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Caution, Curves Ahead: Which Version Of These TV Women Do You Prefer?

By Joanna Robinson | Posted Under Seriously Random Lists | Comments (62)

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You know, they say the camera adds ten pounds. And when some TV actresses see those extra pounds, they freak right the f*ck out. The constant media attention doesn’t help, nor does pressure from the studios. Either way, more often than not, over the run of a television series, the lead actress will shed at least those ten pounds, if not more. The ladies certainly don’t start out obese, and they don’t (neccessarily) end up emaciated. They just go from fit/slightly above average to, um, kind of pointy. I’m not here to preach about it. It’s a known occurence. I’m just wondering which version works best for you, the slightly above average television viewer? Curves or no curves?

Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully: “The X-Files” was on for nine seasons (NINE SEASONS), so some of Anderson’s slimming could be attributed to age, but, damn me, I miss the luscious Scully.
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Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers: Gellar was 20 when she first started on the WB’s “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” so that wasn’t baby fat filling out her stylish, yet affordable slayer wear. This comparison is between Season 1 and Season 3. By Season Six (see video below), it became harder to believe that Smidge and her little toothpick thighs could kick so much vampire ass. (Yes, yes, fine, it was supernatural slayer strength.)
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Michelle Williams as Jen Lindley: Williams, on the other hand, was 18 when she began her stint on “Dawson’s Creek,” and had to grow up a bit under the scrutiny of the public eye. By the final season, Williams looked so frail they made her character terminally ill.
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Jennifer Carpenter as Debra Morgan: When I spoke to my mother about Season 2 of “Dexter” (yes I speak to my mother about “Dexter,” you wanna fight?), she said, “Thank god they had Deb lose some weight. She looks so much better now.” For those of you who haven’t watched the show, Deb suffers from PTSD in Season 2 and uses exercise as a way to cope. So, um, no mom, not better. I am, however, grateful Carpenter ditched the bangs.
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Lea Michelle as Rachel Berry: I dislike Rachel Berry, I dislike Lea Michelle, but I don’t dislike her cute face and pretty hair. The…whatever is going on in that last picture, however? I dislike that intensely.
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Casey Wilson as Penny Hartz: Last season’s “Happy Endings” was my favorite new sitcom and Casey Wilson as Penny was an absolute stand-out. I was a little surprised, upon seeing the publicity stills for this upcoming season, to see that Wilson had dropped a ton of weight.
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It casts a new light on this scene from last year’s pilot.

Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green: Over the ten seasons of this show, Aniston traded in her rack for some well-honed sternum.
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In fact, by the end of the show, both Aniston and Courtney Cox were excessively pointy.
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And, well, we all know what happened to Miss Chanandler Bong.
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So what do you think? Which look is better? I’m not saying it’s not okay to be fit. And, hell, if a television studio was paying for MY yogilates, I might go every day too. (No, I most certainly would not.) In terms of aesthetics, well, I have my biases. Which is why I think these lovely ladies are two of the finest looking females currently on TV. Shine on you curvy diamonds.
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I will, however, say this, if newly minted sitcom star Kat Dennings loses a single grain of sand outta that hourglass, I will riot.
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Comments

By the end of Buffy, SMG looked so thin and harsh and OLD. Just so much older than her age. I really feel like, if given the choice, I would hold on to a few extra pounds and look younger than get rail thin and look 10+ years older than I am.

Also? Penny, come back! Bring your boobs and your ass with you!

Posted by: Lainey at September 13, 2011 12:12 AM

Love me some Jessica from TB...she was super hot in that Red Riding Hood costume.
Courtney and Jen look way too then and damn Matthew looks bad!
The only one that looks better is Casey.
*And I talk to my mom about Dexter, too. If that makes us freaks then I will wave my freak flag high.

Posted by: Jjrox at September 13, 2011 12:21 AM

I'm currently watching the first season of Buffy and my first thought was "Wow, SMG is so curvy here". But I just assumed she did a lot of training in subsequent seasons and that turned her body into a lean mean vampire ass kicking machine. More what I imagined a slayer would look like. She's gorgeous with a bit more weight on but her fight scenes look strained with her trying to kick those short pudgy legs around.

