Jamie Lee Curtis on NPR

C

clareMc

Cathlete
Did anyone else hear Jamie Lee on the radio today?

If you didn't, you missed a treat. She was on the Diane Rehm show, talking about her new book for children "I'm gonna like me," and about issues regarding self esteem, particularly for women.

She is aiming her message at the parents of young children since apparently problems with self esteem (self acceptance) development start very early.

I was so impressed with the cut-through-the-bullshit attitude of this woman. Having realized that she made a career from her body, that she has made her body worse through unnecessary medical proceedures (nips and tucks, liposuction), she agreed to be on the cover of More magazine (in your standard air-brushed hi glam photo shoot) only if inside the mag they did photos of her her way: head to toe, full body, in her unglam undies with visible saddle bags, spare tire, unmuscled look: i.e. displaying the normal body of a fortysomething woman. She forced More mag to agree to write in the article that it takes 13 people to make a woman 'decent looking enough' for a front cover of a glam mag (i.e. any mag for women), that all those people are needed to do hair, make up, lighting, select a dress, hold it up with safety pins at the back so it actually looks good on her, and then do the post production air brushing.

Jamie lee made the most pertinent point that she will no longer agree to make a living out of selling a lie to women: i.e. as she said on the radio, no-one looks like the faces on the covers of these mags, and that includes the models themselves who serve as canvases. She made the comment that she herself would just love Michelle Pfiffer to get photographed in her undies sans make up, because it would be a realistic image of what a woman her age looks like, that this would mean so much to her, it would do so much for the self-acceptance of women everywhere.

She made the point also that she does go to the gym for health reasons, not to spend three hours a day with a trainer so she can get certain Hollywood roles. She said she does her cardio, some crunches and squats and she's out of there because it's just one part of a real life, not the be-all-and-end-all.

Seems to me this lady is one prety astute cookie and I take my hat off to her. In the light of this, I am disappointed that, as someone mentioned on this forum once, Cathe loses weight before filming. If this was a vicious rumour, then my apologies to Cathe. If it's true, we have to ask: why does she feel the need to do this, and what possible message does this convey to the audience who buys her product?

My words are not intended to offend any one. They come in the light of recent discussion along the themes of: 'will I ever allow myself to be thin?' and 'is 2 hours exercise per day too much?', and posts regarding isues of depression. Is self-esteem (self-acceptance) not at the heart of so much of what gets discussed here?

Clare
 
Hi Clare,

I agree with some points but respectfully disagree with others.

I do think it's important to learn acceptance of ourselves and self love, but I'm also not going to "settle" for saddlebags just because I'm 40, especially if I can look at any other women who have achieved a "saddlebag less" figure by honest healthy eating and vigorous exercise. I don't mind working hard for my fitness, I enjoy every bit of working out 1-2 hrs/day, if I don't feel like it I won't, I'll scale down my workout in a second if I'm not feeling up to it, but I enjoy it and I love doing something positive for my body after years of abusing it so horribly. And although I can respect Jamie Lee Curtis for posing "naturally" in the magazine, I'd be lying if I didn't tell you exactly what I said aloud at that picture. My exact words were, "girlfriend, a little Cathe in your life would do your body good!" If I thought for even a nanosecond that all my sweat and determination was going to have me looking like JLC in a few years, I'd be reaching for the nearest cheesecake! But because there are real women, with realistic figures, that work hard to get and maintain those figures, I know I don't want to reach for the cheesecake, but rather continue to strive for whatever excellence MY body can achieve. So, she may be comfortable in HER skin like that, but I wouldn't unless I'd already done as much as I possibly could for myself and that was the end result. We all have our own cross to bear. I'll have to "settle" for some residual loose skin when all is said and done because I stretched it to 375lbs, and she's stuck with what she has from her own choices of "nips, tucks and lipo." So I agree with the positive message to young women to love/accept themselves without feeling the need to cosmetically change anything about themselves, but I disagree with learning to "settle" just because of your age or unwillingness to put in some extra effort to change something that distresses you.
When I grow up (hit my 50's :)), I want to be able to proudly say I'm a size 6 like my mentor Honeybunch! My eyes rolled back in my head when I read that and my first thought was, "She's got it goin' on! Didn't start Cathe until she was 50, became a P.T., and she's a size 6!" There are teenagers that aren't a 6! So in light of Honeybunch and the efforts she put forth to achieve and now maintain her body at 50, it makes me feel like maybe JLC is just too lazy to put forth the effort to improve what she's got.
Afterall, "nothing worthwhile comes easy!"

