Body Talk: Inside Hollywood's Obsession With Beauty

In Part 5 of TVGuide.com's new Body Talk series, we look at how celebrities prep for the red carpet.

It's the moment most actors and actresses dream of — waking up one morning to learn that they've been nominated for an Emmy, Oscar or Golden Globe. What runs through their minds first? Is it, "I have to call my mom!" More likely, it's, "How the heck am I going to get myself ready in one month!?" Stars may look effortlessly flawless (or like fashion-police victims) on the big day, but don't kid yourself — it isn't easy. Here are the first five steps celebs take toward the red carpet.

1) Accessories Erika Christensen told TVGuide.com all about her frantic prep. "It's like two days leading up to it of 'What am I going to wear? Who's doing my hair? My makeup? Do the shoes match the purse? Who made the earrings?' The amount of logistics that go into putting all that together is just insane." When the red carpet beckons, professional partygoer Lauren Conrad (The Hills) told People that she makes sure to bring her best accessories: good friends. "A good night out for me is not about where you go but about having a really good group of friends with you." Friends are nice and all, but they can't make those little bulges disappear — celebs have other tricks for looking flawless on big-event days.

2) Undergarments Stars aren't the only ones who know that Spanx are a girl's best friend: They not only suck in your stomach, but they can tone and firm your thighs, hips and calves. And for those plunging necklines, celebs stock up on double-sided tape. (Remember what happened to Tara Reid at P. Diddy's birthday bash back in 2004? No one needs that kind of slippage.) Feeling secure that everything is going to stay where it's supposed to, stars can flash those pearly whites with a winning smile.

3) Super-white Teeth Zoom and BriteSmile tooth-whitening sessions can run into the $1,000 range and can make teeth look several shades whiter, but even that's not enough for some stars, like Hilary Duff, whose rep admitted to Star that the singer had gotten porcelain veneers to perfect several chipped teeth. And nothing makes teeth look even whiter than having a fabulous tan. Sun is out, spray is in. When Julia Louis-Dreyfus was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2006, she told Access Hollywood, "Now all I need is the gown, a spray tan and some Botox, and I'll be gold!"

4) Hair and Makeup With tummy, teeth and tan taken care of, stars can turn their attention to the all-important hair and makeup sessions. Hairstylist Sam Leonardi, who has worked on red-carpet beauties like Lindsay Lohan and Anne Hathaway, can charge $2,000 to $4,000 per day, depending on the do-you-know-who-I-am factor. Some celebs, like Yunjin Kim from Lost, go the extra mile with hair extensions, adding volume and length to their own locks. When it comes to red-carpet makeup, "I just want to look hot all the time," Nelly Furtado told People. So for the Grammys last year, makeup artist Colleen Creighton made Furtado's eyes pop by using a Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler and Giorgio Armani mascara.

5) Diet and Exercise Some stars subject themselves to crazy crash diets in preparation for the big day, but others, like natural beauty Hilary Swank, go a more responsible route by hiring a nutritionist instead (it's certainly safer than downing lemon juice with cayenne pepper for weeks). As for exercise, trainer Rob Parr told MSNBC that Naomi Watts, for one, ditches the gym bags for some fresh air. "We hit the road running for four to six miles," Parr said, "or take to the hills for an hour-and-a-half-long mountain-bike ride."

TV Guide Network's queen of the red carpet, Lisa Rinna, tells TVGuide.com that her prep "takes a village." But it's nothing new for the former sudser star. "I work out really hard — but I always work out hard. To be honest, I don't do a lot of special things, because it's just how I live my life regularly. I call it 'the year-round prom.' You're always getting ready for prom, and that way you don't have to drop 10 pounds. So luckily I don't have to flick into the 'Uh-oh, I'm going into award-show season' mode, because I like to keep it like that all the time." — Erin Fox

What's your take? How would you get ready for a red-carpet close-up? Are you with Lisa Rinna — should looking camera-ready be a year-round endeavor? Are details like super-white teeth, tanned skin and hair extensions going too far, or do they make all the difference?

