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Nikki Blonsky dances way past social stereotypes |
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Written by John W. Cox, MCT
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Monday, 17 September 2007 |
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A short, plump Tracy Turnblad dances and sings down the streets of Baltimore and through the hallways of her high school. She prances her way to stardom on the ''Corny Collins Show,'' the ''American Bandstand'' knockoff in the movie "Hairspray", and in the end, she gets the guy.
Turnblad stands up for what she believes. She succeeds. She's happy.
But something doesn't seem right about this scene. Hollywood's usual 105-pound, supermodel-type leading lady is nowhere to be found.
There's no Keira Knightley, no Hillary Duff and no Lindsay Lohan.
Just Nikki Blonsky, a 4-foot-10, portly former Cold Stone Creamery employee.
''Growing up, all I saw were the really thin actors and pop singers of the world. Everybody was so thin and tall and blond and everything I was not,'' Blonsky told the Associated Press. '' 'Do I have to be like them to make it into the business?' I thought, 'No, I'm going to find a way to make it in just as somebody different.' ''
Although Blonsky's character ignores and even thrives on her size in the ''Hairspray'' world, not all overweight teenage girls have had the same positive experience. In fact, the pressure on young girls to stay slim and beautiful is higher than ever, experts say.
''I work with a lot of children and adolescents and one of the key issues is exactly that,'' said Mitch Spero, a psychologist and director of Child & Family Psychologists in South Florida. ''Children can be vicious with each other about weight. As far as the emotional level of devastation, it's literally to the bone.''
In 2005, Arysbells Figueredo and Alaysha Lyles participated in The Miami Herald's Kids Fitness Camp, a summer workout program.
Both said they've had struggles with weight.
''It's an issue that people face, especially in high school,'' said Figueredo, 18, a recent North Miami High School graduate. ''Kids are mean sometimes. They just use your appearance to get at you and knock you down.''
''I always didn't want to be known as the 'big girl,' '' said Alaysha, 14, a student at Robert Morgan Educational Center. ''I didn't want you to judge me before you met me.''
Typically, the teasing and taunting has an opposite effect on teenagers, Spero said. Instead of being shamed into losing weight, they often turn to more food for comfort.
And our weight-obsessed society — hundreds of gyms, thousands of diets and restaurants riddled with low-carb menus — can work against childrens' weight loss.
''The environmental pressure overrides the kids' feelings about having to lose weight,'' said Dr. Tracie Miller, University of Miami professor of pediatrics. ''We live in a very fast society and not many people are having home-cooked meals. The easy thing to do is just get fast food.''
Children also spend more time watching TV and browsing the Internet than playing outside, Miller said.
Sheah Rarback, director of nutrition at UM's Mailman Center for Child Development and The Miami Herald's nutrition columnist, said weight issues go beyond self-image. Children who are overweight are at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease and other physical problems.
Rarback has seen children who are pre-diabetic, have sleep apnea, experience shortness of breath, contract joint problems and show high levels of cholesterol, among other troubles.
Children 12 to 19 who are considered overweight have increased from 5 percent in the late 1970s to about 17 percent in 2004, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
''There are serious problems,'' Rarback said. ''So much of our entertainment comes from sedentary activities. Most kids aren't taking (physical education), where 30 years ago it was mandatory.
''There's also an explosion of food. Everywhere you go there's food.''
Children should find a balance, doctors and psychologists say, between pursuing a healthy lifestyle and being happy with the way they are.
''I think the message should be you should be comfortable with yourself and life is a balance,'' Miller said of what she hopes people will take from ''Hairspray.'' ''Life is a balance between your strengths and your weaknesses.''
''You can't be fixated on being on the thinner side,'' she said. ''Certainly, I would hope the message people get is that there's a wide range of normal.''
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A HEALTHY MIND-SET
Every ''body'' is different. There's a wide range of normal. Not everyone was born to be thin.
Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses.
Be honest, kind and loyal — appearance has nothing to do with actions.
If you're unhappy, make a change and ask your family and friends to help.
Focus on ''health,'' not necessarily weight. Good health improves the state of the body and mind.
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'No matter who you are and what you look like, you can do whatever you set your mind to if you put a lot of effort into it.'
Arysbells Figueredo, 18, a recent North Miami Senior High School graduate, lives in Hialeah
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'It doesn't matter your shape or your size. If you put your heart into it, you'll get what you want.'
Alexandra Mesa, 13, entering eighth grade at Aventura Charter School, lives in North Miami Beach
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'Looks don't really matter. It's what's happening on the inside.'
Alaysha Lyles, 14, entering 10th grade at Robert Morgan Educational Center, lives in South Miami | Only registered users can write comments.
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