Just my opinion :)

Donna

p.s. And rumor or not, I really never want to see Cathe with saddlebags! She makes me want to work harder when I see her looking so strong, fit and athletic in her videos. And having just given birth THIS year and getting her body back into shape in the blink of an eye is something I am in awe of! :)


Fitness~ it's a journey, not a race!
 
Just had a cup of coffee so now my mind is really working!

You know who else is in her 50's and no saddlebags? Charlene Prickett! And if anyone has the Charlene Prickett stretch video, "Homestretch," there's a woman in the back that's in her 60's and has a great body! "As in great for a 30 year old, so I guess its fanfreakingtastic for a 60 something year old!"

So, NO! I'm not settling for saddlebags, droopy a**, or anything else! If exercise can lift it, flatten it or shape it, I'm there! :)

Donna

Fitness~ it's a journey, not a race!
 
You made my day, Miz Donna! This 53 year old chick is going to head to the basement this morning and do MIC (the whole thing) and the upper body portion of MIS.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and Mrs. Claus can be a size 6.

Just Do It! :)
 
I understand what you're saying Clare. I admire her quite a lot. What makes her even more remarkable, is the screwed up environment she grew up in, and that she could see through all that bull. She must be extremely comfortable with herself to have rejected the way of life that her industry forces upon those women. I say good for her. I strive to be comfortable with how I look, and to not be overly critical. I am willing to work my fanny off, but I can always find imperfections. When I saw her picture I was a bit shocked, to tell the truth. I know I would not have been as brave. I was having a massage once, and complaining to the therapist about my stomach being stretched from pregnancy, weight gain, weight loss, and that I wanted a tummy tuck(only half jokingly.) She reminded me that bringing my children into the world was worth a saggy tummy. I agree with that, but still want a flat stomach, and would never show my flab in a magazine. So, I say Jamie Lee has big cajones, and I'm proud of her for refusing to perpetuate a bullsh*t stereotype.
 
Hmmm. I agree that it is admirable to put effort into working out, but I don't see how being a certain size signifies how much of an effort was put out... For instance, when you were doing Imax several months ago and were more than a size 8, was I more admirable than you because I was a size 6 and was doing all my cardio on the floor with low impact?
I think that something important to remember here is that Cathe and anyone else on a video is genetically pre-disposed to having such a body. (yeah, yeah, yeah, I know she works incredibly hard, too, but that's not my point.) Her hips, even with extra fat on them, will always be narrow. She would not tend to store fat in the saddlebag area. However, I would. I agree with you that it is motivating to see her body looking great, but I know I will never attain what she has, even if I put as much effort into it as she does. People can be fit without being fat free. People ARE fit without being fat free. Why does Cathe try to lean out before filming? Is it more important to look good, or to perform well? Do you have to look like that to perform like that? Obviously not, but she still does get leaner before a shoot...
I would say that the origianl post focused on the importance of self-esteem, while your post seemed to focus on the importance of looking good.
No offense intended. I must say, though, that after being off my computer for a month and coming back to it this week, I am amazed at how focused many seem to be on appearances. It depresses me, because somehow I get pulled right into it...
Wendy
 
She leans out Wendy, because ultimately, that is what sells her videos. Sad, but true. Maybe not with the posters here, but with anyone else thinking of purchasing the vids.

I understand where you are coming from too, Wendy. And, you know, the fitter we seem to get the more depressing this issue seems to become, simply because changes come slower. Currently, I am "dieting down" simply because I tested in at 25% body fat and wear a size 8. It is SO HARD to see any results. I have added extra cardio and all, but the scale barely moves. And, YES, I DO expect my weight to go DOWN.


Really, most of the time I think this is all a bunch of crap and I don't know why I even bother. When it comes right down to it, I don't work out to keep my body. I work out because it makes me feel good and strong. And I wish that was enough.....


I do plan to check out the JLC interview, maybe online??
Thanks guys!

Janice
 
It could be possible Cathe's weight came off without her really trying. Everyone is different. For instance I gained around 30 pounds with both my boys(less than 2 years apart) within 8 weeks I was back to my weight without even trying. I think it depends on your genetics, I was so nervous and busy, age (late 20's) etc. So I really think it is unfair to say Cathe dieted for her videos. I'm sure having 2 children and the preparation for the videos was enough for her to lean out.

Debbie
 
Now I can't recall exactly when, but I believe someone posted a recap of one of Cathe's posts a while back, saying that she is usually on average about 5 lbs lighter than normal when shooting a video, mainly because of the rehearsal schedules that they have to go through prior to filming.
 
Clare, I totally agree with you about Jamie Lee Curtis. I think what she is doing is absolutely terrific. I too am very tired of looking at the perfect women in glamour magazines and have not bought one in decades.

