Cal Gaunt
Gwyneth Paltrow’s Shallow Hal body double, Ivy Snitzer, has spoken out about the devastating impact the film had on her.
In the glitzy world of Hollywood, behind the scenes of what seems like a glamorous life often lies untold tales of struggle and pain.
Ivy Snitzer, once an aspiring actress, discovered this bitter reality when she became Paltrow’s body double for the 2001 movie Shallow Hal.
What seemed like an opportunity of a lifetime ultimately led Snitzer down a path of devastation.
At the tender age of 20, Snitzer stepped into the film industry with high hopes and dreams.
In Shallow Hal, Paltrow’s character, Rosemary, was portrayed through a combination of bodysuits and prosthetics, while Snitzer was tasked with capturing the full and close-up body shots.
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Initially, the experience felt comfortable and the crew treated her with respect and consideration, as she revealed in an interview with The Guardian.
Little did she know that the exposure the movie would bring would trigger a devastating chain of events.
As the film’s release attracted millions of viewers, Snitzer found herself facing unexpected scrutiny.
She wasn’t prepared for the weight of the public eye, which began to magnify her body image insecurities.
The attention she received from strangers on the street, accusing her of promoting obesity, added to her distress.
In her own words: “It was like the worst parts about being fat were magnified.”
The negative attention shattered Snitzer’s self-perception, leading her to alter her diet and make drastic lifestyle changes.
Snitzer adopted extreme eating habits, including consuming mostly salads, and eventually developed an eating disorder.
In 2003, she underwent gastric band surgery to further control her weight, resorting to overexercising, purging, and severe calorie restriction to accelerate her weight loss.
Her health deteriorated drastically due to complications from the gastric band surgery.
Suffering from malnutrition, Snitzer’s body and mind suffered. She became physically frail, her mood turned sour, and even her personal relationships suffered.
The shocking part of her ordeal was that, in her emaciated state, people around her began treating her more kindly and attentively.
The distorted notion that society’s perception of beauty was tied to thinness was reinforced by the change in how people treated her, as strangers showed kindness, politeness, and concern.
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Snitzer couldn’t help but observe the stark contrast between how she was treated when she was thin and the realities she faced during her battle with an eating disorder.
Snitzer’s harrowing experience cast a shadow on the controversial movie Shallow Hal.
Upon its release, the movie was criticised for its portrayal of plus-size women, reinforcing harmful stereotypes and misconceptions.
Sally E. Smith, editor of the now-defunct BBW Magazine, condemned the film’s reinforcement of the stereotype that all larger individuals compulsively overeat.
Snitzer’s journey serves as a poignant reminder that the glittering facade of Hollywood often conceals the struggles that individuals face behind the scenes.
Her story underscores the urgent need for a more inclusive and empathetic representation of body diversity in the entertainment industry, and for society as a whole to break free from the harmful moulds that perpetuate unrealistic standards of beauty.
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