Posted by: wildflower at September 13, 2011 12:22 AM

..thin not then

Posted by: Jjrox at September 13, 2011 12:22 AM

wildflower, the horrid short tight pants they had her wear didn't help.

Posted by: Jessica at September 13, 2011 12:27 AM

SMG does look beautiful in the first season of Buffy, but I always assumed that she looked like hell towards the end of the show because Buffy's been through hell. Of course that was no excuse for SMG to keep looking like that years after the show ended.

Posted by: Pat at September 13, 2011 12:36 AM

I remember being a young teenager and reading an article/interview with Gillian Anderson, where she talked about people suddenly being nicer and more considerate towards her when she dropped 25 lbs.

My family went out for dinner that night and I intentionally said, "no, no dessert for me," and my parents were like "WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?!"

Posted by: Angeleno Ewok at September 13, 2011 12:42 AM

Matthew Perry had a drug habit keeping him thin, then not thin, then thin, then not, etc.... But yeah, back to the ladies... Some of Gillian Anderson being "heavier" on the show was when she pregnant in real life, and she always talks about how miserable that was, how swollen and gross she felt. And imagine with someone who is 5'2" and on TV, it's easy to get caught up in what you look like.

The sternum look is so gross. And I thought maybe I was imagining the rapidly disappearing Lea Michelle, but I guess not!

BUT! The most important to say is: I WILL RIOT WITH YOU.

Posted by: Sara H at September 13, 2011 1:00 AM

The second picture of Gillian Anderson was taken over 6 years ago. Check out the recent pictures of her at the 'Johnny English Reborn' premiere to see what she looks like now, a.k.a. absolutely incredible for her 43 years and much, much healthier.

Posted by: Em at September 13, 2011 1:35 AM

GODDAMITT!!! I have PTSD, I use exercise to cope, why the fuck don't I look like that? I have also traded in my rack for a sternum (um, well, a half rack, anyway) and yet I look more like Pre-Penny than Post Penny. I used to look more like Miss Holloway, but I can't afford her amazing underwear that keeps all of THAT reined in and pointing the right directions. I keep imagining what running 100+ miles a month WITHOUT the *bouncy funbags will feel like. I live so clean it would make a monk weep. This isn't fair.

*bouncy funbags used to be the boobs, they are now the thighs.

Posted by: Lindsey with an 'e' at September 13, 2011 1:47 AM

Thank you for this article. As a guy who is attracted to women who actually look like women, I'm tired of being grossed out by the females in movies and tv shows, and it just keeps getting worse and worse. I think more than anything it has to do with the idiotic gossip-site culture where size-4 women are called whales and cows! Absolute insanity.

Posted by: Cody at September 13, 2011 1:55 AM

Also, Gillian Anderson lost a lot of weight for her "Bleak House" stint. I reckon she looks much better now. But I still want her to go red again, although I understand why she won't.

Gimme curves. It makes me feel less guilty when watching TV while stuffing my face on Ben & Jerry's.

Posted by: PP Matter at September 13, 2011 2:53 AM

It is true, as is pointed out here, that the older (women) get, the more they need a little fat. It reeealllly makes a difference in how old you look, especially in the face.

/that's what I'm telling myself

Posted by: MM at September 13, 2011 3:22 AM

MM, trust me it's true. I'm in my 30s and attribute the mid-20 guesstimates not only to my (shall we say) youthful attitude but to the 5 "extra" kilos cushioning me from daily wear and tear.
And of course we all know being a Pajibean does wonders for your skin tone.

Posted by: cinekat at September 13, 2011 3:32 AM

I really missed Buffy's breasts when they up an' left.
Voluptuous Buffy was Best Buffy!

Same goes for Courtney Cox. I remember taking a shine to her in that He-Man movie with Dolph Lundgren back in the eighties. Was kinda painful to watch what she did to herself over the course of Friends.

And Gillian Anderson, well she is a Goddess in any shape or colour! I'll carry this torch 'til the day I die!

Posted by: MurderBot at September 13, 2011 6:58 AM

I would kill for several seperate parts of Kat Dennings...

