Zoe Saldana’s Weight Reveal on “Allure” Cover Stirs Uproar
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Tom Munro for Allure(NEW YORK) — Actress Zoe Saldana may have bared it all on the new cover of Allure magazine, but it’s the headline emblazoned on the magazine’s cover announcing the actress’ weight that is causing a controversy. It’s now leading to a backlash among readers, who are questioning the editors’ decision.
The headline next to the Avatar beauty reads: “Zoe Saldana: 115 Pounds of Grit and Heartache.” While some say it was meant to be positive, many women are now questioning whether a magazine would ever publish a man’s weight.
“This is absolutely ridiculous,” one reader told ABC News. “I don’t know what they were thinking. It must have been just for the shock value, because stars never reveal their weight.”
Late Wednesday, the controversy rocketed across the Internet. One person tweeted “Zoe Saldana’s weight revealed on Allure cover. For every step forward, mags take 3 back!” Another posting on a message board read, “I don’t think putting the weight on a magazine cover for a celebrity is a good idea, we have too many young girls with body images already.”
Child and teen development expert body image expert Dr. Robyn Silverman said that reaction among young people may be mixed.
“For some girls, they’ll have very little reaction. For other girls, who may be more susceptible to eating disorder behavior, this may serve as a trigger, making them feel that they need to lose weight,” she said.
Allure magazine is asking for reader comments on Facebook.
”Some people have said citing her weight on the cover was a mistake,” the magazine wrote. “Here’s your chance to sound off: tell us what you think!”
In the post, the magazine wrote: “The girl is a powerhouse. And we were so impressed by what a tough, confident woman Saldana is (on-screen, in her action-movie roles, and off) that we wanted to capture that. But some people have said citing her weight on the cover was a mistake.”
Bonnie Fuller, editor at The Hollywood Life, said Allure may not have intended to cause a media frenzy.
“I really think the editors were setting out to be complimentary,” she said. “They wanted to show that a woman could be small in size, but powerful in spirit.”
Saldana, the star of Star Trek Into Darkness, hasn’t weighed in on the controversial headline, but has said she’s happy with how the photo shoot turned out.
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