The Skinny

While training for an upcoming film, I've come to this conclusion: chin ups are near impossible and lunges suck. There is no magic wand to wave over oneself to look good in a latex catsuit. Eating healthy and getting fit is about commitment, determination, consistency and the dedication to self-preservation. While I've never been considered a gym rat, I have, in fact, worked up a sweat in the name of cardio before, and although I enjoy a grilled cheese as much as the next person, I combine the not-so-good foods I crave with an all-around balanced diet.

People come in all shapes and sizes and everyone has the capability to meet their maximum potential. Once filming is completed, I'll no longer need to rehash the 50 ways to lift a dumbbell, but I'll commit to working out at least 30 minutes a day and eating a balanced diet of fruit, vegetables and lean proteins. Pull ups, crunches, lunges, squats, jumping jacks, planks, walking, jogging and push ups are all exercises that can be performed without fancy trainers or gym memberships. I've realized through this process that no matter how busy my life may be, I feel better when I take a little time to focus on staying active. We can all pledge to have healthy bodies no matter how diverse our lifestyles may be.

Since dedicating myself to getting into "superhero shape," several articles regarding my weight have been brought to my attention. Claims have been made that I've been on a strict workout routine regulated by co-stars, whipped into shape by trainers I've never met, eating sprouted grains I can't pronounce and ultimately losing 14 pounds off my 5'3" frame. Losing 14 pounds out of necessity in order to live a healthier life is a huge victory. I'm a petite person to begin with, so the idea of my losing this amount of weight is utter lunacy. If I were to lose 14 pounds, I'd have to part with both arms. And a foot. I'm frustrated with the irresponsibility of tabloid media who sell the public ideas about what we should look like and how we should get there.

Every time I pass a newsstand, the bold yellow font of tabloid and lifestyle magazines scream out at me: "Look Who's Lost It!" "They Were Fabby and Now They're Flabby!" "They Were Flabby and Now They're Flat!" We're all aware of the sagas these glossies create: "Look Who's Still A Sea Cow After Giving Birth to Twins!" Or the equally perverse: "Slammin' Post Baby Beach Bodies Just Four Days After Crowning!"

According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), as many as 10 million females and 1 million males living in the US are fighting a life and death battle with anorexia or bulimia. I'm someone who has always publicly advocated for a healthy body image and the idea that the media would maintain that I have lost an impossible amount of weight by some sort of "crash diet" or miracle workout is ludicrous. I believe it's reckless and dangerous for these publications to sell the story that these are acceptable ways to looking like a "movie star." It's great to get tips on how to lead a healthier lifestyle, but I don't want some imaginary account of "How She Did It!" I get into and stay in shape by eating a proper diet and maintaining a healthy amount of exercise. The press should be held accountable for the false ideals they sell to their readers regarding body image — that's the real weight of the issue. The NEDA goes on to say, "the media is one of our most important allies in the effort to raise awareness about the dangers of eating disorders...we strive to work with the media to produce accurate, insightful and informative pieces that will resonate with the public, while maintaining hope and avoiding glamorizing or promoting copycats." But how are we, the reader, to decipher friend from foe? How are we supposed to view articles highlighting celebrity cellulite and not sulk in the mirror, imagining a big red arrow pointing to various parts of our bodies? The media has packaged for us an unhealthy idea that one must suffer loss, be in the middle of a nervous breakdown, feel pressure from friends or coworkers, battle divorce or have a bitter dispute with an ex in order to get into acceptable bikini shape.

So why do these publications do so well? After appearing on the cover of US Weekly's "Did They or Didn't They? A Plastic Surgery Guide for Dimwits" issue and battling for a retraction, I learned that the magazine profited $1.4 million from the issue alone (money I felt should be donated to Operation Smile or an equally well-managed charity helping those in need of reconstructive surgery). The concept of 'Stars Are Just Like Us!" makes us feel connected to lifestyles that can sometime seem out of this world. Yes, celebrities are just like us. They struggle with demons and overcome obstacles and have annoying habits and battle vices. That said, I would be absolutely mortified to discover that some 15-year-old girl in Kansas City read one of these "articles" and decided she wasn't going to eat for a couple of weeks so she too could "crash diet" and look like Scarlett Johansson.

