How (Not) To Make It Big
Mar 16, 2010
What comes to your mind when you hear the name Kirstie Alley? If you’re like most of America, it probably has something to do with her weight. Alley’s new show, Kirstie Alley’s Big Life, is débuting on A&E this Sunday. While the show is billed as a “docu-series…which chronicles the many aspects of her extraordinary film life,” the only thing the previews talk about is her weight!
Anyone that knows me knows how passionate I am about health and fitness – I have been for most of my life. The benefits of physical fitness go and on. Aside from the obvious health benefits, being physically fit has helped me be far more successful in my career. Working out gives me focus, it gives me energy, it gives me drive. That being said, I can’t figure out for the life of me why the hell someone would ever want to build their entire career on just the opposite: being FAT!
Alley rose to fame during her run on the well known and much loved sitcom Cheers (1987 to 1993). She starred with John Travolta in the Look Who’s Talking movie series. She has won two Emmys and was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame…just to mention a few.
With her long list of accomplishments, why do we only think of her now as that “fat actress?” (She actually starred in a TV series of the same name!) Because that’s exactly what the tabloids want us to think…because it sells magazines! And Alley herself started playing into the stereotype. In 2005, her weight ballooned to more than 200 pounds. So she became the spokesperson for the Jenny Craig weight-loss program and lost 75 pounds…only to gain it all back (and then some).
During a recent interview on The Today Show, Alley pointed out that her lifelong struggle with her weight is a myth created by the media. She’s actually only been overweight for a total of four years. Four years!! Yet every story you read about Alley focuses on her weight: Is it up? How much is it up? Is it down? Will she keep it off this time? And she’s partly at fault. She’s accepted that she’s fat and that’s all she has to offer. So now she’s become known as the FAT actress instead of the ACCOMPLISHED actress.
I admire Alley for being honest and for keeping her sense of humor in tact. But give yourself more credit, Kirstie: your career – and your life – should be about so much more than just your weight. I say go ahead and lose the weight. But don’t make a show about it. Make a show about how talented you are as an actress. After all, there’s more than one way in life to make it BIG!
To me your physical appearance and fitness is a sign of discipline. If you look sloppy, chances are your missing something in your work and business appearance as well.
Just like building a successful business is HARD work, so is staying on top of your health and body.
as a former “fat ” person– i can say the obeseesion of weight loss in this country is fantastic…. if your in the weight loss business.
its obvious–she is desperate to keep her career going and is clearly finding her niche.
you made an excellent point–we have to concentrate our energy and focus on our strengths and whats really important in life–not the scale on a day to day , minute by minute level–LOVE YOUR BLOG.
I could not agree more about the importance of a fitness-oriented lifestyle and the benefits derived from it. And, as pointed out by one reader, fitness does indeed say something about one’s discipline and self esteem. Currently, I am recovering from rotator cuff surgery and climbing the walls given my inability to work out while the surgical repair heals. Four more weeks in a sling and then I can begin active resistance rehab. By the way, the author of the blog and I threw around some serious weight in our USF days. That said, I can attest personally to JZ’s commitment to fitness. In closing, age is a mindset and staying fit is the most effective way to challenge father time.