Last photo body karen carpenter3/6/2024 ![]() I know several young women today who are tormented by the same anxiety about “thin enough.” They can’t find their way to a useful and fulfilling life because of a constant torment about their appearance. But it’s worth remembering that two young men were more sensitive to the price of celebrity, a killing price for young women, than anyone involved in the present production. Mattel, owner of the doll, made certain of that. In the middle of all the shouting about the Barbie movie and the millions, if not billions, Hollywood plans to make, it's worth remembering that there was an earlier, much earlier, independent video. She couldn’t become “thin enough” without dieting to the point of starvation. Her beautiful singing voice brought her no satisfaction. As she progresses towards self-destruction, they carved bits of plastic off her legs, arms and torso to create the dreadful appearance of the starving girl. Todd and Barry found old Barbies in thrift stores and propped the one they chose to represent Karen Carpenter against a series of painted backdrops and handmade furniture. ![]() ![]() In their no-budget film made in 1988, the story of the singer’s death in her parents’ house reminds us poignantly of the price young women pay for adopting the Barbie image and possibly starving themselves to death as Carpenter did in her search for becoming the perfect female body-with Barbie’s impossible proportions. It’s called Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story. Still image from Superstar (1988)In the middle of all the shouting about the Barbie movie and the millions, if not billions, Hollywood plans to make, it’s worth remembering that there was an earlier, much earlier, independent film made by Todd Haynes and my son Barry Ellsworth, that deserves to be remembered.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |