What's 10 Pounds less than an extra-small?

Left: Lauren on "Idol", Right: Lauren at CMT at the end of October

          This article is about teenage American Idol star Lauren Alaina and her recent weight loss. Sixteen year old Lauren has lost 25 pounds so far and is supposedly 10 pounds away from her goal weight. She is celebrating her new healthy lifestyle to the media and mentions that she now wears a size extra small. I feel that if she wants to learn portion control and practice a healthier lifestyle for her own benefit, good for her. Too many teenagers don't make eating and exercising in a healthy way a priority in their lives. However, "Health and weight are not the same thing" (Williams 5). Freaking out about the silly number that the scale says is unnecessary if you feel healthier and have more self confidence. I think too many people, especially teenage girls, get caught up in becoming barbie-doll-skinny.

         The author of this article, Mary Elizabeth Williams, is probably my favorite author from Salon.com. Her articles always seem to be the ones that I pick to read. She uses snarky and humorous comments in between facts. For example, after the statement about Lauren being excited about wearing a size extra small, Williams writes,"What’s 10 pounds less than extra-small? Lauren Alaina’s goal weight."(Williams). She also voices her opinion about adult writers commenting on a 16 year olds weight loss, she doesn't like it. She writes the pun-y statement in paragraph 2, "This is copy written by adults — about a 16-year-old-girl. Suddenly I’ve lost my appetite." (Williams). After including a quotes from Lauren about being "not like heavy heavy but I’m not the skinniest girl in the world.” Williams seems to answer her with another sarcastic comment, "Don’t worry, Lauren. Just a few pounds and a little more slavering encouragement from the celebrity press, and you will be." (Williams 6). She also seems to think that Lauren feels that she needed to lose weight to become a "real star". Williams also uses many press magazines and sources that make her argument convincing. She voices her opinion in a funny way and the reader can really hear her voice in her articles. Her persona is developed throughout all of her articles and I think that her sense of humor and sarcasm is similar to mine.

http://entertainment.salon.com/2011/11/02/is_a_teen_idol_star_suddenly_too_skinny/