Under the Influence

How much are celebrities responsible for the latest big trends?

Looking at last week’s featured stories, I couldn’t help but notice that at least two of the four involved issues that have been hot on the red carpet for a long time: vegetarianism and motherhood (although I also featured living green, enough has been written about the topic; you would be shocked how many times the phrase “green is the new black” appears on a Google search).

When I asked my experts on vegetarianism, trends, and nutrition to comment of the impact celebrities may have on our eating habits—former Baywatch babes Pam Anderson and Tracy Bingham, SNL’s Kevin Nealon, pop-country singer Shania Twain, hip hop mogul Russell Simmons, actors Natalie Portman, Tobey MacGuire, Joaquin Phoenix, and Alicia Silverstone, and the legendary Paul McCartney and his daughter, designer Stella McCartney are just a few—they had strong opinions.

“Celebrities have a huge influence! If you want to know why so many celebrities are vegan, the answer is simple. They cannot afford to gain weight. Their whole stock in trade is looking beautiful and slim on camera. The best way to ensure that is to eat a diet composed of fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains; whole foods,” longtime vegan and investigative journalist Jane Velez-Mitchell told demo dirt.

If celebrity watchers follow what their favorite stars wear, what beauty products they use, and their workout routines, naturally they want to know what they eat. Trend expert Amanda Freeman, co-founder of Vital Juice Daily, an online health and lifestyle resource (www.vitaljuicedaily.com) says that celebrities definitely have an influence on what we eat, not just how we style our hair. ”Celebrities make a big impact—they tend to be role models. These days people look to their behavior for cues, but people understand that what celebs do is not always practical,” Freeman says. “They understand that they are paid to be thin, and that the standard is not as attainable, so they can be an influence only to a point.”

Gwenyth Paltrow may tell Us Magazine that she follows a macrobiotic diet, piquing the interest of a fan who may want to attain her post-baby body. “Someone may say, ‘I heard about the macro diet. Let me look into it.’ Celebrities may call attention to particular diets, but the public may not always follow it,” Freeman adds.

Nutritionist Thomas Von Ohlen, MS, NC is concerned that young girls’ preoccupation with thinness, paired with their notorious celebrity worship, may lead to excessive dieting and nutrient deficiencies. The important thing, he cautions, is for teens to remember that diet should be about pursuing overall health, not a skinny body. “I like that Alicia Silverstone discusses that her skin has cleared, and that she is leading a healthier lifestyle; teenagers have the most acne problems,” he says.

The body image issue means that nutritionists like Von Ohlen want to make sure that teens don’t become “bandwagon vegans” because their favorite celebrities follow the diet. “Teenage girls and guys are still growing, and going through hormonal changes. They need to feed the body, and they can be very impressionable. If they follow a diet for the wrong reasons, unsupervised, and avoid proteins and fats, it can be a problem,” Von Ohlen explains.

While teens strive to be thin, new mothers feel the pressure as well. Even glamorous conservative View co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck expressed concern over the pressure that she and other moms-to-be feel to look fashionable and put together all the time, and to stay in shape.

Mommy blogger and author Jen Singer (www.mommasaid.net) discussed the influence of the celebrity mom culture on the rest of society, citing a then-pregnant Demi Moore’s famous nude shot for her 1991 Vanity Fair cover. Baby bump watches, features on celeb moms’ favorite beauty products, spreads on who got her pre-baby body back weeks after giving birth…is it a coincidence that more and more women seem to be working out while pregnant, watching their nevertheless expanding waistlines?

When asked why it seems that pregnant women everywhere seem to be watching their ever-changing figures, and paying such close attention to their appearance, Singer replied, “Blame celebrities. Besides the baby bump watches, there are magazine spreads on ‘who got their figure back six weeks’” after giving birth.

At least, Singer points out, thanks to fashionable pregnant celebs, women today are saved from the fate of oversized bows and overalls, having appeared, she says, like “oversized toddlers.” Maternity chic may have started with Demi Moore, but now we have Angelina Jolie, Gwen Stefani, Heidi Klum and others to thank for inspiring fashionable maternity wear. (And a few serve as flashing What Not to Wear signs: Britney's famous "MILF in Training" shirt...ick).

As a newly married Gen Xer, the early stages of baby fever have set in, and I have long been admiring the pregnant celebrity fashion statements (Heidi during all of Project Runway season 2!!!!). When the time comes I will check out maternity chic with the trained eye with which I had examined bridal gowns just a year ago…but this time, it will be over a bowl of chocolate soy ice cream and organic peanut butter.