More in the Body Talk series:
• Photo gallery: Getting Red-carpet-ready
• 50ish (and Up) and Fabulous!
• Photo gallery: Is 50 the New 30?
• Photo gallery: Nip/Tuck Is Not Just a TV Show
• The Skinny on Hollywood's Unreal Ideal
• Photo gallery: The Skinny on Hollywood's Unreal Ideal
• TVGuide.com's Top 20 Beauty Scandals and Stories of 2007
• Photo gallery: Top 10 Hollywood Beauty Scandals & Stories of 2007
• Photo gallery: Top 10 TV Beauty Scandals & Stories of 2007
• Special Preview and Polls

Check out pictures of red-carpet stars past and present in Red Carpet: 20 Years of Fame and Fashion from Amazon.com.

In Part 4 of TVGuide.com's new Body Talk series, we celebrate stars who are proving that you don't have to be young to be beautiful.

The pressure to be perfect in Hollywood isn't too discriminating — most celebs get it most of the time. But as people start to get older, they tend to become a bit more wrinkly, their skin a bit droopier... and they generally don't look like they did at 30. Well, that may happen in real life — but what about on television and in the movies?

Some of our favorite TV stars are showing just how gorgeous aging gracefully can be. (Whether that's with some assistance or as a result of healthy living and good genes, we're not speculating.) And one of the nicest things about them? They're playing characters who are... actually their age. Donald Sutherland, 72, and Jill Clayburgh, 63, for example, are standouts as Tripp and Letitia, the parents of the dysfunctional yet successful Darling clan on one of this season's best guilty pleasures, Dirty Sexy Money. And Kim Cattrall, 51, who returns as hot-to-trot Samantha in the highly anticipated Sex and the City movie, proves that just because a star is over 50 hardly means she's lost her appeal.

"When you're a young girl, you play the girlfriend," Sigourney Weaver, 57, has said to People. "By 40, you play real women who've become more who they are." Which is not to say that the great parts are always so forthcoming. In an interview with Larry King, Goldie Hawn, 62, said, "I've turned a lot of parts down, but they're not very interesting.... It's a narrower field as you get older."

Just how difficult is it for aging actors and actresses to find good roles in Hollywood? "They should be able to do so, but I know that is not usually the case," says TVGuide.com reader BlueeyedSara. "[Though] Meryl Streep seems to be doing well." In fact, the 58-year-old Streep, who is the most nominated actress in Academy Award history (with 14 nods, in case you're counting), told O magazine, "I have friends who are dead already. So why would I complain about getting older?"

Gorgeous Sela Ward faced Hollywood's ageism early on. She was up for a role in a James Bond movie, but the producers said they couldn't take her; they really wanted the Sela Ward of 10 years before. "I was only 38," Ward, who's now 51, told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "I felt young and sexy. But in that moment, I understood why a woman might feel driven to lie about her age or get a face-lift. It may sound crazy, but that moment changed my life."

As for how seemingly "perfect" Hollywood stars make you feel about aging, in our Body Talk poll, 62 percent of readers said that they know that stars represent an unrealistic image. Most of the rest of you, 35 percent, said that those "perfect" stars don't affect you at all, while only three percent said, "Um, where's the plastic surgeon's office?"

For aging stars, the stakes have recently gotten even higher, thanks to high-definition cameras. "The facial imperfections and aging signs of TV personalities are now visible to the naked eye," HDTV expert Phillip Swann has said. "Celebrities can no longer shield their shortcomings with favorable lighting, heavy makeup and the fuzzy picture of analog TV."

The precise picture of HD can be mighty cruel. William Shatner, 76, wears plenty of makeup on Boston Legal, but it's very visible in hi-def, Swann says. He also believes that NBC's Today show uses filters on its cameras to hide the wrinkles on 54-year-old Meredith Vieira's face from HD viewers.

Three lovely ladies who are turning 50 this year — Jamie Lee Curtis, Andie MacDowell and Michelle Pfeiffer — prove that age is just a state of mind, no matter what kind of camera they're shot with. In fact, some actresses are even finding new life in their careers as they get older. Helen Mirren, 62, took home an Oscar last year for The Queen — and became a senior sex symbol. Sally Field, 61, is winning raves — and awards — for her role in Brothers & Sisters. "Everyone in Hollywood becomes a victim of age. That's no big revelation," Field told the Contra Costa (Calif.) Times. "The only way to keep going in this business is to keep finding new places in yourself, and as you get older, the places keep changing."

