“Oh my God Becky, Look at her Butt!”

I totally agree. I just saw a commercial for some new weight loss pill and the girl in it was dressed in a 2 piece bathing suit and was lamenting about how huge she was. I just laughed. She looked like she was a size 16, maybe. She was a little overweight but she was not huge or really even fat by my standards (I wear a size 22). It is commercials like that that make average sized women think they are fat. Hollywood either portrays fat people as actually averaged sized proportions or as huge, fat slobs. Both of which really bother me. Just because I am obese does not mean I am lazy or a slob. They always show these people stuffing their faces at all hours of the day or eating 2 or 3 meals at a sitting. That just isn't real life. They also won't put a "fat" woman in a lead romantic roll. The Bridget Jones movies were like the only one and Renee was, what, a size 14/16 in those. Oh my god, she was just soooo fat, wasn't she. (And as a side. I love that song, lol. I used to listen to that stuff in Junior high and knew all the words to it. I can still sing most of it.)

I do not think that a woman that is a size 12 is obese. I think that what matters is what her BMI is and if it is outside of her range for her height, then she should either gain or lose weight to obtain a healthy weight. I get so sick of Hollywood paiting this superficial picture of the perfect woman. It's no wonder so many women have such a negative body image. This negative image is the cause for most cases of eating disorders. After Britney Spears had her first son I thought she looked great, but she was obviously too fat for Hollywood because all the tabloids ever did was criticize her weight. I guess we are all supposed to starve ourselves and be a rack of bones like Nicole Richie!

Not only are women effected by the rising problem of body awareness, but men as well. I know people, men included who constantly ask if they look fat in their clothing. I am a BBW, not the person to ask this question. I don't ask that question, I wear plus size clothing! Hollywood needs to put out movies that display people as people, not twig figures. I would pay money to see films that starred real people.

In the USAthe average size women wear is a 14/16 so say a 12 is obese. I find that crazy. Yes I think hollywood has done damage to womens self esteem causing girls to have eating disorders.

LOL on listening to the program because you couldn't find the remote, first of all! ^_^ Man, I can't _believe_ that they were considering a size 12 as obese. That is really, truly sad. I absolutely believe that Hollywood and television and all types of media have greatly added to the problems that teenagers (and all ages) face in how they view their self-image. I know that I myself have become a victim of this. It seems like there are so many 'pretty people' on the TV that I have found myself rating my appearance so lowly that I almost felt like I couldn't stand to be in the public a couple of times in the past few years. It was a horrible feeling. I am trying so hard to feel better about the way that I look! ^_^

It's not just hollywood. At one point after I had my first child I went to the doctor and they told me I was overweight I was only in a size 9.Its ridicolous what people think is obese. In my personal opinion it's not how big you are because some people carry weight very well and it suits them what I do think is wrong is when a larger person wears clothes that are to small or tight And have stomach fat hangin out. Even if your comfortable with your weight you should still dress appropriate. I don't even like seeing a skinny girl with her stomach showing. I think peer pressure and hollywood influence what "we" should look like.

I think that its all around us and hollywood deffinately doesnt help, even as much as they try and deny it. It also doesnt help that the vicoria's secret modles are size 2 and smaller!! Girls think that's the only thing that's sexy and try to be that way. Its ridiculous. Im a size 7 and wouldnt and wont ever be smaller! Im happy, even if my butt does jiggle a little!

Hollywood is soooo overrated! I know that whole camera adds a zillion pounds and all that, but get real! Even when I am down to my "healthy" weight I will not fit into smaller than a size 10. Lately I've been a 12/14 and I do feel unhealthy. I know I need to lose the weight, but that's because of how I feel, not TOTALLY how I look (although, yes, that does have something to do with it). One thing I like about The Medium is that she's a bit overweight for Hollywood standards, but pretty normal for real life standards!

Hollywood has no impact on what I view as a good size. I feel they are very stupid for going so small, although I believe it does impact the rest of society. Things will soon change though. Run ways in places like Milan in Italy are banning models under a certain weight. They are now requiring their models to be of a healthy weight rather than an unhealthy anorexic look. Hopefully this will soon move onto other runways and onto hollywood. My biggest influence is myself. Old photographs of when i was a bit bigger. I'm still the same weight, I've just grown into it and now it's much slimmer. I get paranoid over my body, but not enough to change it. My body is fine anyways.

Hollywood to me is full of very insecure and wannabe doughnut eaters, but they are so influenced by what other people think of them, their biggest ambition in life is to be the thinest person ever! I feel sorry for them but as a woman you are looked at, mostly by other women, as having to be thin to succeed. As I grow older though, I see all these stars faces stretched from surgery, marriages failing and basically living quite sad lives. I am lucky to have a partner who likes the female form as it should be, not a head on a stick. I think alot more people are waking up to the fact that once you have got past the thin figure of these stars, not much else evolves. Men like to have something to grab hold of. If it's only to have the perfect female form on your arm, then usually thats all it is, unless the person you fall in love with is naturally thin anyway. I say let the skinny ones get on with it, as it will always be around, while us normal secure women can enjoy our life's, know the man who loves us loves us for who we are. Bothered!!!