I'm not normally the type to dignify toilet paper rags with a response, but in this case I feel it's my responsibility to comment. In a way, I'm glad some dummy journalist (and I use the term "journalist" loosely) is banking on my "deflating" so that I can address the issue straight from my healthy heart.

For more information on eating disorders and/or treatment options, please visit: http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

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Comments

[Gerry129]

09:56 AM on 05/01/2009

I have to continue my comment in another box...

Furthermor­e, I believe that Hollywood women play an immense role in perpetuati­ng stereotypi­cal images simply by accepting DEMEANING ROLES for films. Scarlett's Spirit movie is only one example of movies that makes it's cash because it's full of beautiful women who are portrayed as evil seductress­es who use their looks to get what they want. Such movies are especially condescend­ing for women who try to be successful by using their intellect and acquired skills, women who always had to fight hard to prove that they are as capable as men and that they are not mere sex objects.

Other movies like Confession­s of a Shopaholic also do the same thing for women. While Scarlett is using her sex-appeal in her movies (almost always dircetd by men, such as the questionna­ble pervert Woody Allen), Isla Fisher is portraying women as materialis­tics beings who cannot enjoy life without being a consumer. Not to mention He's Just Not That into You, where women are again portrayed as either obsessed by weddings or seducing men.

Scarlett and other actresses should not WILLINGLY accept to be part of this Hollywood cycle that is dumbing down women and bringing them back to the same stereotype­s that women so hardly fought against in the 60's.

Maybe if there were more women directors and producers in Hollywood, the women in the movies would finally have credible and full-round­ed roles.

[Kristen Schipper]

06:21 PM on 05/06/2009

Thank you for this insightful post!!

Reading some of the other comments of what people had to say about this article, made me want to barf- and not in a weight loss way- How blind is a culture that they attempt to make role models out of those whose opinions should be listen to with caution?
I have watched enough Sesame Street to know what an opposite is; Ms. Johansson'­s article, though insightful and well written, is a completely contradict­ing to the life she chooses to live. Just google her name and see what sort of pictures come up. Now I know that google is not a source for ultimate truth, but it does shadow some truth.
Is culture really that afraid to ostracize some people's opinions because of the way they choose to live their life? I know Ms. Johansson is a big-named celebrity, she also has found her way into some of our homes, and when we go to a movie were exposed to at least an hour of her, but familiarit­y does not progress to trust.
Do you want to know how to view your body? Read Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas. Although ancient texts, their impact on your life -on everyone in the world's life- is immeasurab­le. Stop looking for ways to make a hero out of one who does nothing but create the problems she 'attempts' to stop.

I'm getting off my soapbox now. These are just the words of a 20 year old.

[Gerry129]

09:55 AM on 05/01/2009

Hello, I have tried posting here before, but my comment never made it on the forum. Why? I don't use offensive language and am here to speak my mind like everyone else.

I find Scarlett's comments completely contradict­ory with what she does in real life. If she really does believe what she says, why doesn't she practice what she preaches? For ONE, she would not have lost the weight in the first place, because her talent and credibilit­y as an actress SHOULD NOT be measured by her ability to fit in a suit (that is obviously there to put an emphasis on her body), and SECONDLY, she should not be posing in all the women beauty magazines that promote the wrong ideals in the first place.

Whenever I see her on covers, she's adopting suggestive poses that breathe sexuality and bring attention to her LOOKS, and all the titles for her articles range from '''Scarele­tt, dangerousl­y provocativ­e'' to ''Scarlett­'s sex-appeal­''. She blames the media for bringing all the attention to women's weight and appearance­, yet she is FEEDING that same media by accepting money to pose for them.

[MissErin]

08:30 PM on 04/27/2009

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for saying this.

[Brooke Wheeler]

05:55 AM on 04/22/2009

Not only is she a great actress, but a solid writer! This is a good piece, and well worth distributi­ng to all adolescent females and beyond. So much celebrity journalism (about them, not by them) is astonishin­gly twisted in perspectiv­e. I always wonder how the celebritie­s themselves feel about having their bellies constantly monitored for the slightest convexity.

