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Over the years, there have been a handful of “reality” shows that have become an absolute sensation including The Real World, Survivor, and The Bachelor. During the early 2000s, The Simple Life was another “reality” show that everyone seemed to be talking about. Focused on a pair of women who were born with a silver spoon, The Simple Life made Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton famous.Even though people now question how fake The Simple Life was, nobody seemed to question that at that time. However, The Simple Life putting Nicole Richie in the spotlight definitely has been difficult for her at times unfortunately. While the way Richie has been treated by the media and some of the masses over the years has been problematic in several ways, the reaction to her weight loss was especially sad.
The Tabloid Obsession With Nicole Richie’s Weight
When Nicole Richie rocketed into fame pretty much overnight following the premiere of The Simple Life, she instantly got put under a very unforgiving microscope.
Considering that The Simple Life portrayed Richie and her co-star Paris Hilton as spoiled and out of touch, a lot of people, unfortunately, felt like it was ok to criticize both of them mercilessly.
In the years that followed The Simple Life becoming a sensation, Paris Hilton was constantly mocked in the press for getting in trouble with the law and her partying lifestyle.
In fact, Sarah Silverman once mocked Hilton so viciously in front of her that years later she apologized to Paris, even though the heiress’ fans refused to believe she was being sincere.
When it comes to the tabloid’s treatment of Nicole Richie, for whatever reason they always seemed to focus on her weight.
Initially, the tabloids always seemed to label Richie as overweight even though most people would have thought of her as a totally normal-looking woman at that time. For proof of how people talked about Richie after she first became famous, look at the fact in 2017 CNN referred to Nicole from the past as “Paris Hilton’s thicker sidekick”.
After an extended period of the tabloids and many people on the internet labeling Nicole Richie as overweight at every turn, she began to lose a lot of weight.
While there is no way to know if Richie dropped so many pounds because the media so gleefully body-shamed her before the weight loss, there is a good chance the two situations are connected.
No matter if the press had any role in Nicole Richie’s dramatic weight loss or not, a lot of people seem to enjoy labeling her as too thin now. Sure, some people who talk about Richie being too thin are legitimately concerned and only want the best for her.
However, when the paparazzi take photos of Richie eating like it is a sideshow and people mock her as only pretending to enjoy food, that doesn’t seem designed to help Nicole.
Nicole Richie Thought The Media’s Obsession With Her Body Hurt Others Too
When people look back on the way that media have spoken about Nicole Richie over the last two decades, it should be clear that it is bad for anyone to comment on other people’s bodies.
After all, Richie’s handling in the media is a perfect example of how damaging the press focusing on someone’s body can be no matter if they judge the person as too big or small.
As bad as it is that Nicole Richie had to put up with the constant headlines about her weight, she once made it clear that she felt the coverage of her body would be damaging to others.
In 2006, Richie was interviewed by Vanity Fair. During the resulting conversation, Richie stated that she believed she weighed too little at that time. “I know I’m too thin right now.”
More importantly, Nicole Richie said that she didn’t want any young women to look at her and try to have a similar body to hers. “I wouldn’t want any young girl looking at me and saying, ‘That’s what I want to look like.’ I do know that they will, which is another reason I really do need to do something about it. I’m not happy with the way I look right now.”
Later in the same interview, Nicole Richie said that she felt that breaking up with her boyfriend at that time, DJ AM, was so heartbreaking that it led to her weight loss. “I get really stressed out, and I do lose my appetite.”
Based on Nicole Richie’s comments at that time, she was a woman going through real heartbreak who believed that she needed to gain weight. Given how vulnerable Richie seemed to be and that she talked about her weight as a problem, you’d think the press would leave her alone but they didn’t.
Unfortunately, Richie likely was right that some people tried to get a body like hers but the only reason she had that influence on people is because the press was obsessed with her figure. On the bright side, Richie seems to be in a lot better place today based on her social media presence.