The film that we watched in this week’s lecture, “Superstar” is about a renowned musician, Karen Carpenter and her struggle against Anorexia. Based on the true story, the film reveals the grim reality of female beauty. As Karen rises to stardom, she becomes fearful of her weight and develops a distorted view of her own body. After a critic describes her as ‘chubby’, she disciplines herself by refusing to eat and strives for physical perfection. Despite her efforts to beat the illness, she fails and eventually faces a tragic death at a young age. Through the harrowing depiction of Karen’s struggle against anorexia, the film reminds us that anorexia is not a mental disease but is an illness that is brought on by the society and shows how lethal the consequences of society’s rigorous demand for physical perfection are.
What is unusual yet interesting about this film is its use of Barbie dolls instead of real- life actors. The dolls may seem odd and bizarre at first. Nevertheless, they most effectively communicate the idea that the societal expectation on women to have the ideal body shape is as unrealistic and unreachable as the Barbie doll itself. (More strikingly, even the stick like Barbie dolls’ face and arms whittle away by anorexia.). In many regards, the film, “Superstar” and Naomi Wolf’s “The Beauty Myth” convey similar messages; women are forced to follow the standards of beauty that are impossible to meet up to. And unfortunately, as shown in the film, naïve adherence to such standards can drive some to a tragic end.
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