What a surprise!

[ivyblossom]

Ally McBeal star Calista Flockhart reveals that she had an eating problem back in the day.


"I couldn't play Ally if I was sick. It is too mentally and physically challenging. I'm healthy, I eat well, and there's really not much more I can say about it."

"She is healthy," the staffer said. "She is fine."

But no, she wasn't fine after all. What a surprise. Who would have guessed! I can only count a few of her ribs through her dress, surely that's normal for Hollywood!

Alright, enough snark. Women with eating disorders rarely admit to them in the midst of it. Denial and lying are a big part of the process, I can't blame her for that. Buy why did not one conduct an intervention? Why did so many people who worked with her directly lie for her and let this go on? It was clear (very very clear) that she had a problem. Good God. What's wrong with the world.

Comments

[shinysilvercoin.livejournal.com]

Oh lord o___________O *fails to find anything constructive to say when that picture is staring her in the face*

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

Frightening, isn't it?

[shinysilvercoin.livejournal.com]

Yes!

[lasultrix.livejournal.com]

I remember defending her from the ED accusations flying around then, but I clearly had not seen that picture at the time. Bloody hell.

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

I remember this picture well. I'd really like to know why whoever fitted her for that dress didn't raise the alarm. She should have been institutionalized or something. The sad thing about the whole Ally McBeal thing; she denied there was a problem, she was just naturally tiny, and two of her female co-stars ended up with eating disorders because of having to stand next to her. It's like eating disorders are contagious or something. O_o

Nice to see you, btw. :)

[fiercefragile.livejournal.com]

It is sad no one cared enough about Calista to intervene at that point. I can't say I'm surprised in the least, though. The Hollywood culture promotes thinness and beauty at almost any cost, and I doubt anyone wanted to be the hypocrite who tried telling a beautiful, popular actress that getting thinner wasn't a good thing. It is difficult to take any sort of stand against eating disorders, because so much of Western media and culture perpetuates all that.

The frustrating thing for me is I remember seeing that picture when I was at the height of my eating disorder, and being jealous.

-- the other Ivy :)

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

Eeeeeek. Not good. She looks frightening in that picture. And yes, that's what I was thinking too, that clearly no one cared enough to help her. I realize eating disorders distance you from others, but it's just sad to see it acted out so publicly like that.

She's still too thin, but I'm glad she's at least facing the reality of her past, and that she's doing so in public. I know she was ill at the time, but she has quite a bit to answer for.

[chaya.livejournal.com]

Augh!

[airemay.livejournal.com]

I remember this picture. I think a similar one of Lara Fylnn Boyle went up around the same time. I think this was when I started to be able to tell if someone was unhealthlly thin. Both women had extremely thin arms. They looked like aliens. I think one of the Spice Girls had the same look at one point. *shudders*

[treehavn.livejournal.com]

She could have borrowed that dress from a six year old. I remember reading that Calista had adopted a child and thinking that she probably couldn't have even conceived at the weight she was, let alone bring the child to term. Scary stuff.

[arcly.livejournal.com]

She kind of reminds me of Audrey Hepburn there - only without the Nazi-occupied famine childhood. Poor stickgirl. Somebody should have made her pie.