When the cast of Gossip Girl calls you too thin, you've really got a problem.
But they're not the only ones. Suddenly everyone seems to be worried that the young female stars of the new 90210 are setting an unhealthy example for the show's teen audience.
Let's take a look at what they're all saying:
First on the bandwagon was US Weekly, with a cover story that claimed stars Shenae Grimes (who plays smiley Kansas transplant Annie) and Jessica Stroup (who plays punky "Silver") "are so thin that show producers and costars are poised to take action."
According to the article: " 'They are trying too hard to be skinny, and it's started to wear on them. It's just not healthy,' says a source. 'I've never seen Jessica or Shenae eat,' says another.... So shocking is the situation that their 90210 male costars are contemplating an intervention.... 'The girls were all skinny when they started, but they're definitely thinner now.' "
Our take: It sounds pretty bad, Of course, the story would be more convincing if it didn't come linked to another article in the same issue of US about how great it is that stars like Mariah Carey and Jennifer Love Hewitt have lost a lot of weight. Lesson to the young girls out there: No matter how much you weigh, it's wrong.
Next, Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch blog weighed in with an article that partly blames the CW network for the problem, because they allegedly follow a "thin is in" philosophy:
"One casting agent who works frequently with The CW turns a critical eye on the network itself. 'I know in discussions at ABC and CBS that too skinny is no good. They talk about it as a minus point,' says the agent. 'But at The CW it's a different story. They're trying to pull in the Gossip Girl audience and that's the image: hyper-skinny models.' "
In the same article, a publicist for AnnaLynne McCord, the actress who plays mean girl Naomi and who has also been cited for excessive thinness, insists that she eats anything she wants.
Our take: If the network casts actresses who are naturally thin, that doesn't necessarily mean they're unhealthy -- but viewers might still practice unhealthy eating habits trying to emulate them.
Last but not least, even actor Penn Badgley of the CW's Gossip Girl chimed in on the bony-beauty controversy. According to the entertainment blog PopEater:
"He's heard the swirl about the show's skinny starlets, and [says] that he's 'never been proponent of the thin L.A. girls.' He goes on to tell us that he thinks it's 'healthy' that the females on Gossip Girl 'aren't bone-thin.' He also has solid advice for the 90210 gals: 'I hope they eat a double cheeseburger or something.' "
Our take: Thanks, Penn, that's really helpful! Now if your own show would stop teaching kids they have to be rich to be happy, we're sure everything will work out fine.
Previously:
90210: Bowling for Dollars
Are the CW's Ultra-Rich Kids Destroying Our Nation's Youth?