Re: The Price of Dieting
Ever since the “mom jeans” pictures, Jessica Simpson’s weight has been a subject of fascination with the press and the paparazzi. The singer and reality TV star is thin and then not so thin. When she spends more time with her personal trainer and less time with fried food, Jessica happily uses her weight loss as a promotional tool. (See: Her role as Daisy Duke in The Dukes of Hazard movie and her subsequent video for “These Boots Are Made for Walking”). Now that she is back to curvy and promoting a new show, The Price of Beauty, an exploration of cultural beauty standards around the world, she is extolling the virtue of not being “90 pounds” to Oprah.
And then along comes coconut water.
Recently, Simpson was photographed exiting a hotel in New York city prominently holding a carton of the latest addition to trendy weight loss substances. Now she’s in the news for dieting. Again.
For a quick primer on the benefits of coconut water you can visit the website of Vita Coco. According to the company, water from green coconuts can do the following: promote weight loss, boost circulation, regulate the functioning of the intestine, promote smoother skin and boost your immune system. Under each of these claims is a translation. For example, under: “Helps detoxify your body and boost your immune system,” the translation says: “Keeps your immune system tough. Grr. And, yells at viruses to back off. “Back off viruses!”
Less clear is why it’s not simply water with a good publicist or if Simpson also writes for the marketing team.
Apparently Vita Coco has been making coconut water for five years but it only recently hit popular culture radar after Madonna, Demi Moore, Matthew McConnaughy and Anthony Kiedis invested heavily in the company. You can now see pictures of actors from Sienna Miller to Anna Paquin carrying a carton. Courtney Cox is on board too, although with a different brand.
Simpson’s contribution to coconut water’s product placement is being reported as both a sign that she is breaking-up with carbs and her attempt to be part of a celebrity trend. The latter is perhaps closer to the truth because Jessica is not really about dieting or accepting herself at any size. She is about the struggle and every time the press reports her adventures in weight gain and loss she becomes relevant, if only for a short time. Her weight has become her brand so any sign that it is increasing or decreasing is simply good publicity.
Simpson often says that she wants to set a good example for women. To this end, she appears on the May cover of Marie Claire without make-up or retouching in an effort to promote real beauty. This is not enlightened self-awareness. It is savvy self-promotion. She says in the interview: “What other people think of me is not my business.”
Except it’s exactly her business.
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