But I disagree with you about Cathe. It's great for the videos, for instructional purposes and for motivation. Visualization is what makes us successful, and Cathe is all the visual I ever need to keep going day after day. In Cathe's body on film, you can see every muscle in high relief and watch each muscle work. The camera adds pounds, and Cathe just looks like a very lean, petite woman. In real life, however, at such a size, I imagine she can't even be seen when she turns sideways, and I don't think they make a size of clothing that would fit her. If Cathe doesn't gain at least 10 lbs. after filming, please don't anyone tell this Jewish mother about it, or Cathe will start to receive mysterious packages containing tupperware containers of chicken soup, heavy on the chicken fat, from an unknown sender! :)
 
I agree with Jamie Lee I do not want a flat stomach because I don't want one I don't know where this came from or why but it was not from me.

I want to have some fat on my body, not a lot but some, I work out like Jamie for health reasons but overall I like myself whether I am fat or thin.

At the moment I am helping someone deal with self esteem issues and it is hard as they have unrealistic attitudes about themselves and at the moment I am getting them to concerntrate on where they issues come from.

Whilst I am happy for those of you who are concerntrating on getting rid of saddlebags etc for myself I want to lose 14 looked fitter and be in a better position to deal with my health issues without my weight adding yet another factor against me.

Just my two cents.

Babs
 
I have to agree w/some posters that there is just too much emphasis on appearance. We females have all these images of what the media deems is "beautiful," and unfortunately, many of us buy into it and try to transform ourselves. More often than not, a person will find themselves lacking even after they obtain their goals. Eveytime I see some anoxeric looking, plastic-surgery enhanced female on TV or in a magazine I want to barf. Venus and Serena Williams are a lot more beautiful than these Hollywood-ized sitcom babes. I stongly believe that all of us are OK to begin with, although some of us could take better care of ourselves in terms of what we put in our bodies, our activity levels, etc. We need to love ourselves as we are and not be worried about wrinkles, saddlebags, etc. All that said, I have a ton of respect for the ladies in their 50s who are in awesome shape. My respect for them is based on their believing in themselves and being willing to work out in order to take care of their bodies. Lack of cellulite or tummy fat has nothing to do with it. About Cathe---she's a businesswoman, so she likely feels that "leaning down" before a video shoot is smart. As I recall, she goes back to living normally right after filming is complete. Healthy attitudes, everyone!! Remember, at the end of the day, it's what's inside that counts, not how you look!! Suzanne
 
Right on, Suzanne! As a 50+ Catheite, I thank you for your comments.
[font color=green]BETSY[/font]
 
Well said Suzanne -

The appearance is just a side benefit of living healthy. It reminds me a lot of the whole debate about kids sports and winning at all costs. That's not the point. Looking good is certainly a GREAT benefit from working out but if you dont feel good about yourself, you get into a place where you feel you have to work out 2 hours a day and there never really is any peace of mind.

Yes enjoy the working out and being healthy, its key but not all there is to life! I think JLC as a spokesperson is doing this to get folks attention and it's working it is making us think about what she's saying.
 
I'll play devil's advocate here: I wonder of Jamie Lee Curtis would have "come clean" had she not found a new venue of monetary success with her children's books?



"Pain is weakness leaving the body."
 
Why is size 6 always the "standard" for being thin?? I am six feet tall and am extrmely large boned. I don'think I would fit in to size 6 even I was extremely anorexic!!! Size 12 is the smallest I would EVER think of putting this body in!!! There are lots of different bodies in this world....
 
True, but just in the interest of brevity, if the average female American is 5'3 1/2" (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong), then size 6 is just what is thin on them, basically.

I don't think there is any evil intent in leaving out the 4'9" people who would be obese in size 6 or the 6' people who would, as you say, never fit into a size 6 unless they were on death's door.

I think posters are just referring to an abstract average woman.
 
I agree with Getnfit@38 that there is a lot we can do to build our own physical body. Yes, God dealt us a hand but it's our decision whether or not to play that hand to the hilt.

As for Cathe losing weight for videos, I always got the impression that she just lost 5 pounds (that is not much BTW) by accident. The same thing happened right before her wedding (I remember) due to nerves, not on purpose, and the dress was a little loose and it had fit perfectly before.

If Cathe were 5 pounds heavier on the video, even if it were all fat, she'd still look in top shape.

I don't like it when people ascribe the results of their own laziness to other factors, like genetics. So I try not to do it myself.

Note I said results of laziness and I did not say things that *are* genetic.

As for Jamie Lee, I think she wants to help protect our girls from selfish narcissism and I hope she can. Human beings are flawed anyway but it's nicer when we admit it.
 
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