Let's lead the march back to sanity!

here's something I just discovered­: http://www­.about-fac­e.org/

[tc2598]

10:51 PM on 04/19/2009

So wait you're going to be catwoman?

[Ellyllon]

10:00 PM on 04/19/2009

I'm sharing this with my daughters - thank you!

[Promise]

09:58 PM on 04/19/2009

She has a nice down-to-ea­rth sense of humor. Good for her!

[alwaysthere]

06:30 PM on 04/19/2009

why anyone ever said

"beauty is only skin deep"

is beyond me.......

You are beautiful !

[jd43]

06:08 PM on 04/19/2009

looks and brains, too? this lady is too much!

[boyincabin]

05:14 PM on 04/19/2009

A friend of mine works in a high school where girls (and guys) are trying to conform their body images according to the images of models they see. What they don't realized is that these models have often been airbrushed or manipulate­d by computers. My friend invited some models to his classroom and they were shocked to see how they really look in person. One girl broke down crying, felt like she was a fool for believing all of the images she had seen in magazines ads.

[Julie Parenteau]

05:12 PM on 04/19/2009

That is a very needed article. However, as far as weight is concerned, I'm not so convinced stars are just like us, regular people. After all, those with kids have nannies and in between films, you can commit to a regimen to lose many pounds. Also, if your ''job'' is to stay fit to look good on screen, I would think that a star's day-to-day schedule is made to have enough time spent working out which is not necessaril­y the case of a busy full-time worker and mom.

[BookQueen]

04:28 PM on 04/19/2009

Thank you very much for your comments and explanatio­n. Unfortunat­ely, I think the reason the articles sell well is partly because the rest of us are hoping to find the magic key. We're looking for the one easy diet that will be a quick fix and leave us looking like we were 20 again - forever and without hard work. So we keep hoping that if we just eat bananas for breakfast or apples before meals, somehow we'll melt off the extra weight without really trying.

[petecook5]

12:17 AM on 04/20/2009

Yep. Unfortunat­ely nothing is free. Eat less. Excercise more. It's the only miracle cure that works....P­ERIOD.

[Foust]

04:03 PM on 04/19/2009

Great posting Scarlett!

You raise a valid argument and I applaud you for posting on the site to help clear up the facts about your weight loss. I think the problem is that other people in Hollywood do take these type of crash diets and unhealthy lifestyles to get into that 'perfect' body shape. My concern is that for every actress or actor that loses weight the proper way like you, there are ten others who don't. We keep getting reports of actors fainting on various sets from lack of proper nutrition or exhaustion­.

It's sad that some people take these tabloids seriously and alter their own lives based on what they read out of them. We need to have a major cleansing in Hollywood with other actresses and actors coming out to speak about how they lose weight or stay in shape. There should be more transparen­cy so that America's children will get better informatio­n about proper weight loss. We need some way to counter balance the misinforma­tion from the tabloids with factual info out of Hollywood.

Perhaps there is a market there for you in Hollywood to startup a celebrity weight loss center that focuses on balanced and controlled weight loss with proper nutrition, exercise and rest.

Anyways, I'm glad you posted here on HuffPo and hope to read more postings from you. I'm a big fan of your work and have a 'hollywood crush' on you. Good luck in your current role.

Cheers
-Foust

[aznurse]

03:58 PM on 04/19/2009

Ha! When I was a kid, all I had to do to look like a superhero was tie the end of a towel around my neck and run through the house and jump off the beds till someone yelled at me. Making whoosing sounds helped too.

[KataVideo]

03:35 PM on 04/19/2009

I certainly agree with Scarlett, even as I try to build my shoulders closer to Vin Diesel-siz­e. We can't all have superhero bodies, but we shouldn't be so forgiving of fat. Not fat people, but fat. Bad diets. The junk the food companies shove at us because it will sell, it will tempt peoples' weaknesses­, not because it's a good product. Because there are plenty of BAD products. People are not supposed to be obese. Fat kills us, tortures us in advancing age. People are good and deserving of good health, and people SHOULD be encouraged to get into shape.

[petecook5]

12:29 AM on 04/20/2009

Vin's shoulders are implants. good luck with that.

[KataVideo]

01:14 AM on 04/22/2009

Oh thanks. I don't want to know where my easter basket comes from, okay?