It can be easy to forget that celebrities are, you know, real people, fighting their own battles outside the public eye.
Take the media's favorite punching bag: Tara Reid.
Recently, Reid was photographed by paparazzi in a bikini. She looked thin, prompting "news" sites to make fun of her and speculate about her health.
Maybe Reid has an eating disorder or a drug addiction. Maybe she doesn't. But here's the thing: Either way, it is not the public's business.
At best, the tabloids are embarrassing her. At worst? The media's blatant body-shaming may aggravate Reid's condition. If she really does have an eating disorder—which, as a reminder, is a mental illness, not a choice—insulting her for it will only serve to make her feel more ashamed, potentially feeding the demons all-too-familiar to sufferers. And if she's using drugs, the public mockery could prompt her to use more.
It's no secret that the media loves to tear down beautiful, famous women—just look at Britney Spears, Amanda Bynes, Anna Nicole Smith—but the mockery must end. In the case of Smith, it led to her death. Every time I see Spears, Bynes, or Reid bashed in the media, I feel my heart skip a beat.
When will it be too much?
