There is no shortage of ever-shrinking celebrities in Hollywood thanks to the proliferation of weight loss drugs. And while not all stars have admitted to taking GLP-1 injections like Ozempic or other slim-down aids, there is no denying the message to young women seems to be ‘thin is in.’
That was taken to a troubling extreme this week when red carpet photos of Demi Moore showed the actress looking shockingly skinny. But that didn’t stop media outlets from praising the 63 year old’s “toned arms” and physique.
On Wednesday’s show, Megyn was joined by neuroscientist Debra Soh, Ph.D., to discuss Moore’s appearance and how it fits into a dangerous trend in culture today.
‘Shockingly Thin’
Moore is a jurist at the Cannes Film Festival, and she was on the red carpet Tuesday night for the event’s opening ceremony. She wore a shimmering strapless gown with a large diamond necklace, but all Megyn noticed was her “shockingly thin” appearance.
“[Outlets] were like, ‘Oh, her toned arms were all the talk at Cannes’… You see this picture of her and she is skin and bones. The outreached arm does not look like an arm with some muscle and it’s just toned… She looks like [she has]… a teeny, tiny, sinewy thing attached to a bone… This should not be celebrated.”
Megyn said her intention was not to criticize Moore, whom she believes may be suffering from some sort of eating disorder, but rather to criticize the glorification of something that is likely not achievable in a healthy way.
“I don’t want to condemn her because I think there’s something she is dealing with… emotionally… But we need to speak out and say, ‘No, that’s not healthy, and… it’s not attractive,” she explained. “With all due respect to Demi, I think we actually need to shame it and say it’s unattractive because without that added layer of shaming it, you’re not going to stop young girls from wanting to emulate it.”
Hyper-Sexualization
Beyond the weight concerns, Dr. Soh said young women are also bombarded with hypersexualized imagery that can also have a damaging effect on their psyche.
“My issue with the glamorization of… a certain narrative around women’s bodies or sexuality is when you see especially older celebrities… trying to make a comeback. It’s about their sex appeal… Almost always they’re half naked and there is big, splashy coverage of them with their bits out saying… ‘She looks so young. She looks so great,'” Dr. Soh explained. “She’s usually had quite a bit of work done, which is fine, but my concern is for girls looking at this.”
In her view, such depictions telegraph that attractiveness and value and attention stem from a woman’s sexuality. “It is not just that she is, you know, out in the sunshine enjoying her day. She is always very barely dressed,” Dr. Soh continued. “And again, there is nothing wrong with women who want to show off their bodies, but… to me, it’s like her value is not that great unless she is half-naked.”
She said young women have always faced an onslaught of unrealistic beauty expectations from magazines and advertisements, but social media and platforms like OnlyFan have only exacerbated the problem. “It wasn’t to the extent that it is now, where you’re constantly bombarded,” Dr. Soh noted. “You cannot open your phone without seeing this stuff if you’re on social media, and it’s just such an extreme.”
Recently, Dr. Soh said she was in a clothing store geared towards teens where the imagery in the store resembled “soft core porn.” It left her stunned. “Our culture… [is] so focused on pornographic imagery and making money [by] selling your body, using your sexuality, taking all the money you can from men… all that stuff,” she lamented. “I don’t feel that’s an appropriate message for young girls, and I don’t think it’s good for their self-esteem either.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Dr. Soh by tuning in to episode 1,316 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Channel (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.