As the days are approaching to the Royal wedding, naturally, the media is speculating every single move that the royal couple is making. This includes the increasing focus on Kate Middleton's figure. There have been many media speculations about Ms. Middleton taking on a dangerous "Dukan" diet, better known in France and similar to the Atkin's diet, in order to shed a few pounds before the big day.
With the American public being already so obsessed with body image and looks, more so than in England, this added emphasis on speculating Kate Middleton's health because of pre-wedding dieting makes for more media stories. The American public loves controversy, and though Kate has been looking slightly thinner than usual, it is hardly alarming. Media outlets are now focusing on calling her "bridezilla" rather than a soon to be "blushing bride." They are focusing too much on labeling her hard headed, and maybe exuding too much determination. Maybe this persistence to look her best reflects many other character traits that may suggest her abilities to be pragmatic. Though there are no true sources weighing in on her taking part in this diet, there mere fact that the media is posing the possibility of this in order to make a good story is a bit alarming. This also proves that Americans are less concerned about her taking on a royal title, and being able to fulfill her duties the right way having little political experience.
It's true that "all eyes on the princess" - nice title. I agree that America, as well as many other countries, are putting too much attention on Kate Middleton's weight. Since they have already worn out the stories about how Kate and the Prince fell in love or how Kate's family gets along with the royal family, they had to find something new to talk about. In addition, weight is simple to talk about and gossip about because all the media has to do is find two pictures that get the to-be-princess from different angles and BOOM, they can go on and on about drops or gains in weight just based on the pictures. People love reading about weight because it's something that much of the public deals with, so media knows that the public will read about weight when it has to do with celebrities.
ReplyDeleteGood point at the end re: Americans. Have you looked to see how she is being covered in the British press? That would actually be a really interesting comparison. How is she framed differently by 2 countries that approach royalty from different perspectives. The idea of the monarchy clashes with the hegemonic notion of equality in the US.
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