"90210" Stars Too Thin

By Jessica Caswell

If you’ve turned on your television lately, you probably noticed a blast from the past. The modern version of the 1990s hit show “90210” made its television premier on Sept. 2 and has already got Tinseltown talking.

US Weekly released a front page story this week claiming the women of the famous zip code are too thin for television. It spotlights actresses Jessica Stroup, 21, and Shenae Grimes, 18, with a six page spread titled “Too Thin for TV.”

Both girls have leading roles on the show and neither breaks 110 pounds. Dr. Joyce Peters, a weight-management expert in Beverly Hills, told US Weekly that Stroup who stands 5- foot- 8 inches is between 100 and 105 pounds and Grimes is 5 foot-3 inches weighing a mere 90 pounds.

The pressures of Hollywood must be knocking at the actresses’ door because they look much healthier in past photos. But is the pressure really there or are these women just naturally very thin?

You be the judge. Here’s before and after shots of both women.

If you guessed underweight you were right. Both of these girls are too thin, according to the United States Department of Agriculture's weight chart.

Times have sure changed for the show in the weight department. The first show may have had some issues due to drama between the cast, but the battle of the bulge was not one of them.

“Weight was never an issue,” the earlier show’s costume designer, Jane Trapnell told US Weekly.

Trapnell even kept her original wardrobe files and revealed that some of the cast wore a size five and six. That’s a big no-no in today’s Hollywood.

It’s well known that being good looking is part of the job requirement to be a star. However, some stars may take it to the extreme. Just look at Calista Folckhart of the hit show “Ally McBeal.” She admitted to having weight issues.

“I started under-eating, over-exercising, pushing myself too hard and brutalizing my immune system. I guess I just didn't find time to eat,” Flockhart said. “I am much more healthy these days.”

If you go pick up any women’s magazine like Glamour or Cosmopolitan the front page will always have some sort of diet promising you a new and improved look.

The contradiction here is- we live in a weight obsessed world, where on a magazine it tells you how to be skinnier in every issue, but if you’re too thin- they’ll bash you for it.

However in this case, the women of “90210” do seem to be thinner than normal. So why do people care if they’re underweight? Well, because their fan base is mostly teenagers. The show is based in high school and it gives girls a false sense of what they should look like at that age.

These actresses should really think hard about their audience and help to guide young minds in the right direction.

Stroup and Grimes made no comment to US Weekly about their weight, but we’ll see in the months to come where they stand on the topic. If they pack on the pounds, then maybe they realized they are too thin. If they don’t try to gain weight, they must not care about the message they send to young teen girls who are very impressionable.