Ok, that sounds a bit sinister, but look at that hair, those lips, those bo... eyes! Any of those would make me walk around feeling like a freakin' princess!

Posted by: Calamity at September 13, 2011 7:15 AM

I want Kat Dennings to be so kind as to MAKE OUT WITH MY FACE. Also to let me touch her dirty, sexy pillows. Yes.

Posted by: Nadine at September 13, 2011 7:29 AM

Michelle Williams's face looks better in the second pic. Casey Wilson looks better in the second pic. Those are about the only two that remotely look better.

Posted by: Matt at September 13, 2011 7:42 AM

curves good. give.

Posted by: matty blue at September 13, 2011 7:48 AM

There's also that whole "bobble-head effect" that starts when these ladies lose so much weight. Their heads look friggin' HUUUUGE. I'm not kidding, it's like an orange on a toothpick. That's a huge noggin. That's a virtual planetoid. Has its own weather system. EW.

Posted by: Pinky McLadybits at September 13, 2011 8:03 AM

Would just like to say as a long time lurker that Pajiba has become significantly more enjoyable since you (Joanna Robinson) started contributing regularly. Thank you and please continue forever!

Posted by: lurker at September 13, 2011 8:11 AM

Yay for curvy! However, I do have to admit coveting Deb's abs from that second picture. Could the woman afford to eat a cookie now and then? Yes. But holy hell, that stomach is amazing.

Posted by: KatSings at September 13, 2011 8:11 AM

As much as Lea Michele makes me fucking crazy, she's a beautiful girl. Damn shame that she's wasting away. The pic on the right is bordering on frightening.

Kat Dennings. Holy shit. I just stared at that picture for five minutes straight. That woman is walking art.

Posted by: Kala at September 13, 2011 8:13 AM

Joanna, I second the motion...

...and third, and fourth, and fifth it.


Also, I keep thinking of perfectly ripe peaches, for some reason.

Posted by: OldSchool60 at September 13, 2011 8:27 AM

Michelle Williams is a gorgeous angel sent from heaven since she lost that weight. I think she's one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood now.

Posted by: becks at September 13, 2011 8:30 AM

Ooh, body policing. What fun!

Posted by: jjabs at September 13, 2011 8:42 AM

I do like the 'curvier' woman. I probably need to lose about fifty pounds (this is fact, not self deprecation) and I still wouldn't look like that thin. I wouldn't want to.

From the TV I do watch/flip through, it's astonishing how thin some of these girls really are. It looks wrong. It's okay to have some extra pounds.

My younger sisters friends piss me off so much. They see these emaciated looking girls on TV and they say, "Oh man, look at her legs. I wish I had her legs." And I'm just thinking, "I know you're only...15(?), but you are an idiot. Those aren't legs! There is no shape to those legs! They're just skinny, they're not even fit skinny. Look at it flap!"

I do have to say, I feel pretty awesome when I see really thin girls with cellulite riddled legs. And I mean not even a little, they have a LOT, and you can barely see the cellulite in mine. All those years of swimming helped me out there.

Posted by: Candee at September 13, 2011 9:28 AM

Scully - definitely prefer the left, although that's as much to do with the hair color as the curves. Seriously, I thought you were comparing her to Kate Winslett for a second.

Buffy looks better curvy, definitely. How the heck fire does she keep her head on that skinny little neck?

Hmm....Michelle....could I get something halfway between the two? And for Godtopus's sake get some tan.

Not really a fair comparison for Ms. Carpenter from those pics, and I don't know her work.

Frankly, I can't tell there's that much difference between the Lea Michelle picks. Most of it looks like facial work, not poundage. But buy a damn last name, will ya?

Ms. Wilson - good for her! She's still curvy and soft looking, but you can tell the improved confidence she has at her new weight.

Anniston clearly took too much advice from Courtney. Cox always looked skeletal, and Jenn didn't need to go that route. And no fair with Ms Bong - quitting crack always makes you gain a few pounds.

As for the last three...hubba. fucking. hubba.

Posted by: NateS1973 at September 13, 2011 9:41 AM

I have always been pro-curve. It saddens me the way they make healthy women starve themselves down to a size 2. I'd rather see them a little too heavy rather than a little too thin because the camera adds weight. So if you look thin on camera in real life you're a skeleton!

