We all know that the camera adds 10 pounds. So, it’s a pretty standard industry fact that celebrities must be skinner in real life than in pictures or movies to compensate for this. But, with female celebrities today, it seems like the fine line between skinny and anorexic has been crossed. The disease is so rampant among the celebrity community, I begin to wonder if this may be a new fashion trend? Is only skin in?

The dictionary definition of anorexia is an eating disorder, marked by an extreme fear of becoming overweight, that leads to excessive dieting to the point of serious ill-health and sometimes death. Basically it’s when you diet too much and look like a twig because the little devil sitting on your shoulder keeps saying you’re fat. It’s a serious issue and yet it’s very prevalent among the countries leading role models. These are the very people that women, children, society, look to as ideals of beauty and instead of showing a healthy, in shape body, stars like Kate Bosworth and Keira Knightly, Lindsey Lohan, and Nicole Richie reveal a sickly, emaciated corpse that is not only unhealthily dangerous, it’s just plain ugly.

Back in the 1950s, 1960s, the average women was a size 6. The average celebrity was a size four. (Marilyn Monroe was a size six) Today, the average women is a size 12. The average celebrity is a size 0 or 2.The average clothing size in stores is a four and most mainstream clothing boutiques don’t sell shorts longer than your upper thigh. Shirts are tight fitting, pants are slim cut, and stores always carry plenty of extra smalls. Are all of these things attempts to turn the average women into an anorexic celebrity? Are stores promoting a deadly disease? As America gets bigger celebrities get smaller. Is this some sort of compensation? Is the ideal of beauty always the opposite of reality? When America becomes obese do celebrities have to be anorexic?
We know anorexia kills yet each day more and more celebrities come out into the spotlight sporting the disease like a badge of beauty. Even the ones you think are “perfectly thin” aren’t. Is this just another fashion trend like leg warmers or tie dye shirts doomed to inevitably change with the seasons? If so what’s next? Skeletons? Pro Bulimia t-shirts? Or maybe just thin, but with more than skin, will be finally in?

The CW officially revealed the self-proclaimed, next, hot, girl group on last night’s season finale of “Pussycat Dolls Presents: Girlicious” and I am left with mixed feelings.

When it first aired in February, I was quite disappointed to learn that the Pussycat Dolls were nowhere to be found, but intrigued with the idea of the formation of a new and potentially even more amazing group.

Unfortunately, my heart only dropped again, along with my brain cell count, to find myself spending an hour of my life watching a large group of young girls at each other’s throats over anything and everything (ie: the sharing or should I say NOT sharing of clothes) while fighting for the dubious honor of becoming part of a group called “Girlicious.” Seriously, how much time and creative thought and energy did it take to come up with “Girlicious”–maybe a minute?

Each week I found myself tuning in and wondering to myself, “Oh my god, these girls are soooo annoying. Why am I watching this?”

I mean, did they really just say that? As I roll my eyes and the desire to slap them around a bit subsides, it hits me…

Okay. I am ashamed to admit it, but I LOVED THIS SHOW. Well, at least I loved to hate it. It was very much my guilty pleasure for the last 2-3 months, not quite crack but very close to it. I knew it was bad for me. It was a total time-waster, but god did I do anything for a hit. I even scoured YouTube for ages looking for the missed episodes when my cable box was out so that I could get at least one or two snide remarks in about them being so catty and stupid.

As the final four (the “shocker” as the group was originally supposed to be a trio), Nichole, Tiffanie, Natalie and Chrystina, were announced and I finished watching the final episode, I tried to make sense of this addiction and decided the following:

Yes, Girlicious is a ridiculous name and yes, I hated myself for watching the show, but I was obviously entertained and I’m sure they ate up my hesitant support. Thus, we both got something positive out of this nasty experience—this show and I are in an unhealthy love/hate relationship and it looks like a sick and twisted future is in store.

So you say to me, “The shows over. Now what?” Well, right now? I guess I’d have to say that we’re kind of on a break. Sadly, that probably means that for the next couple of weeks you’ll find me watching their new video over and over again while idealizing the good times we had together. So, it might just be the withdrawal talking, but despite the fact that I find their new video a bit skanky and the lyrics really snobby, the song itself is quite catchy. You be the judge, but be careful…I could be your future.