Hayden Panettiere: Tabloids Made Me Hate My Body
Admits to Women's Health She Developed Body Dysmorphia
Most celebrities don't typically lack in the self-confidence department. But we don't know any woman - famous or not - who wouldn't completely freak out if a national magazine ran a close-up shot of her thighs only to point out her cellulite in large, neon print.
Which is what Hayden Panettiere, star of the new series "Nashville," says happened to her. Now 23, she was several years younger when she shot to fame as a cast member on the TV show "Heroes." But not everyone all the attention she received was positive. In fact, Panettiere says the celebrity tabloids nearly destroyed her self-esteem, she tells Women's Health in a new interview.
When one of the tabloids ran an unflattering photo of her and labelled her fat, the star, then a teenager, said she was "stunned." She adds that the story sent her into such a downward spiral, she developed body dysmorphia - a condition that makes someone unrealistically and unhealthily obsessed with his or her weight.
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Thankfully, she now seems to have overcome it - because she doesn't want to let a bunch of nameless, faceless people make her feel bad about herself.
Kudos, Hayden. And FYI, we bet if you were able to track down the writers and editors who write these kinds of stories about women - and teens no less! - we can bet you they don't look so hot themselves.
