What Happens when the NY Times has Articles about People I Don't Care About

I'm trying to remember if we burned Nicole Richie at our Celebrity Bonfire this summer. I don't think we did because by then she and Paris were on the outs, which we thought spoke highly of Nicole. Although we might have burned her because we have a real thing about people who are famous for being famous. But we probably didn't because she is dressing so much better these days. So imagine my surprise this morning when I saw a glowing, yea verily, nigh unto gushing piece on Nicole in one of the last bastions of serious news, the New York Times.

Apparently Nicole has written a book, "The Truth about Diamonds", which is "loosely based" on her life. For example, the main character is the adopted daughter of a famous singer and she does a reality show with a socialite friend. I'll not quibble about how much imagination had to go into this work of fiction. The point is that she had a book signing recently and the joint was hopping with dazzled fans who talked about what a role model she is and how much they love her, blah blah blah. At this point I still don't care one way or the other about Nicole Richie but by the end of the article I did start thinking that she wasn't the worst role model a kid could have. She kicked drugs, which is a good thing. She appears to have a fair amount of drive. She unloaded Paris Hilton, which as I said, shows a tremendous amount of good sense. And she wrote a book, which is more than I can say at this point. (Although I'm going to snidely suggest that it was probably 'way easier for her to get a publisher than it would be for moi. But still, snaps for finishing a manuscript).

Here's what really got me, though. Apparently Nicole used to be considered a bit tubby (by who's standards I don't know) and now she is waif-like in her thinness. Which has of course led to the inevitable rumors that she's replaced heroin with an eating disorder. (It occurs to me that I've never seen a fat heroin addict, but I digress). Nicole swears she isn't anorexic. Here's the shock. I believe her.

I come from a long line of long lines. Women genetically influenced by the maternal side of the gene pool are tall and willowy. Up to a certain point in life, we can eat whatever we want and still be thin as reeds. I was skinny until I had The Child. And I actually had total strangers approach me from time to time and ask if I was anorexic. Astonishing, isn't it? Would you actually go up to someone you'd never met and say, "Hey, you're really overweight. Quite a problem with the self-control, eh?" Sheesh. I had a neice who encountered a particularly warped elementary teacher who called the poor child up in front of the class and used her as an example of malnourishment. (Why my sister didn't sue....) Even The Child's pediatrician was worried that she was "failing to thrive" because she was so low on the percentile chart. Fortunately, our pediatrician also accepted the family background as truth and when she consistently examined a healthy, albiet small, child she relaxed.

Sometimes I miss how skinny I was...I could eat anything, wear anything. But with age and child bearing I got a woman's body. Not fat, just real. Curves and such. It actually took me a while to get used to it. I didn't recognize myself in this form and I will admit that for a time I was a bit obsessed with my weight (which was never outrageous) and the fact that for a while there I was wearing a size 10. Double digits seemed 'way freaky. But it was all in my head. I got over it without doing anything drastic. I starting working out and watching what I ate and shutting up about the inevitable changes.

I realized I had to do this for The Child as much as for myself. She got the long, thin genes and I want her to be able to enjoy it while she can without being obsessed about the way she looks. Never mind the societal pressures, which are real. What message was I giving her by obsessing over the 5 pounds or so that I sought to banish? The Child has a pretty strong self-image. I'd like to keep it that way. And while we're at it I want her to enjoy the freedom of indulging a healthy appetite without worrying that she won't fit into her prom dress, to pursue sports because she loves them, not because it burns calories. Her worth isn't tied to her looks (never mind that she's cute as a button). And neither is mine.

So that's the thought path I was led down this morning. And if Nicole Richie is figuring out how to use her power for good and not for evil, then all the better. We need as much of that as we can get. Also, I'd forgotten this but I went through a brief Commodores period. I loved dancing to "Brickhouse". Which is really ironic considering today's subject. "Shake it down, shake it down, shake it down now"....