L. Anne Carrington  

Show Notes

• Archived Blog Post

  Date / Time: 7/7/2009 3:39 PM UTC

  A Weighty Issue
  

  
  I don’t usually write that many diva-topic columns, but a subject this week prompted me to do one, and that was one concerning them and weight issues.
  
  Take certain “news site reports” as you will (not many are that reliable, as many of us know by now), but first, there had been a report that Rosa Mendes needed to lose weight.
  
  Naturally, I was taken aback by this; she looks perfectly fine the way she is right now! If the poor woman lost even as much as five pounds, she could probably hide behind a utility pole and not be found for weeks. She’s a beautiful young woman and shouldn’t have to change a thing about herself.
  
  It makes one wonder what people are thinking. No way in the world is Ms. Mendes “fat” in any sense of the word–at least in my book.
  
  You may also remember the references to weight issues not only with the recent release of Candice Michelle (who, granted, did put on a few pounds due to an injury, but who doesn‘t when they are and aren‘t able to work out properly?), but also the release of former diva Cherry last year.
  
  Cherry was another one that was perfectly fine the way she was; she may not have had the “anorexic supermodel” appearance, but the lady had talent as both valet and performer. And she looked real.
  
  That brings me to the latest victim of sorts of reports concerning WWE Divas' weights, that being Mickie James.
  
  Happily, when this story came out, I wasn’t alone in voicing my annoyance; many fans also stated their opinion that Mickie is amazing the way she is. She’s talented, beautiful, photogenic, and the fans clearly love her. She’s curvy and shapely!
  
  Now before anyone gets on me about it being a “looks oriented” company as far as divas go, that isn’t difficult to figure out, but since when did looking more like an adolescent boy than a real woman become associated with how good one is in the wrestling ring? The likes of Alundra Blayze, Bull Nakano, Nicole Bass, Chyna, and even present talent like Awesome Kong didn’t/don’t have their ribs poking out of their skin and look how far they had gone in their respective wrestling careers in each of their days.
  
  The weight issue also sends out the wrong message to young women watching these programs; if women like Rosa and Mickie aren’t “good enough” because they are “fat,” what is that saying to these girls to whom the “thinner” divas are pressed upon as the “proper role models” because they are perceived as “perfect?”
  
  Contrary to some warped minds’ popular beliefs sizes such as six or eight are not huge; as a matter of fact, the average size in the United States today is actually a 14. Eating disorders are at a rampant, all time high, and it wouldn’t shock me in the least if this was happening among the diva locker room as well.
  
  A good friend of mine, a rare gem among men in this world, put it eloquently once concerning women and weight: Everyone's beautiful, everyone has beautiful features, everyone IS beautiful, in their own way. You could show me the ugliest woman in the world, I'd find something beautiful about her, so to judge someone on their appearance, size, or a disability, something they can not control, is pathetic.”
  
  This is the same guy who also stated that he “would rather sleep with a pillow than a pole.”
  
  Keep in mind that my friend is a short guy with a crooked nose, but his heart is big and personality a dynamic one with a terrific outlook on the world and perhaps the most non-judgmental, deepest, most intelligent, and talented person I know.
  
  It a nutshell, looks aren’t always everything. Sure, the outside packaging may be great to look out, but I think it’s time to start unwrapping it and looking inside to what this industry is really about–the talent and entertainment. If weight isn’t affecting anyone’s performance, leave them alone!
  • Tags:
  • Divas
  • wrestling
  • weight issues
  • Permalink