October Road's Laura Prepon — still a youngster at 27 — sees some of these graceful agers as role models. "I look at Helen Mirren, who is stunning, or Meryl Streep… these beauties," Prepon tells TVGuide.com. "You can't stop the age clock. Everybody gets older, and if you're constantly fighting your age, you're going to have a pretty unhappy life. You just have to embrace it." — Nina Hämmerling Smith

What's your take? Does 50 not mean what it used to, in terms of looking "old"? Do stars who choose to age naturally have an advantage or a disadvantage? And just how closely are you looking at those wrinkles when you watch your favorite shows in HDTV?

More in the Body Talk series:
• Photo gallery: Is 50 the New 30?
• Nip/Tuck Isn't Just a TV Show
• Photo gallery: Nip/Tuck Isn't Just a TV Show
• The Skinny on Hollywood's Unreal Ideal
• Photo gallery: The Skinny on Hollywood's Unreal Ideal
• TVGuide.com's Top 20 Beauty Scandals and Stories of 2007
• Photo gallery: Top 10 Hollywood Beauty Scandals & Stories of 2007
• Photo gallery: Top 10 TV Beauty Scandals & Stories of 2007
• Special Preview and Polls

Coming Soon in Body Talk:
• Getting Red-carpet-ready with the Stars
• A Q&A with TV Guide Network's own red-carpet queen, Lisa Rinna

Explore the rituals Hollwyood stars go through to stay looking young in The Black Book of Hollywood Beauty Secrets from Amazon.com.

In Part 3 of TVGuide.com's new Body Talk series, we take a look at stars' nose jobs, tummy tucks and the other procedures they've admitted to having.

Cosmetic surgery is nothing new in the whirlwind of Hollywood trends. Stars young and old have been doing it for years. "Honey, if it's saggin', baggin' or draggin'," Dolly Parton told Larry King, "I'm gonna have it nipped, tucked or sucked." Yeehaw!

And Dolly isn't the only one. Cosmetic surgery is prevalent in Hollywood, and more and more celebrities are discussing their nips and tucks in public. Gene Simmons, 58, and his longtime girlfriend, Shannon Tweed, 50, put their surgical experience on full view when they documented their face-lifts on their reality show, Gene Simmons Family Jewels. Courtney Love, 43, keeps a public record of her cosmetic antics via her blog. And Kathy Griffin, 47, told King that she'd had "a brow-lift, where they take your eyebrows and put them on a completely different part of your head, and you look months younger."

Jane Seymour, 56, recently told People that she got a boob job in anticipation of flashing Owen Wilson in Wedding Crashers. Cameron Diaz, 35, told W she wanted a nose job after a surfing accident because "One side is totally shattered — my septum is basically like a train derailed." Dancing with the Stars pro Karina Smirnoff also had her twice-broken schnoz fixed. Heidi Montag of The Hills has admitted that she was "just thrilled" with her breast augmentation. In perhaps the understatement of the century, Joan Rivers said to the ladies of The View, "I've had a few things done." Tara Reid, 32, discussed her stomach surgery with Us: "I got lipo because even though I was skinny, I wanted — I'm not going to lie — a six-pack."

And it's not just the sisters who are doing it. Plenty of guys in Hollywood are following suit. Even the sneering Simon Cowell, 48, has admitted to using Botox. "Every guy I know... has had it now," he told the U.K.'s Daily Mail. Country star Kenny Rogers, 69, has no qualms about discussing his own plastic surgery, saying the pressures of the entertainment industry are so great he's surprised when he meets a performer who hasn't had work done.

But not everybody's going under the knife. The new James Bond, Daniel Craig, recently made a vow that he'd never have plastic surgery because he didn't want to end up looking like a "freak" or a "lesbian." It may be easy for Craig to say so, since he's only 39, but Sir Anthony Hopkins, 70, also doesn't want to get "work" done. "Leave it alone for heaven's sake," he has said. "Just get old." Adds Cate Blanchett, 38, "Plastic surgery is a sucker-trap. If everyone keeps doing it, it puts more pressure on everybody to do it." Cindy Crawford has been getting Botox and vitamin injections since she was — get this — 29. But she seems to be reevaluating her choices. "I am 41, people," she recently told TV Guide. "I know I look different than I did when I was 20."

