17 Comments   
Everyone's talking about the skinny (or too skinny?) stars of the new "90210" remake and the damaging influence they may have on young viewers. But it shouldn't affect me, right?

I'm a smart, healthy, professional woman, and I know that being 90 lbs. and able to fit into child-sized jeans is not the recipe for self-satisfaction. I've never had an eating disorder, and I'm well aware that toothpick legs don't equal healthy. And I really don't care about the latest Nicole Richie sized tween on TV. So why do they make me feel so ... well ... big?

Since I have a deep attachment to the original series (Brenda + Dylan 4ever!), I tuned in to the first episode with the new cast. And, I admit, I had a knee-jerk, gut reaction to seeing Annie Wilson's legs and realizing they're roughly the size of my upper arms. I knew what was happening, and I felt ashamed for caring that I now have the body of a woman versus that of a teen, curves and all.

Click here to read more.




It made me wonder -- just how "dangerous" are these images of pencil-thin girls who look as though they may break a bone if they hug each other too hard? I'm not talking about the damage they might cause to young teenagers -- that seems pretty obvious. But what about us grown women? What about those of us who supposedly know better, who are (or should be) far too busy to compare our bodies to every girl we pass on the street?

According to the National Eating Disorder Association's Media Watchdog program, though "media messages screaming 'thin is in' may not directly cause eating disorders, they help to create the context within which people learn to place a value on the size and shape of their body."

90210's biggest audience is 18- to 34-year-old women. Though many of us haven't experienced true eating disorders, who among us hasn't had disordered eating for fear of a few extra pounds? I'd be hard-pressed to find any 20-something who hasn't regretted eating too much one night and the next day "punished" herself by eating only salad. Does seeing excessive thinness on teenage actresses in prime time really pose a threat to us?

What do you think? Are we smart enough to laugh off these skeletal role models? Or can we still be affected by unrealistic ideals of beauty and perfection, even though we know better?

Corrie Driebusch regularly writes about health for Lemondrop.


Decadent Desserts: If that read made you a little hungry (we're certainly starving now!), check out this gallery of the most amazing sweet treats. Yum.

1,600 Calories...and Worth It?

    Cosi Double Trouble Brownie Sundae, Calories: 1,594, Total Fat: 95 g
    "One warm chocolate brownie & one blondie topped with two scoops of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream & a cherry." Seven nights on the treadmill, alternating between self-loathing and considering eating another one when you get home.

    Laura Gilbert

    Chili's Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie, Calories: 1,600, Total Fat: 78 g
    Why have dessert when you can have novelty dessert?! It comes to your table fajita-style, sizzling in a cast iron skillet. And it's soaking in a vat of cinnamon butter. (Kind of like your heart.)

    Southeast Star, Flickr

    Romano's Macaroni Grill's Dessert Ravioli, Calories: 1,630, Total Fat: 74 g
    This Italian-inspired concoction consists of peanuts, caramel and chocolate in fried pastries served with vanilla ice cream and, uh, more caramel. Don't worry, their New York Cheesecake only has 1,610 calories.

    Watori Goro, Flickr

    P.F. Chang's Great Wall of Chocolate with Raspberry Sauce, Calories: 2,240, Total Fat: 89 g
    Well, it does have 20g of protein and we can write off the raspberry sauce as being in the fruit group, so it's sort of like salad, right?

    tresposhepreppy.blogspot.com

    Applebee's Sizzling Apple Pie with Ice Cream, Calories: 1,086, Total Fat: 56 g
    There's nothing more American than warm apple pie -- that has over a thousand calories. The ice cream melts over the sizzling sugary crust, creating a hot-and-cold classic for your piehole.

    Applebees.com

    Baskin-Robbins Heath Bar Shake, Calories: 2,310, Total Fat: 108 g
    We like our coffee like we like our men: blended with Heath ice cream and caramel and tastefully garnished with whipped cream and pieces of candy bars.

    BaskinRobbins.com

    Mimi's Café Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie, Calories: 1,879, Total Fat: 111 g
    Why choose between pecan pie and a chocolate dessert when you can jam them both onto one plate? Plus, pecans = heart-healthy fats, right? Right? Come back here, we're having chest pains.

    MimisCafe.com

    Friendly's Caramel Fudge Brownie Sundae, Calories: 1,530, Total fat: 70 g
    An Oreo brownie with five scoops of ice cream, hot fudge, caramel and whipped cream. Who could have guessed those ingredients would add up to such high digits? We blame new math.

    Friendlys.com

    Don Pablo's Chocolate Volcano Cake, Calories: 1,380, Total Fat: 77g
    (Not to be confused with the 1997 film.) Take one chocolate cinnamon cake, drop it in a pool of molten chocolate butter sauce, scoop ice cream on top and shovel into maw. Burp.

    Amazon

    On the Border Chocolate Turtle Empanadas, Calories: 1,280, Fat: 729 g
    Really, how better to wash down a meal of fried flour, refried beans and guac than a pile of pastries filled with chocolate, caramel and pecans. With ice cream. Delicioso!

    ontheborder.com