oatmeal paste
January 3, 2013 in Blog, Body, ED
An interactive post today….
From IMDB:
Anne Hathaway refuses to discuss how she lost 25 pounds to play the dying Fantine, as she admits her methods were life threatening, and doesn’t want to glamorize or promote her methods to young women.
However, she has confirmed eating oatmeal paste as one of the reasons of her weight loss.
I’d like to discuss this, but before I do, I want to see what YOU guys think about it. Discuss below.
Commendable? Dangerous? What the heck is oatmeal paste?!?!
splendid…lindsay
Oatmeal paste. Is it weird that I want to eat it? I’m pretty sure it is just the opposite of oatmeal soup.
I’m getting sick of celebrities losing weight for roles. To be honest, I couldn’t tell at all that Anne Hathaway lost weight. She already had an angular face and could easily have pulled off playing Fantine without losing it and hurting herself. I just hate to see this trend of actors thinking they have to lose weight to seem dedicated to their “craft”.
She is obviously very dedicated to her craft, to threaten her own life/health for the role. It is really concerning that so many actors/actresses have put themselves through such dramatic weight loss and gain recently. I am so glad she has chosen not to discuss it, there are too many impressionable young (and not so young) people out there who would take what she did and run with it. And yeah, wtf is oatmeal paste?
I just stumbled upon your blog through another one of my blogger friends
Anyways, I think that it was a really bold decision for Anne not to speak about how she lost the weight. I think we get the picture that she had to go to extremes to loose the weight from her already thin figure.
I don’t want to know. I’m glad she did nothing to share what she did- that takes strength of character and is great for being a role model.
However the act of partaking in those dangerous methods, albeit they are for her career as an actress, are triggering, stupid, life threatening and disgusting.
It is unfortunate that we demand so much perfection that our actors have to actually be starving to play a starving character. I loved the movie, and appreciate at she won’t discuss it (although there will now be PLENTY of girls trying this oatmeal thing) BUT she could have lost ten and we could have used our imagination for the rest.
I definitely agree with the sentiments that it was very big of her not to discuss her methods in detail, and not to promote them. She did what many actors do not.
However, I view it as a lifestyle choice – one that comes with her profession. Nobody forced her to do it, she brought it on herself as a method actor. Do I think that makes it right for a person to treat their body in such a way? Not at all. But I’d like to believe that she went about it in a reasonable manner, that if she had ever gotten to the point where her life was in danger, she would have appropriate care and treatment. Yes, it’s drastic, but she probably could have turned down the role if she was uncomfortable with losing the weight. Her approach was as admirable as can be for such a thing like this.
I am glad that she isn’t discussing it. I agree that glamorizing it would only give young inpressionable teens the idea themselves. As for oatmeal paste…I can only imagine. Although it probably isn’t much different from some of the protein pastes that float around on some HLBs.
I love Anne Hathaway, and I think she did an admirable thing by not going into detail on how she lost the weight for this role. AND I’m proud that she’s back to a healthy weight and looks beautiful now that the film is over with.
Great thoughts, everyone! I love that you wanted to put this out there first, Lindsay, because in reading the comments I’ve gained some different perspectives (like changing your body for the sake of art or a role – I wouldn’t have considered that as much but understand that view a bit more). I, too, am glad she didn’t want to go into details (but of course I’ve already googled oatmeal paste – interesting! and historical I guess!) and do like her as an actress and as who she appears to be as a woman. There’s no way she could have totally avoided the question, so I think she answered it well seeing as it was going to be asked of her at some point! Interested to hear your thoughts on this too!
Great interpretation Bonnie. I also never thought about body transformation for film as a form of art. Thankful Anne didn’t disclose her methods–I can only imagine the “Hollywood Diets” that would evolve from that….
Perhaps the real question we should be asking is why do all the reporters feel the need to ask how she lost the weight??!!! It’s so sad that they apparently think publishing that info will increase their readership and even sadder that they are probably right. Way to go, Anne, for keeping it to yourself. I do worry about her doing that to her body though, knowing she has said she wants to have children soon. Sacrificing for your art or career is admirable, but not if it compromises your family and life ambitions. I struggle with infertility b/c of “rapid” weight loss, and I didn’t do anything nearly that fast or drastic. I’ve been at a healthy weight for two years and still nada. Hope that doesn’t happen to her.
I’m glad to hear she’s not discussing it – no reason to share this one.
Now I want to know what oatmeal paste is… although it does not sound good. Maybe pumpkin pie oatmeal paste!? Haha or chocolate!
Nothing like delicious oatmeal paste to start your day… WRONG! LOL. I really don’t understand these extreme diets (which is why I rip into them on my web site)… It’s easy to lose weight and get healthy when you EAT RIGHT FOODS – lean meats and fish, high quality fats, veggies, low sugar fruits! Common now, it’s been hammered into our brains, why can’t celebrities do this! lol.
Glad she is not discussing it.
I wonder if it is anything like the “slop” they eat on the show Big Brother…
I think Anne Hathaway is incredible in the way she deals with the press, and I really wish more actresses would stand up to asinine questions that they’re asked. Like when she was being interviewed by the guy from extra about her workout routine to get into the cat suit http://youtu.be/7nEHZZi6_nU, she’s funny but gets her point across. I think that in order to be the character she needed to do this, but I’d hate to be the director seeing her day in and day out literally starving herself. I’d like to hear more from the studios about how they support their actresses (and actors) when they need to do these dangerous things for their parts.
I was going to say all this. I think she handled it well at not glorifying the diet and recognizing it wasn’t healthy, but can understand that she had to do it for the role. Althoug sad that she had to put her body through it.
