Ah, the way we live today. The celebrity bubble that has enveloped modern life means that, although you may not remember what day of the week it is, you probably know what Gwyneth Paltrow had for breakfast. Thanks to her lifestyle blog 'goop' (www.goop.com), started in 2008 “to share all of life’s positives,” all things Gwyneth are available to all.
Famously outspoken on everything from meat to motherhood, the actress is often criticised for her outlandish tastes and puritanical advice, but she is far from the top of the weirdo list when it comes to diets and lifestyle choices.
To award that accolade and fully grasp the truly bonkers relationships some people have with food, one only needs to have a quick glance around Hollywood and all the alimentary jigsaws that abound there.
Though today he is more famously known as Angelina’s Jolie’s ex, once upon a time Billy Bob Thornton was a leading man and happily relayed details of his private life during the many interviews he gave, details that included his “orange” diet in which he could only eat orange-coloured foods such as papayas, carrots, pumpkins and oranges. His publicist has since issued a statement: “These are unfortunate rumours,” adding “I’ve personally seen him eat a salad, watermelon, and even chicken.”
Whether or not Billy Bob’s orange diet was true is really irrelevant, because in la la land, what happens in the realm of nutrition merits a screenplay of its own. If what actors do in their spare time sounds a little off piste, what they get up to in preparation for big film roles is altogether in a stratosphere of its own.
For her role as a poverty-stricken prostitute in 'Les Miserables', Anne Hathaway subsisted on a 500-calorie-per-day diet of radishes and hummus. To fit into her black leather jumpsuit as Catwoman in 'The Dark Knight Rises', Hathaway reportedly joked that she was living off a diet of “kale and dust”. That’s right, dust!
For his gaunt look in 'The Machinist', Christian Bale survived on a diet of water, coffee, tuna and apples. One of Hollywood’s highest paid actresses, Reese Witherspoon, swears by the baby food diet as a go-to weight loss plan. She eats baby food for breakfast and lunch and has a normal meal for dinner.
Australian actress Nicole Kidman went on a hardboiled egg diet for her role in 'Cold Mountain', which consisted of one egg for breakfast followed by another two for dinner. And apparently ‘I-can-hide-behind-dental-floss’ actress Renee Zellweger eats ice in an attempt to feel full.
Singer, dancer and all round mega business woman, Jennifer Lopez claims that the pathway to a sleek silhouette is to be found by sniffing oil, more precisely grapefruit oil, which she carries in a vial and sniffs before meals. She believes the smell breaks down fats, although science has yet to catch up to her theory and provide any concrete evidence.
Maybe there is nothing new about all these crazy food fads, but what does seem to have shifted is the lack of privacy pertaining to this realm, with paparazzi shots of off-duty celebrities caught biting into a hamburger with headlines like “Julia Roberts Indulges on Holiday” – as if this is the only acceptable time to eat a piece of meat in a bun.
All this prying photography, websites, tweets, interviews and 24 hour celebrity gossip TV channels are a classic case of too much information. The absence of a filter or distance means that emulating your “idol” is now more possible than ever. And in the case of young girls growing up and feeling vulnerable to the pressure of fitting in or fulfilling media expectations, there are dangers and serious pitfalls to be found in this age of information.
There is, however, an upside to this sign of the times. Given that few of us will be portraying a malnourished prostitute on screen anytime soon, Hollywood has some more sane diet advice on offer for those seeking a longer-term way to deal with weight loss. And it is surprisingly healthy at that.
In a city that looks at health in the same way a sunflower does the sun, talk of eating fruit and vegetables, cutting out nutrient-free carbohydrates, drinking smoothies and doing physical exercise abound. And not a single mention of consuming dust…or ice for that matter.
