Firstly, it states that when it comes to hardships child stars face as they grow up, Cameron "has seen it first-hand", because co-stars Jodie Sweetin and Mary-Kate Olsen suffered from drug abuse and anorexia, respectively. I always thought "first-hand" meant experiencing something yourself. I wouldn't say I have first-hand experience of anorexia or bulimia, just because I have friends who went through those issues. Also - even if Cameron worked closely with Sweetin and the Olsens as a child, it's not self-evident that they have close, or indeed any, contact today. They might, but there's nothing in the article to indicate that. But this is beside my point, it's just a pet peeve of mine that people lump actors from the same show together even after such a long time.
Cameron is described as "the cute kid who is now 31 and prettier than ever". I find this a bit disturbing. In the picture, she looks pretty much the same as she did when she was as a teenager - except a) grown up, b) slender, and c) blonde. One of these things is not like the others.
So yeah, a pretty 30-year-old would be more attractive to most adults than a baby-faced pre-teen/teenager. But that's just because a baby-faced 14-year-old looks like a child, not like a grown woman who might be a potential sexual partner. The quote also serves to show that people expected Cameron to grow up to be fat and unattractive - or perhaps "just cute" instead of pretty. It's this whole ugly duckling vibe that annoys me. Teenagers are not complete adults yet, and their looks aren't set in stone. Most of us didn't look our best as teenagers, nor do teenagers need to look good to fulfil someone's fantasy. They are still growing, and they have fragile enough self esteems as it is.
We have a phrase in Finnish: "At seventeen, a girl is at her prettiest". I remember hearing it a lot at 17 and thinking, "I'm going to end up horrible - I'm already so fat and have terrible acne!" Even if most people used the phrase jokingly, I still felt like a failure; I hadn't fulfilled my duty as a young girl. I actually think I look better today than I did then, despite being - gasp! - 30 pounds heavier. It might have to do with my self esteem being considerably better. Closer to "I'm OK the way I am" than "OMG, this article says I'm too fat!"
While I'm not sure if that phrase exists in English, the expectation certainly seems to. The writer seems confused that Cameron would be prettier now than at age, say, 14:
But Morales observed, even after having three children, Cameron looks to be in better shape than she was when she was a teenager.Better shape. Because you know, she was chubby, so she was out of shape. And if you look like you've had children, you're out of shape. Also, teenagers should by default be in better shape than a 30-year-old (which is still young). I wonder how this question was phrased exactly. Both with this comment and the one I discussed above, I had to wonder why her teenage looks are even mentioned. If you have to bring up her looks, can't you just say "she looks great"?
Cameron attributed that to her husband, former NHL hockey star Valeri Bure, hom she married 11 years ago.“He’s a professional athlete,” she said. “We work out together. We have fun with the kids. We all play tennis together, we ride bikes, we go on walks together. It’s really a family effort.”
I have nothing negative to say about this quote, really. Having exercise with the whole family is probably a great way of introducing children to sports - much better than, say, a school gym class where peer pressure, bullying and competitive atmosphere ruin the fun for most of the students. I just hate the fact that, in this article, the idea of family exercise is connected to Cameron keeping her weight in check and looking attractive.
What the article doesn't mention is that Cameron's parents got her a personal trainer at age 17, so she was "in shape" for the rest of the show. So when they say "as a teenager", they probably mean "between the ages of 13 and 16". So that's three years of being chubby, and they expected it to last her entire life, yet they also see it as a marker of poor lifestyle choices. An interesting double standard - chubby kids are naturally chubby and will be chubby forever, vs. chubby kids get too many snacks and too little exercise, and this is dangerous. I think both ideas exist in our culture, and it's all very confusing.
But you know what, maybe this needs to be said: chubby, for whatever reason, is not the same as unathletic. Many chubby kids love sports. My cousin, at age 6-10, was chubby, athletic, and outdoorsy. Now, at age 13, she's thinner and loves to stay indoors with little exercise. It's not always connected.
Also, teenagers are not complete adults and don't have to ascribe to beauty ideals. Maybe that bears repeating.
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