The G.O.O.D.S. Magazine March 2014 | Page 17

The GOODS on Celebrity Health By Kimberly Kimmel Celebrities always seem to be in peak health. Their skin is shinier, their hair is silkier, their stomachs are flatter, and they seem more radiant than us normal people. Why exactly is this? Do they work harder than the rest of us to stay in shape? Do they consider being in top physical condition as being part of their job? Can they afford to hire personal trainers, visit expensive spas and eat organic food? Do they have easy access to the latest make-up techniques, the highest quality haircuts and fashions that best flatter their figures because they work with the top experts in those fields? Well, yes. And this is why, when they share what has worked for them, a lot of us are all ears. When celebs get in on the latest make-up trends, we want to know about it. When they learn what hairstyle best flatters their facial features, we want to read about it. Advice on how to hide unflattering parts of the figure? We sit up and take notice. Because they have first hand and faster access to the professional’s advice, they are usually the first ones to set trends, offer advice and share what they’ve learned. People generally trust celebrities, so whatever they say seems to be more credible than if someone off the street said it. This is why advertisers employ celebs to hawk their wares, instead of strangers. We are used to seeing the celeb on our favorite show, or have followed them on twitter and we are more receptive to what they have to say. But, on the flip side of the outer, cosmetic health aspects, celebrities also share knowledge when their loved ones, or they themselves, face health challenges, or chronic illness. A lot of celebrities have opened up worlds of knowledge about a health crisis before the public was even made aware there was a crisis. Back in the 1980s, for example, we were enlightened about the new AIDS virus through the personal trauma Rock Hudson suffered. Many people learned about Parkinson’s disease and how to deal with it, from Michael J. Fox. And more recently, we learned that mental health issues such as bi-polar disorder and schizophrenia were far more common than we thought from watching Britney Spears and Amanda Bynes face their own issues. Perhaps we can relate to what a celebrity discloses they’ve gone through in their personal lives and can be enlightened about our own dealings with our own health and that of our families’. From taking a photo of our favorite celebrities’ new haircut into our stylists to try it ourselves, or if read how prom