I haven't had a chance to watch Drop Dead Diva, a show about a supermodel reincarnated in a heavyset but smart lawyer's body, but this Times piece about the show's approach to makeovers and body image resonated with me. As a long-term glasses-wearer and certified nerd, I used to enjoy makeover movies. I recognized that it was cheesy to suggest that Rachel Leigh Cook was actually more attractive with her glasses off than on, or that Anne Hathaway would be a pretty girl if only she had a better hairdo, but I thought the metaphor for seeing someone with different eyes was reasonably apt. But as I've gotten older, and started to believe that how people see each other is less malleable, I've found myself resenting the theoretical ease of transformation, whether it's in how a character looks, or how other characters look at her.
I like In Her Shoes, in part because Toni Collette is never going to be taller than Cameron Diaz, and she's never going to be blonder than her, and she's never going to have that big crazy smile. The movie didn't try to pretend that Toni Collette was going to transform herself and then someone was going to fall in love with her--in fact, it presented her obsession with her sister as her main problem. I think it's appropriate from a health standpoint, as well as from a psychological standpoint, to make the point that losing weight isn't easy. And I think it's important for movies to recognize that our looks, and our self-esteem, are multi-dimensional. Changing yourself comes at a cost. Sometimes it's worth it. But it's not a straightforward proposition.