Just back from a busy weekend in Los Angeles covering the Speed Racer premiere. I talked to Emile Hirsch (Speed Racer himself), Christina Ricci (who plays Trixie, Speed’s girlfriend), Paulie Litt (Speed’s little brother, Spritle), Matthew Fox (Racer X), Joel Fisher (the producer), and others. The Wachowski brothers who directed the film, which comes out on May 9, did an amazing job with the color and direction–they shot the entire thing in front of green screen! So if you’re a fan of the original 60s anime series (it reappeared in the 90s, when it played briefly on MTV and then the cartoon network), you definitely should see this film… it updates the series brilliantly.
On the plane ride back, I was reading through the InStyle magazine issue with Carrie Underwood on the cover, and I came across the following interview. Here are some excerpts:
“What would you change about your body?
‘I think about what I look like probably more than I should. But I think everybody is her own worst critic. [I know] I am. Some days I step out of the shower, put my lotion on, and I’ll be like “Ugh, ew, ew” I think there’s been a lot of brainwashing over the years about how you should look.’
Do you think a lot about what you eat?
‘I don’t want to say it’s an important part of my career, but if I put on five pounds, it’s noticed immediately. You don’t want to see that stuff in magazines and on the Internet: “Carrie’s ballooning up!” I think everybody feels from time to time like, “I wish I were prettier.” I feel that too. I feel inadequate sometimes.’
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Carrie’s 9-Step Plan
1.) Always look the part.
‘Most of the time I slap on some makeup in the morning so I don’t look bad if somebody snaps a picture. Somebody, somewhere, will catch you, even if it’s a fan at a grocery store. Very rarely do I go out without makeup.’
2.) Keep a food diary.
‘I’m OCD like that. I count calories, fat and fiber - which is important in making you feel fuller faster - and protein, especially when I’m working out.’
3.) Don’t be a dairy queen.
‘Cheese is ruining my life! I’m trying to talk myself into being lactose-intolerant. I mean, it’s basically moldy milk, and it doesn’t smell that great - but it’s so good! Oh, jeez, I’m thinking about it now.’
….
8.) Go with the flow
‘I tend to go after bigger, flowy tops or dresses. I know I’m doing myself a disservice, but I’d rather put on a muumuu and have people at least think there might be a skinny person underneath than put on something tight and have them think, Look at that gut!’”
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For me, as someone who has worked in the modeling industry and has seen what “this type of magazine article” can do to young girls who pay attention to their bodies, I am a bit disconcerted. I understand that Carrie Underwood is making the point that even she, with her super stardom status, gets insecure, but I think this self-deprecating article might make some of her fans scrutinize their bodies even more. What do you guys think? Do public figures have a responsibility at all to think about this kind of thing? Should they?
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I’m excited for the Philadelphia Campus Invasion this weekend!!!! See you all there, if you’re in the Philly area!!!
April 29th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Speed Racer looks ridiculous…maybe it’s because I’ve never been a fan of the cartoon, or the colors just look like an acid trip, but it just looks goofy. Definitely not spending my money on that one.
As for Carrie Underwood, she’s always been self-deprecating, even in her American Idol days. I’m a fan, so this article was just what I expected from her, and it’s not really affecting me any. If there are any of her fans out there that become affected by this and start to look at themselves as less than perfect, I can’t feel any sympathy for them for emulating Carrie.
April 30th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Kim, I have to agree with you. I was also a little disturbed when I read this article. I certainly don’t blame Carrie Underwood for what she said- I’m sure she was just wanting to come across honest and relatable- but I can’t deny that it’s a little irresponsible to talk about self-image this way. I definitely was influenced by fashion magazines when I was in middle and high school, and as a 22-year-old, I hate to admit it, but I sometimes still catch myself thinking about body image in less-than-healthy ways after reading things like this.
And unfortunately, this issue of females (and males in some situations) beating themselves up because of what they look like is much bigger than Carrie Underwood. It just would have been refreshing to see a role model for young girls take a healthier approach when it comes to her physical appearance.
May 15th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
The Wachowski bros certainly put a lot of effort into making Speed Racer… the movie overall looked and felt like a cross between anime, a kaleidoscope, that Flintstones movie, a video game and the Dukes of Hazard
July 16th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
job dairy…
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