As a man I guess when I was growing up as a teenager and little before that I formed an image of the beautiful figure from TV mostly and some ladies/girls around me that I admired, I admit that I have a thing for thin ladies, I just like the way they look, not that I judge women on their appearances but this is about how a man admire the beauty of passing by women/girls and who catches his eyes, in some cultures skinny women are seen as ill and no man would look at them, this is happens in the middle east but is more or less changing with newer generation. The problem in my view not on Hollywood creating a "perfect" image for a woman's figure and people following, the problem is in portraying that a woman's figure is her biggest asset. I don't mind if all men admire thin women or they admire more curvy or even over-weight women the problem is that Hollywood is making people think that how a woman looks is the most important thing about her.

I do think Hollywood has contributed to the problems. Life experiences have been my biggest influence I have never been a blind follower of what movie stars or models look like. I think beauty is in the eyes of the beholders-and if anyone doesn't like what they "behold" then they can look at someone else!

Yes, I think Hollywood, celebrities, TV do portray an unrealistic ideal for women. On the other hand, I am concerned about the growing trend of obesity in adults and children in America. We need to find a happy medium. Although I wouldn't call her perfect, I do think Queen Latifah shows that a large woman can look good. Can't remember the name of the movie she was in where she thought she was dying and spent her life savings taking her dream vacation. She wore some gogeous outfits, had her hair and make up done. She looked great. Course who of us can afford that kind of pampering?

Great questions! Definitely Hollywood has done its fair share in contributing to the eating disorders. And not only that, but the one Nutrisystem commercial where the really ditsy lady is all excited because she's a size 2!!! Well that may be fine, but what they are not saying, is that she is probably 5 ft tall or less and that is okay on her. It is NOT okay on every body. Also I think I base what I feel women should look like on my own personal exerpience. I am a size 14, 5'7", and I am OK with how I look. I feel like when I am out with friends, I don't look any different than most others I see. Yeah, there are the 21-22 YO's who still look smokin' hot but I know that isn't going to be me so I am OK with it.

1. Yes Hollywood has some blame. Don't forget about the movies, music, tv, and fashion magazines. I think They are much worse then Hollywood. TV is the worst of all because thewy have the cartoon shows and things like Top Model and those shows. 2. For me there never really was a rolemodel that determines what I like in a woman. I do not really like the tiny women, and I don't really want a larger, LARGE woman again. I like women with soft curves, not boney ones.

you know what was a good one, when Tyra Banks went out as a obese woman. Her experience brought her to tears because of how she was treated and the fact that knowing normal people like this can't take off the costume at the end of the day. I think the actors/actress themselves are the major problems. i think now days the awareness of those type of illnesses have grown and young girls are getting more positive role models. I admire Tyra not because of her looks but because of how she thinks. she's a former Victoria Scecret Model and tries to understand the problems of "real" woman. i think obese people will always be some what looked down upon because you relate someone obese to someone who's unhealthy. personally, my ideal size is a size 12. i think i would look great, i think the most i would want to go down (but don't know if my body will allow) is a size 10. any lower then that then i'll start to look unhealthy. my biggest influences right now would be people like Missy Elliot, people who don't have the perfect body but still look good. i'm a plus size girl for sure. if slimed down i have the perfect hour glass figure because by hips and butt are so big..lol and thats something that i admire about myself. although i want to lose the weight, i don't want to lose my curves.

For your 1st question, yes I believe hollywood has mentually gotten alot of people trapped with the "barbie doll" look or the "perfect ken" look. I think everyone is beautiful in their own way no matter how they look or what size they are from skinny to full figured or larger. I also believe only a weak minded person would starve themselves to mirror what hollywood says is so-called "perfect" and to your second question, being a woman I love me and I believe in eating and working out to maintain what "I" feel to be a comfortable look for me.

Oh yeah! As a size 4-6, I definitely look fat compared to some of the girls in the movies! I've got a bootie and something to fill my bra and you NEVER see that in Hollywood. I don't think anyone can think that the hollywood girls are the norm.

I think that Hollywood has a major infulenc on the youth, specially girls. Many of the girls want to be like the Hollywood celebrity and doesn't aware that Anorexia/Bulimia is dangerous. This industry of movies, tv shows requiers a good looking people and thin. That's too bad because we are all humans. I think that a fat person for example can look good as a thin person.

Hollywood!!! Make believe,full of itself with all it false images,making women especially feel inadequate and not up to scratch with themselves. All a front with no real substance to it. That just my opinion though. I don't like it,and it can kill ones own self image to reflect its own with pain and suffering.