At 70, Jane Fonda has also changed sides. She had a breast augmentation many years ago but has had the implants removed and is now speaking out against plastic surgery. "I'm going to try to organize other women in my profession to say no to the 'duck lips' and getting rid of wrinkles. Somebody's gotta give a face to old age!" (When Fonda's 9 to 5 costar Parton heard this quote, by the way, she reportedly quipped, "Well, it ain't gonna be me!")

Our readers seem to be almost evenly divided on the issue. In a recent poll, we asked you if you would ever undergo cosmetic surgery: 44 percent of you responded "No way!" But the rest weren't ruling anything out: Almost 30 percent said "I'd consider it," while another 26 percent were even more gung-ho, answering "Sure, if I could afford it."

On the other hand, you weren't too excited when High School Musical star Ashley Tisdale, 22, got a nose job, allegedly to fix a deviated septum. "I like the way it looks," Tisdale said of her new face, "like when I was a little girl." Only 14 percent of you approved of Tisdale's nose, while 32 percent answered, "Meh. I can take it or leave it." And 54 percent said, "She looks too different now."

"I had a deviated septum fixed this summer," said TVGuide.com reader schrantz. "If I came out looking like this, I would have been pissed!" — Michelle Heller

What's your take? Is getting plastic surgery just a part of the job of being an actor or public person? Do people usually look better or worse after having work done? Should more stars speak out about the procedures they've had, or should it be a matter of "don't ask, don't tell"?

More in the Body Talk series:
• Photo gallery: Is 50 the New 30?
• 50ish (and Up) and Fabulous!
• Photo gallery: Nip/Tuck Is Not Just a TV Show
• The Skinny on Hollywood's Unreal Ideal
• Photo gallery: The Skinny on Hollywood's Unreal Ideal
• TVGuide.com's Top 20 Beauty Scandals and Stories of 2007
• Photo gallery: Top 10 Hollywood Beauty Scandals & Stories of 2007
• Photo gallery: Top 10 TV Beauty Scandals & Stories of 2007
• Special Preview and Polls

Coming soon in Body Talk:
• Getting Red-carpet-ready with the Stars
• A Q&A with TV Guide Network's own red-carpet queen, Lisa Rinna

See what the stars are really having "done" in A Little Nip, a Little Tuck: An Insiders Guide to Cosmetic Enhancement from Amazon.com.

In Part 2 of TVGuide.com's Body Talk series, we investigate how stars respond to the pressures to be thin in Hollywood.

Nowadays, the issue of weight seems to be everywhere. And just like the rest of us, stars come down on all sides of the subject. The controversy over Jennifer Love Hewitt's bikini pictures inspired lots of her peers to speak out on her behalf, including Janice Dickinson, who in the next breath condemned her former colleague with the catty comment, "You want to see someone who's fat? Tyra Banks is fat." Some stars espouse an accept-yourself philosophy, while others are preoccupied with staying thin at all costs.

Some celebrities — like Kate Bosworth, Mary-Kate Olsen, Lindsay Lohan and Keira Knightley — seem to equate a lower number on the scale with success. The good news is that many of these super-slim stars seem to be doing much better lately. Bosworth, for example, appears to be showing off a far healthier physique these days. New Hollywood resident Victoria Beckham shared with Heat magazine that she "became obsessed" with her image. "I would look in the mirror and check the size of my bottom. I began living on vegetables and nothing else. It never occurred to me that I had an eating disorder." But after Posh was diagnosed with a medical condition, she says, "I did start eating more."

Others have spoken out about the unrealistic skinniness trend in Hollywood. Kate Winslet, who was furious with a British magazine's claim that she saw a diet doctor earlier this year, feels strongly about weight obsession. "I will continue to say what I feel about this issue of women being thin and emaciated. It's just out of control," she told People in 2005. "I know that I have a real woman's figure. I refuse to conform. I don't starve myself." Grey's Anatomy star Chandra Wilson is unapologetic for her full figure. And New Jersey native Queen Latifah told Extra that she doesn't play the Hollywood image game: "I lose weight when I feel like it. I never try to lose [it] for someone else," she said.