Posted by: logan at September 13, 2011 10:09 AM

I'll cast my vote for Hayley Atwell, whose angelic curves were recently defended (against some Miramax idiots) by Emma Thompson. Look her up, she's gorgeous. Actually, both are.

I've never heard of Casey Wilson but she looks like a nearly perfect "girl-next-door" type. Now to find her address...


Posted by: Barry at September 13, 2011 10:20 AM

Whole lotta frailty going on...but Jennifer Carpenter looks amazing. She seems to be naturally long and lean anyway, so maybe it doesn't adversely affect the innate sense of her health and vitality. Which is the real test of attractiveness, rather than some culturally fraught "skinny vs curvy" debate.

Posted by: sansho1 at September 13, 2011 10:27 AM

That pic of Kat Dennings is amazeballs.

/would do.

Posted by: Skyler Durden at September 13, 2011 10:40 AM

I have also traded in my rack for a sternum (um, well, a half rack, anyway)
---
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Posted by: , at September 13, 2011 10:47 AM

holy kat dennings batman. that is all.

Posted by: mandatron at September 13, 2011 10:53 AM

Well said, Cody.

Posted by: Phat girl at September 13, 2011 11:15 AM

totally depends on the woman. Some women look good with curves, but not having curves can look decent too. Michelle Williams, for example, looks good in the second picture, as does Casey Wilson. Lea Michelle and Courtney Cox....not so much. Looking healthy is what's important. Personally, I don't mind a little something to hold on to.

Posted by: babel at September 13, 2011 11:17 AM

Jessica from True Blood is "curvy"?

Posted by: John G. at September 13, 2011 11:29 AM

Posted by: coveredinbees at September 13, 2011 11:33 AM

theres nothing wrong with kat dennings body in that pic. its her neck up thats the problem

Posted by: sean at September 13, 2011 12:19 PM

Humans are more attractive to me than coat-racks. Healthy moderation is more attractive to me than excess in either direction (there are a few exceptions, dammit, but the rule stands, especially in this context).

Posted by: foolsage at September 13, 2011 12:42 PM

"Last season’s “Happy Endings” was my favorite new sitcom and Casey Wilson as Penny was an absolute stand-out."

Agree. DRAAAAMMMMAAAAAA!

Posted by: John W at September 13, 2011 12:53 PM

There is nothing wrong with Kat Dennings face. Or body. Curves FTW.

Posted by: Ballymena Bob at September 13, 2011 1:09 PM

I vote curvy every time. I'd rather keep my cheeks and boobs. I'd like Jen Carpenter's abs but poor thing is always going to have a boy-body.

I will say this though, that I have friends in TV who lost a ton of weight over shooting b/c the hours are looooong and there's only craft services to eat. They'd go back to normal in the off season. You can see it on Jennifer Garner from Alias too.

Posted by: bananapanda at September 13, 2011 1:28 PM

I was going to comment here, say how in every instance above, the curvy rules- and wowza, Kat Dennings!...But then I happened to click on the Buffy clip and AAAIIIIIIIIII!!!!! People actually watched that show and ENJOYED it? Dogs are howling in agony all over the neighborhood after that clip. I'm going off to sit in the corner and sputter for a while until the universe starts to make sense again...

Posted by: Scratch McGee at September 13, 2011 1:51 PM

@Pinky McLadybits - That was offsides, wadn't. He'll be crying himself to sleep tonight on his huge pillow.

Thanks for that. Nice to see people of culture around. ;-)

Posted by: NateS1973 at September 13, 2011 3:01 PM

I never thought Jennifer Carpenter looked creepy-thin - it was just her look. She manages to pull it off. Michelle Williams looks much better now - I thought she was totally plain on Dawson's Creek.

Posted by: Samantha T at September 13, 2011 3:17 PM

Where there's smoke, there's fire.

Posted by: Dennis at September 13, 2011 3:24 PM

Most of OMWF is just painful by itself. In the arc of the series & season it gains the funny.

