When the new year rolls around, most people decide they want to lose weight. If I were to guess, I would say that almost 50% of the New Year’s resolutions that are made involve losing weight and body image. There seems to be a huge problem in today’s society with finding your ideal body weight. There are many who are now obese, and if you look towards Hollywood, you will see many who are severely underweight. It is no wonder that children are so confused when it comes to body image, and it’s no wonder that eating disorders are becoming more and more common.
If you look at Hollywood stars in magazines, you would be led to believe that the ideal body weight for any person is much smaller or less than most people can achieve. When teens grow up believing that weighing 90 pounds is an ideal body weight, they often end up with a seriously distorted view of their own body. Most people who are five foot eight can not safely weigh anything less than 100 pounds. However, Hollywood would have you believe that this is what they are supposed to be. This can be very dangerous for an impressionable teenage girl who is struggling to find her own identity.
Teenagers may also be confused about ideal body weight when they look at the members of their family. So many people are overweight, and there is still a huge stigma associated with this. Though it is not healthy to be overweight, some people are at their ideal body weight, yet they are still considered to be overweight by those around them. For a teenager, this sort of short sighted criticism can lead to a distorted idea of what an ideal body weight really is.
If you think your teenager is confused about what their ideal body weight should be, you should take them and to speak to your family physician, though you may be able to tell them that they are just fine the way they are, they mean need to hear it from a doctor. Teenagers trust their parents more than they will let on, but they will have even more trust in a doctor. Tell your family doctor that your teenager is having issues with understanding what an ideal body weight might be, and that you hope they can explain to your child in simple terms what the reality of the matter really is.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Mario Lanza
The world of opera has had several superstars but none have crossed over into mainstream entertainment as much as Mario Lanza. He has been described as the voice of the 20th century and was idolized by his fans. Contemporary singers such as Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras have said that they were inspired to become opera singers because of him. He was a tenor with a very passionate delivery.
He was born in Philadelphia in 1921. His vocal skills were soon noticed and he performed in local operatic shows, debuting in The Merry Wives of Windsor at the young age of twenty one. World War II took Mario Lanza away for a while as he served in the US Army Air Corps. After the war had finished, he picked up his career doing radio shows and a long tour of America, Canada and Mexico. He took the coveted role of Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly in 1948.
The successful career of the young singer received a further boost, catapulting Mario Lanza into fame and fortune. Louis B. Mayer heard about Lanza and put him on contract at MGM studios for seven years. He became a Hollywood favorite and introduced movie goers to a style of singing they might otherwise not have had access to. His greatest film triumph came when he played the legendary opera singer, Enrico Caruso in The Great Caruso in 1951. Caruso died in the same year that Lanza was born. Another famous role came in The Student Prince, a great romantic opera where he played opposite Ann Blyth. MGM fired him after a dispute in 1954 but he started making movies again a couple of years later.
He re-located in 1957 to his spiritual home, Rome in Italy. There, he filmed Seven Hills of Rome. He also toured across Europe and the UK. Unfortunately, he began to suffer from a number of health problems. He died in 1959, aged just thirty eight years old, from a pulmonary embolism. He left a wife and four children. Mario Lanza popularized opera but never compromised his singing style. The emotion in his voice is not to everyone's taste but it set a standard for others to follow him. Hollywood has not made stars of today's opera singers, but not many share an excellent voice, charisma and matinee idol looks. He had a short life but one which will never be forgotten
He was born in Philadelphia in 1921. His vocal skills were soon noticed and he performed in local operatic shows, debuting in The Merry Wives of Windsor at the young age of twenty one. World War II took Mario Lanza away for a while as he served in the US Army Air Corps. After the war had finished, he picked up his career doing radio shows and a long tour of America, Canada and Mexico. He took the coveted role of Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly in 1948.
The successful career of the young singer received a further boost, catapulting Mario Lanza into fame and fortune. Louis B. Mayer heard about Lanza and put him on contract at MGM studios for seven years. He became a Hollywood favorite and introduced movie goers to a style of singing they might otherwise not have had access to. His greatest film triumph came when he played the legendary opera singer, Enrico Caruso in The Great Caruso in 1951. Caruso died in the same year that Lanza was born. Another famous role came in The Student Prince, a great romantic opera where he played opposite Ann Blyth. MGM fired him after a dispute in 1954 but he started making movies again a couple of years later.
He re-located in 1957 to his spiritual home, Rome in Italy. There, he filmed Seven Hills of Rome. He also toured across Europe and the UK. Unfortunately, he began to suffer from a number of health problems. He died in 1959, aged just thirty eight years old, from a pulmonary embolism. He left a wife and four children. Mario Lanza popularized opera but never compromised his singing style. The emotion in his voice is not to everyone's taste but it set a standard for others to follow him. Hollywood has not made stars of today's opera singers, but not many share an excellent voice, charisma and matinee idol looks. He had a short life but one which will never be forgotten
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)