ann Hathaway's weight-loss for the role of Fantine in the 2012 film Les Miserables. It was reported that Hathaway dropped 25lbs in order to look the part of a starving prostitute. When the film was released, The Daily Mail reported that Hathaway commented on her weight loss saying her diet was starvation, and that she refused to reveal details of her diet in case anybody glorified her weight-loss. It's brilliant that Hathaway takes such a responsible role when publicising her weight loss, but does that make it any less damaging for a vulnerable audience?

I can't help that think, any other profession and these extreme action would be deemed insane, so why is it we find it acceptable for actors to do it? Are we willing to put that much pressure on them in their everyday lives and allow that to spill in their professional work? It seem we find it acceptable. You can't argue that these people are adults and therefore are in charge of their own bodies and the decisions that they make must be respected. However, in saying that, it sheds light on the state of current attitude towards weight perspective, particularly within the entertainment industry.