That said, Hinton Battle in that very episode does not suck:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTLi6tKSReY

Posted by: BierceAmbrose at September 13, 2011 4:15 PM

Curves. A million times, curves. Did you all see Deborah Ann Woll on the otherwise awful True Blood finale? Holy shit. A real woman. Hips, thighs...oh my.

As for Gillian Anderson, I always admired her, but didn't lust for her. She looks much like my sister. That would have been weird. I saw she recently bought some bolt-ons. They looked awful. She is skinnier than ever, with those fake things stuck to her chest.

Kat Dennings...damn. Just..damn. My brain would explode

Posted by: Sean at September 13, 2011 5:10 PM

'I saw she recently bought some bolt-ons. They looked awful. She is skinnier than ever, with those fake things stuck to her chest.'

Sean, I don't know who you've been looking at, but you certainly haven't been looking at Gillian Anderson. This is her last week in Australia. Skinnier than ever? Really? Fake boobs? If so, they must be the most realistic looking fake boobs I've ever seen. I call bullshit, they're not fake in the slightest.

As an aside, I find all this body policing kinda gross. Whether a woman is naturally thin, or she's not but simply feels happier and more confident being thin, why on earth should she have to feel like less of a woman because of it? Newsflash, women come in all shapes and sizes, and there is no way that a woman 'should' look.

Posted by: Em at September 13, 2011 6:43 PM

As a rather tall and narrow fellow, I like-a the curve.

Also, if you have no padding at all on your pelvis, we're both gonna be real sore in the morning. And not the good kind of sore.

Posted by: firedmyass at September 13, 2011 6:57 PM

What I love the most about the pic of Kat Dennings is her arms. I try to work my upper body almost everyday because I want toned arms, but no amount of pushups, weights, resistance training, etc. is going to get rid of some of my natural flabbiness. It would require an amount of cardio that I just can't commit to. It's nice to see a woman without toothpick arms.

Also, I just want to know how much work these women are doing every day to lose this weight. I am 5'1" and to get under 150 pounds I have to work out every single day, running, weights, situps, pushups, squats, etc. etc. It was exhausting and I gave it up to be happy. Not to mention all the wonderful food and wine I had to give up. Fuck that! I'll take my size 10/12 and my cupcake too.

Posted by: Austin at September 13, 2011 7:27 PM

EM, you are correct. I saw other pics...and they looked very fake. Must have been a different bra!

She looks...good there. Looks her age. Unlike most women in show business who look artificial.

She still looks like a skinnier version of my sister tho.

Posted by: Sean at September 13, 2011 8:03 PM

I long for the SMG of the first seasons of Buffy. Her body was so much more sexy then. That body on the face of seasons two and three would be near the top of my list.

Posted by: Dave at September 13, 2011 9:05 PM

i'll beat that, @em: i saw gillian anderson TODAY (i work for a...major retailer in her home town, and she came in for some assistance).

she was just wearing some plain old slacks and tshirt and looked fantastic. fake, no fake, i have no idea, but she is absolutely gorgeous.

Posted by: matty blue at September 13, 2011 10:09 PM

"As an aside, I find all this body policing kinda gross. Whether a woman is naturally thin, or she's not but simply feels happier and more confident being thin, why on earth should she have to feel like less of a woman because of it?"

The reason a lot of women feel more confident being skeletal as opposed to their natural shape is because of bodypolicing that you pretend to be bothered by.

"Newsflash, women come in all shapes and sizes, and there is no way that a woman 'should' look."

Yes, women do come in all shapes and sizes, but tell that to the idiots who insist that ANY woman above size 2 is obese. Funny how you don't seem to have a problem with that type of bodypolicing.

Posted by: Cody at September 13, 2011 11:29 PM

Ahh, the difference between the standards of beauty 10-15 years ago and now...though Michelle William's 90s makeup was doing her no favors. I miss when a size 6 was the sample size, instead of the current impossibly small 2.

Posted by: Jifaner at September 14, 2011 12:39 AM

Cody, your position is weak and shortsighted. Em didn't knock curvy women in the slightest and merely expressed distaste in the idea that women "should be" any particular size. She was saying that different sizes work for different women and they should choose what's natural/makes them the most happy. She's right. Your comment about liking women who "look like women" was very offensive to women who naturally have a small chest or diminutive hips.


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