Weight matters in showbiz

By LIM WEY WEN
Credits: THE STAR (M'SIA NEWSPAPER)

Body weight is a subject that could never go out-of-date in show business. But is the entertainment industry sending out healthy messages to society at large?

HONG Kong actress Myolie Wu shot to fame when she gained approximately 25kg to assume a role in the TV drama series To Grow With Love (Fei Tin Hei See) in 2006.

Only about two months after the filming ended, the 1.7m actress was once again back to her usual 46kg.

Although actors and actresses can seem to make their weight come and go at the snap of their fingers, rapid weight gain and weight loss is actually harmful to the body, experts say.

To find out more about her experience, The Star met her when she was in town recently to promote the drama (which will be aired on Astro in March).

This time around, besides her promotional duties, Wu also doubled up as the judge to “The Fabulicious Plus-Size” contest organised by Astro, where overweight guys and girls will perform on-stage to show off their talents.

As she recounted her experience in gaining weight, the 29-year-old star said she was more worried about not being able to gain weight in time (for the drama) than about the health implications that comes with the rapid weight gain.

“There wasn’t much time, (as) I had about two months to make myself look ‘chubby’,” Wu said.

I was more afraid of not being able to put on weight than anything else. However, I do realise that it is not very healthy,” she added.

Although Wu’s efforts was one of the first attempts of weight gain for a drama role in the former British colony, the international silver screen is no stranger to such feats.

One of them is Oscar-winning actress Renee Zellweger, who almost doubled her size to play her role (twice) as Bridget Jones in the well-known Bridget Jones’ Diary and its sequel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Her male counterpart, Tom Hanks was equally committed to his role in Castaway in which he (also) had to shed almost 25kg to play a man stranded on an island.
Of course, all of them have to go back to their “normal” size after the movie, which involves yet another bout of diet plans mapped out by their dietitians and doctors.

Although the stars’ resolve to “live” their role in movies (sometimes beyond the call of duty) are often applauded or even respected for their professionalism, experts are concerned that this kind of yo-yo dieting (which is damaging to a person’s physical well-being) may be sending the wrong messages to the public.

Health hazards

There are a few notable health hazards that can develop due to rapid weight gain and weight loss.

Dr John Foreyt, a professor at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in Baylor College of Medicine, US, in his interview with medical news website WebMD.com, said that research has shown that fast track (weight loss) diets are only as good as they last.

“Rapid weight loss typically leads to rapid weight gain,” he says.

“(This is because) very-low-calorie diets are diets we can’t live with and can’t live on. The bulk of research shows that they’re short-term fixes, and when you go off the diet, you return to old habits.”

Rapid weight gain, on the other hand, is similar to the analogy of having a foundation built for a 30-storey condominium suddenly having to support the weight of 50 storeys, said consultant dietitian Mary Easaw-John.

And so, although you might not feel it, having your body weight swinging like a pendulum between these two extremes is definitely not a stroll in a park.

“If you gain and lose weight rapidly like a yo-yo, you are also subjecting your body to massive (and undue) stress,” said consultant dietitian Mary Easaw-John.

According to WeightWatchers.com, fast tracked weight loss can result in substantial physical and psychological risks2. These risks include the danger of nutritional deficiencies, increased risk of developing gallstones and binge eating.

“Other dangers such as loss of hair (due to nutritional deficiency such as zinc deficiency) and electrolyte-fluid imbalance can also happen,” Easaw-John said.

“Women who lose weight at a very fast pace are also prone to develop menstrual irregularities,” she added.

On the other end of the spectrum, rapid weight gain can take a toll on health as well.

Those on a fast-tracked weight gain (usually for professional reasons) may experience water retention and aches and pains of the joints, Easaw-John explained.

This is because the body needs to adjust to hauling all those extra pounds around.

Easaw-John stressed the importance of taking weight loss slow and steady. To her, “weight loss should be a journey, not a destination”.

And, you can keep the pounds away for a longer period of time when you go slowly than attempt to lose weight in a matter of weeks.

She said that it is also important for people to have realistic expectations on their physical appearances and do not blame themselves if they are not perfect.

Dangerous messages

Show business does affect us as its consumers in varying degrees. But is the industry sending us healthy messages?

Of course, movies that bring out inner positive qualities of overweight characters do have a positive impact, as it tries to tell us that physical appearance is transient, and inner beauty is what prevails at the end of the day.

