Does using the phrase 'Kate Winslet's happy being a larger girl' imply she is overweight, rather than normal?

Question

Isn't the language the media use giving healthy, normal sized girls a complex and planting fears in their minds about their weight? Even though they are absolutely normal? Especially when there's been the recent backlash against 'Size Zero'? Surely saying someone like Kate Winslet is a 'larger' girl suggests strongly that she is overweight, when this is in fact clearly far from the truth?
Isn't it about time the media took responsibility for their use and tone of language... including newspapers, magazines and, as i've noticed, tv news readers themselves putting emphasis on certain words to imply meaning where there should be none.

Answer 1

Absolutely, couldn't agree with you more. We have a society that is telling young girls through the mass media that normal
sized girls are like twiglets and eat next to nothing.

I see young children, 6-8 years olds who I work with who are worried about being fat and so are not eating what they should.

It is tragic, but perhaps the pendulum is beginning to swing slightly.... but all could change. There should be government legislation - and a more awareness of what healthy eating constitutes - but that does not mean size zero being lauded as the most acceptable norm.

Great question.

My rant is over!

Answer 2

Right you are! I wish we could go back to the days when Marilyn Monroe had the ideal figure. She was a size 10-12 and she was beautiful.
Statements by media like the one you mentioned are the reason that the average fashion model weighs 23 percent less than the average woman, as opposed to 8 percent less than 20 years ago (according to a Univ. of Massachussetts study) and why 40% of 8 year old girls have dieted to look thinner! (same study).

Answer 3

dang right.

The only people who find emaciated near-death heroin-chic attractive are fashion designers (less bumps to get in the way of the clothes) and, well, weirdos.

Actually that's putting it too strongly. An ex of mine is naturally that shape, and I fancy her. But she's unusual.

Anyway, any fool who uses that sentence to describe Kate Winslet needs to be taken round the back beside the bins by twenty "larger girls" and given a really thorough beating. For all the reasons you said.

Answer 4

Here's an interesting experiment for you. Go through the papers and magazines and mark up every dodgy use of language, where it has been used in a way that is meant to influence people subtly. You'll run out of ink pretty fast. The amount of manipulative language used in journalism scares me. And yeah, Kate Winslet does look normal to me.

Answer 5

All the photos of girl i see in mags are size 4 - 8. i think that it is the new "Normal"! But its stupid, anyone over a size 8 is now over weight according to the media and fashion mags. in 10 years time their will be no models because they would all be dead from malnutrition! And the media will still be portraying this as "normal" and fashionable. And young girls will still be trying to be just like them.

Answer 6

Kate Winslet is large compared to the anorexic models that the media considers fat.I think Kate is rather normal.She has the perfect weight,not fat nor skinny.She's a normal person, but the media has a problem with that apparently.I'm very happy she decides to stick to her true beautiful self.I agree with you a 100 %.

Answer 7

there's no way Kate is over weight, in fact I'd say she's just right, and i agree with you about the media always suggesting that she has a fuller figure, which is total crap, I'd much rather cuddle a girl who is NORMAL, rather than these skeletons who are favoured by the modelling world. So if Kate wants to give me cuddle, here my number 0208 466 555 !

Answer 8

I totally agree with you.
It is about time that the media made changes to the way that they address things like "skinny star's" over weight kids.
We are starting to live in a world that is governed by what we read and see on t.v.
Big Brother is not only watching but showing us the things that he wants us to see ?

Answer 9

The media means that Kate is larger then most of the other actress doing movies these days.almost actrsses in Hollywood are stick figures..She is a little larger them most of Hollywoods top women.

If she is fine with the way she looks, then it shouldn't matter who thinks what ..as long as she is happy.

Answer 10

You're right there is nothing large about her she is a perfect size!
The media doesn't care about the impact they have on the public or the celebrities, they just want to make money. They manipulate everyone with their words.