ENOUGH WITH THOSE ARTICLES ON 'FAT STARS'`

`````I don't want to sound like that guy who stood behind the curtains in his Grandmother's den and started to wail about leaving Britney alone, but I am sick of the interest the media has taken in Misha Barton's weight. I am not a fan; I think I may have watched two episodes of the O.C. when it first came out. But the other day there was an article about her in some paper. It isn't just the tabloids which comment on her weight gain. The paper posted what they deemed to be unflattering outfits and stated that she was once a style icon.

`````I can imagine how she feels. While my weight gain drama wasn't played out for the world to see, I certainly felt as though it were. I felt like I had a flashing neon sign over my head declaring that I was a disgusting pig. I still feel like the world's biggest screw-up. She has every pound speculated upon in a very public fashion. Photographers try to snap a photo of her cellulite. It's no longer the quality of her acting which matters, but only how she acts. In fact, because she's no longer "hot enough", she isn't acting as much as she once was, or demanding the same level of pay.

`````I'll be honest. I think that I've probably engaged in every type of disordered eating that's out there except for pica. Nobody's heard of that one...it's where the victims eat non edible items such as grass or paint peelings. Other then that, it's probably been within the repertoire of my behavior at some point. I've written about the anorexia, but that found its way into laxative abuse after consuming huge amounts of food. Add to that compulsive overeating, using physical activity to get rid of food eaten, binge eating---well, you get the point. Been there, done that, and have the t-shirt in sizes from extra small to extra large.

`````Misha Barton's "friends" dumped her when she gained weight. She found that people would turn their backs on her and she was no longer invited to the cool parties with the in people. She's the same person. My guess is that the weight gain is from medication, as it came about around the time of her hospitalization in a psychiatric hospital. Many medications, be they for bi-polar disorder or medications such as seroquel state that weight gain may result. Don't put the girl into the position of having to choose her mental well-being, and perhaps her life, with weight gain. Furthermore, she is normal by any body's standards other then the film industry or the modelling industry. She's a very attractive woman.

`````As to the comments about her clothing, boy do I understand that one. If you feel bad about how you look, one develops rules for dressing. No shorts, no bathing suits, no short sleeves. There always has to be a jacket or a vest hanging to cover the stomach. If you have to get up to use the restroom, have a purse big enough to cover your gut when you walk. It's insane the planning. The problem is, those aren't necessarily the clothes that you would buy or wear if you were thin. You merely make do. Mind you, that's what you do with your entire life; the weight unhappiness controls every facet of your life. You buy stuff that feels too old for you. You miss out on going to the beach and you avoid the heat, because going out there in all black clothes in long sleeves is very uncomfortable.

`````I hadn't been able to blog about it when I first read it, but I put an article aside. One of the trash tabloids ran an article on food swaps to help people lose weight and they ran photos of Tori Spelling, Brittany Snow, Nicky Hilton and Audrina Patridge with the article. A couple of those women are suspected of having some current issues with food. In the article, beside Tori's photo, it suggested that we replace potato salad with cucumber salad, as it's 400 calories versus 50. I found it ironic that they said "beware the family barbeque." I would say that in Tori's case that would only apply if they were worried about the drama from family dynamics, certainly not calories.

`````I once read that many nutritionists themselves have disordered eating. If the "nutrition director" honestly thinks that Tori Spelling needs to worry about the potato salad, the person is a quack. It's a disgusting message to be putting out there.

`````This bias is not merely applied to the stars. I know that I would never get ahead as I'm certainly not good looking. I loathe my appearance and always try to fade into the background. It's prevented me from speaking in university, wanting to apply for jobs or meet new people. Studies prove that women who are good looking have it easier in life and are more apt to be judged in a better light. So, while we cannot discriminate on the basis of some body's colour, we certainly continue to do it on how somebody looks.

`````I certainly hope that they cut this girl (Misha Barton), some slack. Otherwise, she may be just one more woman who resorts to coke or any of the other chemicals out there that help you lose weight fast and keep hunger away.

LEMON REPORT---THIS COMPUTER IS SPELL CHECKING WORDS THAT ARE SPELLED CORRECTLY.