Zac on Ellen promoting Baywatch

Last summer Netflix debuted a documentary featuring Efron titled Down to Earth. In it, he travels the world to learn how different cultures live healthy, sustainable lives. In one episode, between bites of pasta he'd helped prepare in Sardinia, Zac begins to visibly well up. Anyone who's had a complicated relationship with food feels a pang of recognition when he reveals how happy he is to be eating carbs again. "When I shot Baywatch," he shares, "I didn't have a carb for six months. I almost lost my mind….You… you need this." Amen, Zac. 

Zac on Netflix’s Down to Earth

Add to the above how transparent Efron has been about the pressures that ultimately led to him checking into rehab for substance abuse, and it breaks my heart to picture him waking up to tweets like the following piling up:

Imagine being praised for your dashing good looks your whole life, having those looks tied intrinsically to your career/ income, and knowing when you step outside, untold numbers of people hope to get your photo. Add to that the knowledge that the moment Hollywood meets a younger version of you, your lucrative contracts will start to dry up. You couldn't pay me enough to deal with that kind of soul-crushing pressure!  (Ok, how much are we talking, though?) 

But seriously, is it any wonder plastic surgery is a bonafide hobby for many celebrities? Pretend for a moment that Zac really did have work done: Can we really blame him for buckling under that enormous weight? Or what if Zac has had enough of pushing his body to be a certain way and wants to enjoy life a little? Can we not give him the grace to do so? 

Look, I don't know Zac any more than the plastic surgeons quoted in the tabloids do. What I do know is that human beings are so much more than the way our face might look at any given moment. 

Recall that just months before Chadwick Boseman lost his years-long battle with colon cancer, tabloids broke stories about his rapid weight loss. One outlet even called him "deathly skinny." I shudder to think some unknowing fan could've assumed he'd chosen to slim down and expressed distaste for his "new look." 

Or how many times has an actress had her disordered eating reinforced by praise from the tabloids--or Twitter? Yep, even positive words about someone's appearance can do harm. 

We shouldn't be content to be part of a culture that takes to social media with our knee-jerk reaction anytime someone looks remotely off. Next time (and there’s sure to be a next time), we should all pause, take a breath, and think about the many personal and sometimes painful things that can impact someone’s appearance. Sitting on your hands also does the trick in a pinch. 

XO,

Dina