But experts in the US are worried that these real-life, adipose-related transformations can give average people the wrong impression – that they too can fatten up and lose the weight in a flash.

In an interview with FOXNews.com’s Jennifer D’Angelo in 2004 (the year Bridget Jones’ Diary: The Edge of Reason was released), Boston College sociologist and body image expert Sharlene Hesse-Biber said that she is concerned that people might think that they can “pull a Renee and lose the weight tomorrow – but in doing so they’ll probably gain 9kg.

And why do people even think of following Zellweger’s footsteps? Because they can indulge in calories (read ice cream, doughnuts and chocolate) and lose the pounds after, that’s why.

Another concern of D’Angelo in that report was that the ease with which stars seem to lose the put-on pounds also has the added effect of making some people feel worse about their own padding.

For the average viewer, it may not be an issue when celebrities tailor their weight according to the roles they assume, said chartered health psychologist Dr Hera Lukman, who is an associate professor in a local private university college .

But given some thought, the ease of which celebrities alter their weight significantly and rapidly may have several implications, she added.

“Firstly, it highlights that body weight can be easily altered according to one’s desire as long as one puts enough effort into achieving his/her target weight.

“This message is problematic as it suggest that the individual’s determination is responsible for the achievement of a desired body weight. In reality, body weight is dependent on a dynamic interaction between biological, psychological and social factors (also known as biopsychosocial factors),” she explained.

Because some of these factors (particularly genetic factors) are beyond an individual’s control, the perception of will power being the sole determinant of body weight often leads to a sense of failure and low self-esteem when the individual fails to achieve their desired weight.

“This is more marked when the target weight is unrealistic,” Dr Lukman said.

Secondly, viewers may overlook the fact that because celebrities have a wealth of resources at their disposal, losing a significant amount of weight in a short time does not appear to be a colossal task.

It would be wishful thinking to assume that these actors and actresses lost and gained all those pounds all by themselves, and get away without any damage to their health.

Wu, for instance, admitted to having dietitians and doctors, to help her with her weight gain. And when she needed to lose it, a team of slimming experts joined the team to help her, too. She also went for routine medical checkups to ensure that her health is not compromised.

“Experts in weight management have noted that losing and maintaining 10-15% of weight among those who are overweight significantly improves health, physical appearance and psychological well-being,” Dr Lukman said.

“However, most overweight individuals who want to lose weight desire to lose much more. But, the reality is, research data has shown that the weight lost is rapidly put back on within the first year following weight loss.”

“Regaining lost weight is demoralising and such experiences can certainly contribute to negative self evaluation,” she added.

It is interesting to note that although society often assumes that body weight is synonymous or correlated to self-esteem, being overweight does not necessarily mean that you would, or should have low self-esteem.

“Body weight and self-esteem is not synonymous.

“Not all who are overweight have low self-esteem and not all who are slim have high self-esteem,” Dr Lukman said.

However, people who are overweight tend to be stereotyped by the society.

“The society places significant emphasis on physical appearance. The belief that “good looking AND slim people are successful people” is prevalent in our climate.

“Individuals who belong to this category are constantly rewarded by being perceived as ‘more popular’, ‘have greater sex appeal’ and ‘more competent’. This process is known in psychological terms as ‘positive stereotyping’ where society has a set of positive beliefs about good looking and slim people,” Dr Lukman explained.

“Very often, overweight individuals are perceived by the society as ‘unattractive’, ‘lazy’, ‘slow’ and ‘not confident’ without good basis.”

When such negative stereotype are established, individuals who are overweight or perceive that they are overweight will experience a “stereotype threat”, when they internalise these negative stereotypes and in turn perceives themselves as worthless.

In order to reduce this negative self-evaluation, one needs a healthy perspective on body weight regulation, said Dr Lukman, who added that most people wanted to lose weight due to aesthetic, rather than health reasons.

“Maintaining a particular body weight is a matter of lifestyle and a healthy attitude towards eating and body image.

“It is a lifelong process rather than a transient activity,” she added.

So, if you are overweight and looking forward to more confident and slimmer days, do think twice before you took to the silver screen for your answers.

Dr Lukman has this advice for everyone.

“Improving self-esteem should not be based exclusively on achieving weight-related targets.

“Other non-weight related targets such as enhancing positive self-acceptance, improving social skills and self-confidence in social situations are equally, if not, more rewarding.”