Has Hollywood’s search for the perfect "10" gone too far?
Ironically, that's the number of plastic surgeries reality TV star and singer Heidi Montag, 23, admits she had in one day after revealing her new face and body to the world on the cover of People Magazine last week.
Scary, yes. But body and media experts say what the self-described "beyond obsessed" plastic surgery fan may have inadvertently improved is conversations between mothers and daughters and about the true meaning of beauty.
"The controversy and dialogue that’s happening around Heidi Montag right now is helpful ... A lot of people sharing their opinions, which really is a good thing," says Sharon MacLeod, marketing director for Dove's Real Beauty campaign.
Montag's procedures — including breast implants, a nose job, collagen lip injections, cheek implants and Botox — left her fighting for her life, and shockingly unrecognizable. The star blamed criticism over her looks and her own low self esteem for the upgrades, but she's not alone in her self-loathing.
“In a global study that we did a few years ago, we learned that only 2% of women around the world would describe themselves as beautiful,” says MacLeod.
While most parents don’t know who the heck Montag is, she and the other female stars of MTV's The Hills are extremely influential, becoming idols to the myriad of young girls since the program began in 2006. In 2008, Entertainment Weekly called it a "new classic", ranking it among the 100 best shows of the last 25 years.
Montag initially came on board as a sunny blond with character and personality. But within a year, she had her first breast implants and a nose job.
“Obviously, because of the mass media, there are a lot of pressures to look a certain way,” says Cathy Wing, co-executive director of the Media Awareness Network.
She admits that "standards of attractiveness" have long existed. "What’s changed now is that ... we are bombarded by images of unrealistic beauty because it can’t be attained without surgery or digital manipulation. That makes it more difficult for people who suffer from body image issues and low self-esteem, unless you have tremendous amounts of money and want to take the severe action Montag took.”
Both MacLeod and Wing agree that this is the time for discourse with young girls and — despite the overwhelming media influence — body confidence and self esteem starts at home.
"It may be surprising to moms, but the power really is in their hands," says MacLeod. “Mothers play a much bigger role in how girls feel about themselves, and girls say they wish their moms had talked to them more about beauty and physical appearance."
“Hollywood is an industry that commodifies people, and they have to fit a certain, unrealistic standard. That’s why it’s important to introduce media literacy skills at a young age,” Wing says.
“Parents should always be mediating between the exposure that kids are getting and talking to them about what they are seeing to build their critical thinking skills. When kids are really little, you should be intervening and monitoring what they are watching and introduce shows that have strong, positive role models in them.”
So while every mom out there has her fat days, Wing emphasizes that it’s nothing to talk about with your kids.
"This whole idea of family resemblance and connection, because we look the same, is gone. Family values are what’s really important and the things we need to pass down to our kids."
Better role models
Nobody strives for perfection more than those in front of the camera, but there are still the few that refuse to go under the knife for the sake of Tinseltown.
Meryl Streep
Streep has entered a new phase late in her career, sex symbol. Tumbling between the sheets with veteran actors Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin has led to award nominations and tons of press, but not to the operating table. Streep has spoken out against getting plastic surgery, saying, “You’d be amazed how many men in the industry have gone down that road. I don’t get it. I think you have to embrace getting older and celebrate life.”
Cameron Diaz
This statuesque beauty has been graced by the good gene gods, but the self-proclaimed klutz has broken her nose four times, resulting in breathing problem for which she got minor work done. But, she maintains that’s all she’ll do as far as surgery is concerned. “I’d never do anything else,” she told celebrity news show, The Insider. “I think beauty comes from the inside.”
Miley Cyrus
It seems that everything about Miley Cyrus has been manufactured, from her highlighted locks to her pop star style. But one thing she isn’t allowed to change? Her gap teeth. Dad and former country star Billy Ray Cyrus refuses to let her go anywhere near a knife. “My dad won’t let me fix my teeth or cut my hair,” the star told imdb.com “He loves it. He’s like, ‘It’s you.’”
Kate Winslet
After being criticized for her weight for years, Winslet had the last laugh. She recently topped a UK National poll for the perfect body, and has filed lawsuits against publications that have airbrushed her almost unrecognizable. And at the end of the day, she has a sense of humour about it all. “Hollywood is the facelift capital of the world. I'm not going to name names but I can always tell. I remember my first Oscar ceremony, spotting all the surgery on some famous faces. I've thought of it, I must admit, but I think my husband might leave me if I had any procedures done, so I have no plans to change anything.”
The stats
Dove’s Real Beauty Campaign has shined a light on the way girls and women around the world see themselves. The campaign, in association with Harvard University and the London School of Economics, did a Real Truth about Beauty study, and their finding are worth talking about. After speaking with 3,200 women ages 18 to 64 in 22 languages and from 118 different countries, Dove has compiled statistics that can give us insight into the way our kids perceive themselves.
1. Only 2% of women around the world choose beautiful to describe their looks, fewer even than choose “attractive” (9%), “feminine” (8%), “good-looking” (7%) or “cute” (7%).
2. Almost three-quarters of women (72%) rate their beauty “average” and 69% rate their physical attractiveness “average.”
3. Overall, 13% see themselves as somewhat less or much less beautiful or physically attractive than others.
4. 16% of all women think of themselves as “somewhat more” or “much more” physically attractive than others.
5. Despite mostly categorizing themselves as “average” on beauty and physical attractiveness, almost half of all women (47%) rate their body weight as “too high” – a trend that increases with age. This is particularly the case in the U.S. (60%), Great Britain (57%) and Canada (54%).
If you're a mom...
No longer a face only a mother could love. Heidi Montag’s mom has approached People Magazine, claiming she can’t speak with, or look at, her daughter. Too much for Montag’s mom, but kids everywhere are being bombarded with images of her, so how do you speak to your children about this issue? “Kids carry a stigma that people will only like them if they are perfect, but if only fuels the marketing engine,” says Victoria Haist, counselor at the Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868). “They buy into images that fit into these standards.” Here are Haist’s tips on how to kick-start this conversation at home.
* Ask your child/ teen what they think of celebrity’s looks, and if they understand that these images are not real, but manipulated by camera angles, airbrushing, surgery and lighting. “A lot of young people don’t really understand that these people don’t really look like that,” Haist says. “Sit with your child in front of the computer and search before and after images of a certain celebrity, because they often aren’t aware that these images are manipulated.” Helping them distinguish between fantasy and reality, because the knowledge of this fabrication is what empowers them.
* Ask your child to tell you what they like about their looks. If they have difficulties listing any qualities, help them explore that and consider getting them help for body image. Ask them how they feel about themselves, their appearance and body, and try to get them to list things they like about their looks, if any. Also, highlight qualities about people they like and respect that go beyond body, if it’s Lance Armstrong’s strength or Ellen Degeneres’s devotion to helping animals, to get more rounded view of what makes them unique and special.
* If your child shows dissatisfaction in their looks, ask what would be different if they changed their looks. Some might say they think it would make them more popular, gain friends, get attraction, and even further their success in school. Think of exceptions of peers or friends, who despite not being the ideal, have a boyfriend or gets straight A’s. Challenges their idea that looks are everything. Inner qualities are a huge factor.
* Ask your child or teen if they compare themselves to their friends and peers at school, and if at anytime they feel bad about themselves when they do this. Continue conversation about how we are all different and attractive in our own way and explore the idea here that people are attracted to different things. Short, tall, curvy or a string bean. The media presents one standard of what the media are attracted to, but there are so many. Is there a boy she likes at school? Do all her friends think he’s attractive? Does he look like Brad Pitt? Probably not, so why does she set that standard for herself.
