NBC Actress Tells Producer His Weight Loss Demand On Her 'Doesn't Make Sense'

Arquette refuses to unnecessarily lose weight for NBC-TV role

I've been dying to read a story like this one from someone in the world of entertainment willing to buck the trend of constantly having to keep up with "the look."

Patricia Arquette, the beautiful blonde in the leading role of Allison DuBois on the NBC television show Medium, recently gave birth to a daughter she named Harlow. However, within a few weeks of having her baby, Arquette was asked by the producer of the show to lose weight. Arquette was not thrilled by the insinuation that she had gotten fat.

"I felt like saying, 'I don't want to do this job then,' because, to be honest with you, I'm trying to make little changes in the world," Arquette stated.

YOU GO GIRL! You are gorgeous and don't need anyone TELLING you that you need to lose weight to look the part. Hollywood is notorious for demanding such a warped image of what a woman should look like and I for one am glad to see someone like Arquette refuse to give in to the pressure of her producer. If she keeps this up, then those "little changes in the world" she is trying to make will make a lasting difference.

Wanna know what is most ironic about this demand for Arquette to lose weight? Her role on Medium is as a mother of three children!

"If [losing weight] made any sense for this part -- if this part was a supermodel or anorexic -- then okay," Arquette explained. "But DuBois is a mother of three in a long-term marriage. It doesn't make sense."

No it doesn't make sense. While not all mothers hang on to their baby weight after having three pregnancies, many of them do. So it would stand to reason that Arquette would have a little extra weight than a single, childless character on television, right? Again, GOOD FOR HER for standing up for the right thing and not just going with the flow that the entertainment industry wants her to have.

With music superstars like Britney Spears and Janet Jackson being given mandates to lose weight or lose their recording contracts, we need more people in the entertainment world to have the guts to do what Arquette did. We will never end this ridiculous and unreasonable standard that has been thrust upon our society regarding body image until these producers are put in their place.

Kudos to Arquette for taking such a bold stand! May your experience serve as an example for others in your industry to follow.