Beverly Hills 90210 is back and it's thinner than ever. No, I'm not referring to the plot lines or character development. I'm talking about the girls. It's like central casting for stick insects. I expect the females playing high school fashionistas need to be thin, but when it gets to the point where the females actually look sickly, it's time to take notice and speak out.
Has the standard for what is considered sexy changed that much in the last 10 years? In the original 90210 the slenderness wasn't as extreme. If the newest version is any indication, Hollywood has gone beyond promoting a body ideal that is "too prefect" and ventured into "impossibly thin." Stick legs and arms that have protruding bones are not attractive. But, as we all know, fashions dictate behavior among the young and this thread can lead to nothing but an irrational obsession with weight loss.
The show's producers have tried every tired trick to update the show and have missed the obvious. Stick thin is over. Look at Rihanna, Sofia Bush, America Ferrera -all beautiful and considered to have fantastic bodies, by both men and women. Even the female cast of Gossip Girl isn't stick thin. The girls on Beverly Hills 90210 are just stupidly skinny.
Are the audiences loving this new look? Young girls all over the message boards are saying no, these actresses are way too thin!
This isn't just a TV problem. Take Keira Knightly for example. Everyone seems to be saying she needs to gain weight. And don't tell me the actresses are that thin naturally. That excuse is so over. We all know you're not. It isn't natural to be 5'8" and weigh 95 pounds. It's like they're in competition with each other to be the thinnest. Enough already.
What's even worse is that so many of today's youth have grown up never seeing what healthy really looks like, or feeling it. They think getting the desired look is all about food deprivation. This is coupled with the fact that many more kides are opting tosit around and surf the net after school instead of shooting hoops. To burn calories they look todiet pills, stimulants, and even laxatives.
When I was a teen, my friends and I always seemed to be on the move. I played sports year round, depending on the season. Either it was basketball or field hockey or playing softball. Besides engaging in sports event itself, we had practice sessions, some of which lasted for up to two hours! I didn't mind because it was good for me and it was also fun. In doing so, I didn't pay much attention to what I ate and didn't think much about how much I weighed. I didn't have to. All that exercise kept me in shape. I was tight and toned! And don't think the boys didn't notice either!
This tactic of presenting popular teens as stick figures isn't fashionable, it's fatally flawed. It's fine to strive for a better body but it's insanity to seek what can only be perceived as obsession with becoming thinner and thinner. Maybe the show should introduce a girl with a more womanly body. I'll bet she gets most of the attention, and the trend may start swinging in the other direction. Until then, the new Beverly Hills 90210 can use more substance. And it should start with the female cast.
Remember when Tiffani Amber Thiessen joined the original 90210 show as "Valerie"? Her curves were the most coveted of all the girls. Skeletor is out!