I absolutely commend her for not talking about how she did it! I saw her on an interview (maybe Good Morning America?) and she did say that she wouldn’t talk about it since she didn’t want to be a bad influence, and to remind people that in order to look like she was DYING and to look UNHEALTHY she did eat a certain way. I would think it was under the guidance of a nutritionist to protect her well being.
I don’t think anyone has said anything about the emotional side of her weight loss. I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that she starved herself, not just because she wanted to look right for the character but because she wanted to understand what her character was going through- starvation. That being said, I think it’s very appropriate for her to not discuss what she put her body through.
I think it’s great she’s not glamourizing disordered eating for people who may admire her for losing weight. I always cringe when I see how stars talk about how they lost the “extra pounds” for upcoming roles and they do it in such unhealthy ways that other people may look up to that and think it’s okay to engage in those disordered patterns. Still no clue what oatmeal paste is…sounds disgusting though.
does not sound like something i would want to brush my teeth with…
I don’t like the way she said the way she did it was life threatening – mainly because, I don’t know, she’s still giving off a negative air to little girls who look up to her. “If she can do it why can’t I?” type of thing. And anyone with a brain could figure out what she probably did to drop the weight (eat practically nothing, work out a ridiculous amount). And I have no idea what oatmeal paste is. I like my oatmeal unpastey please.
i have no idea what oatmeal paste is other than maybe just oats and water?? I don’t think I want to know! I really applaud her for not sharing and being very candid that this was about an actress taking on a role, not about being a role model or a way of life
I agree with most of the comments as well. Glad she isn’t saying anything, because if she did so many women would try to copy it. I have no desire to know what oatmeal paste is.
First the movie was WONDERFUL!
Second, Thankful Anne will not discuss how she lost the weight!
Third, proud of you, Lindsay, that you didn’t just jump on this subject, but left it open for discussion first!
I like her approach. You know there are people who would take her weight loss method and use it for the wrong reasons. I wish more people would be as responsible with what they project to the world.
I’m in agreement with the other commenters–good for her to not glamorize a dangerous weight loss method. It’s too bad, though, with all the technology we have these days that they couldn’t just make her look frail using camera tricks or something instead of her having to mess with her own health.
Acknowledging that she did it in a dangerous way if frightening, although I do commend her for not putting specifics out there for all to read & potentially “follow”. I wouldn’t know “oatmeal paste” if it bit me in the rear, what the heck?!?
Yup, glad she’s not saying anything. A younger me would totally be tempted to copy her methods.
I had to find out what this oatmeal paste is..
http://fashionista.com/2012/11/we-tried-to-make-some-of-anne-hathaways-oatmeal-paste/
Sounds like overnight oats that you bake. But with nothing else in them. Personally, I’d be fine with baked overnight oats with some banana and peanut butter
I really like Anne and this just reinforces it. I think it is absolutely awesome she says she doesn’t want to discuss it and seeing pictures of her now you can see she is gaining back her health. I think with such an impressionable fan base of young women she did the right thing.
I definitely think it’s commendable that she doesn’t want to discuss it and that she recognizes the negative effects that it could have. However, I think it’s dangerous that she did it in the first place. There’s nothing worth sacrificing your health and possibly your life for.
That sounds so unappetizing. I’m glad she’s not sharing what it is, because I have a feeling young girls would want to try it. At the same time, is risking your life worth it, just to entertain people? I don’t know.
What a great post idea!
I think it’s awesome she won’t discuss it. I wish she didn’t even mention the oatmeal paste!
I like that she doesn’t want to discuss how she lost the weight; I know that if I were the same young girl I was I would totally be trying to imitate her methods if she had shared them (sad but true). And oatmeal paste sounds super nasty
oatmeal paste is like overnight oats sans anything else but water.
As an actor who has lost/gained weight for roles, it truly IS just a part of the job. It sucks, we all bitch about it, but it just is what it is.
I’m glad she’s not discussing but I also think that just knowing that it can be done is sometimes all the fuel someone needs to engage in dangerous behaviour.
Oatmeal paste…some things are best left in the “unknown” category
I wonder how many of us had to google “oatmeal paste” after reading this. I know I did and the first things that come up are about Anne Hathaway!
I think the most interesting part is the oatmeal paste;-) I have never heard of that before.
I like how she didn’t comment on how she lost the weight. You can google on how to lose weight ‘dangerously’ we don’t need people verbalizing it too–words carry a lot of power.
Gross to the oatmeal paste! I do find it really honorable though that she is not willing to discuss the methods she used to lose the weight in the media. You know it would get glamorized as the “Anne Hathaway Diet” or something and it is respectable that she is not wanting to influence behaviors of impressionable people! Go her!
According to Google, there’s even DRIED oatmeal paste…. ?!?!?
As a theatre school graduate, I give her credit for buckling down in the name of her craft. And especially for being aware enough to not discuss it.
As a healthy balance advocate, I worry how fast the “oatmeal paste diet” will become popular.
(Seriously though, WTF?! Who thinks of this stuff?)
I agree with Katie. I guess I understand why actors do this kind of thing, for their “art,” but I’m glad she admits that it’s dangerous and isn’t sharing her “secrets.”
Aside from not knowing what oatmeal paste is…(Google, help me out), I personally COMMEND her for not wanting to discuss it. I don’t like that she had (or chose?) to put herself through such a harsh situation that it’s not talk-worthy but glamorizing drastic behaviors to achieve a certain look should NEVER happen. I commend her.