See, THIS is why I love her!Welcome to World of the Weird, celebrity edition! Today absurdity came full circle when Brit actress and Academy Award winner Kate Winslet announced that she will be suing The Daily Mail for… insinuating she works out.
For those of you unacquainted with the antics of The Daily Mail, this is the same rag that David Duchovny sued for being lurid and is currently running a headline of “Bad Luck Bimbos: Intelligent Women Have Better Sex.” Pulitzer prize winning journalism is not their forte, is what I’m saying. I’m guessing lots of celebs - and any ordinary person who values their retinas - would have reason to sue the Daily Mail.
So is Winslet upset that the rag called her “Britain’s most irritating actress” or that they said she looked “vampish” in a recent photo shoot or even that they routinely speculate about her love life? Nope, she’s irritated because they think she exercises and she’s not ‘fessing up to it.
The always foxy Kate turned heads earlier this year when she did one of those it’s-my-birthday-and-I’ll-get-naked-if-I-want-to photoshoots that celebs are so fond of these days and it was discovered that not only is she hot on the silver screen (you do remember her from Titanic, right? Oh how I coveted her red hair!) but that she is also svelte and gorgeous without the Spanx. This is news to Hollywood because Kate is known as the poster child for “curvy” women (that’s p.r.-speak for “fat”). She’s Kim Kardashian except classier and without a sex tape. By which I mean she has hips and boobs and has never ever been at all close to fat. But a few months ago, around the time of the photoshoot, Kate was noticeably thinner and more toned than she usually appears.
Winslet’s body-friendly quotes and manner have endeared many women to her - including me. She’s always seemed so sensible and above the media fray. Which is why I so surprised at her latest suit. A few years ago she won a lawsuit against Grazia magazine for saying that she’d gone to see a diet doctor when in fact she’d visited a doctor for a neck problem. I could understand why accusations that she was secretly, desperately dieting would make her mad.
But I’m a little confused by her latest endeavor. In an interview, Winslet had previously said that she does not work out at a gym but rather does Pilates DVDs at home for 20 minutes when she can. The Daily Mail picked up on the quote and citing her recent weight loss (if that’s what it was) accuses her of *gasp* doing more exercise than Pilates. Her rep says “It is understood that the actress took exception because she is often identified as a role model for young women who accept the way they look.”
So what is she saying? That women who accept the way they look shouldn’t exercise? That exercise is only for people trying to change their appearance or who are insecure with themselves? That exercise is not a good thing for young women? That exercising would be evidence that she’d fallen prey to actress-chewing-up machine that is famous for the demise and demoralization of so many others?
I get it. I do understand that she doesn’t appreciate things be written about her that aren’t true. But if she really doesn’t exercise, what that means is that her stunning good looks are attributable only to the genetic lottery. And truly I find that more depressing than just saying she likes to break a good sweat every now and then. Of all the things to - forgive me I can’t help a good pun - get exercised over, fitness is what she chooses?
What do you think? Is this evidence of The Man (or Woman) trying to impugn the rep of a talented and beautiful actress? Or is it more evidence of the crazy litigious world we live in?
PS> I still love her. I can’t help myself. She was just so good in Finding Neverland! Oh ok, and Flushed Away. What? That’s a classic at our house.
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