The constant presence of photographers and gossip-mag stories doesn't help matters. American Idol's Kellie Pickler saw tabloid pictures as a wake-up call and began stocking her dressing room with fruit and vegetables. She advises, "If you don't like your body, quit complaining! Go to the gym."

For most people, going to the gym is a reasonable plan. But sometimes that just isn't enough. Some public personalities, like Today's Al Roker, have spoken out about having had gastric bypass surgery to improve their health. Onetime talk-show host Ricki Lake became half her size by changing her eating habits. Current talk-show queen Oprah Winfrey, whose size has fluctuated dramatically, espoused a healthy-eating, healthy-living philosophy and maintained her weight until a recent thyroid condition slowed down her metabolism.

Though many stars watch their diets, hit the gym and go through major transformations for red-carpet events or post-pregnancy pictures, some get caught up in weight issues for work. Actors like Tom Hanks, Christian Bale, George Clooney, Denzel Washington and Renée Zellweger have all drastically altered their sizes for movie roles. Zellweger, who has packed on the pounds for both Bridget Jones flicks, actually fears a third installment, telling the U.K.'s Daily Mail, "My body is whacked every time we finish one of those. It thinks there's supposed to be a baby and there's no christening."

Wherever the stars come down on the weight issue, one thing's for sure: They're not the only ones feeling the pressure to be thin, and it's not always easy. When we polled readers about whether losing weight was one of your New Year's resolutions, 55 percent of you said, "Yup, just like last year, and the year before that." Another 20 percent of you said you were making the resolution this year. But not everyone's on the get-thin bandwagon: Nearly a quarter of you said losing weight was "never" one of your New Year's resolutions. — Megan Cherkezian

What's your take? Do some celebrities go too far in trying to stay thin? Should more stars speak out like Kate Winslet and Chandra Wilson about accepting your natural size? What's your take on gastric bypass surgery?

More in the Body Talk series:
• Photo gallery: Is 50 the New 30?
• 50ish (and Up) and Fabulous!
• Photo gallery: Nip/Tuck Isn't Just a TV Show
• Nip/Tuck Isn't Just a TV Show
• Photo gallery: The Skinny on Hollywood's Unreal Ideal
• TVGuide.com's Top 20 Beauty Scandals and Stories of 2007
• Photo gallery: Top 10 Hollywood Beauty Scandals & Stories of 2007
• Photo gallery: Top 10 TV Beauty Scandals & Stories of 2007
• Special Preview and Polls

Coming soon in Body Talk:
• Getting Red-carpet-ready with the Stars
• A Q&A with TV Guide Network's own red-carpet queen, Lisa Rinna

Find out all the fascinating details about what stars do to get — and stay — thin in The Black Book of Hollywood Diet Secrets from Amazon.com.

In Part 1 of TVGuide.com's new Body Talk series, we count down the biggest beauty scandals of the year.

You think you've got it bad, what with those holiday pounds you packed on and that fresh batch of New Year's resolutions? Try being a star, with all that plus the heat of the Hollywood spotlight and red-carpet season just around the corner. In 2007, TVGuide.com's editors and readers certainly saw more than a few stars waiver under the pressure of the biz's obsession with perfection, and in this blog we will feature stories and photo galleries on how the "beautiful people" get that way.

Jennifer Love Hewitt is the most recent star to come under fire for her appearance. Lots of fellow celebs have spoken out about the controversy surrounding the unflattering photos of her on the beach showing a little extra "junk in the trunk." Girl Next Door and Hugh Hefner honey Holly Madison told TVGuide.com, "Jennifer Love Hewitt looks amazing.... She has the perfect body for [Playboy]." Supermodel Cindy Crawford also defended the Ghost Whisperer, telling TV Guide, "It was so mean, and there's no reason for it. She wasn't on the beach saying, 'Hey, I think I look fantastic from any angle at any time, so take my picture.' She was just on the beach being herself."

That is pretty much how our readers felt about it in our Body Talk poll. As of Dec. 27, more than 60 percent of you had said J. Love "should be able to visit the beach without cameras following her," and 36 percent said, "What's the big deal? She looks great!" Only three percent said, "Frankly, she should invest in a sarong." As for who's responsible for the story getting so much attention, you point the finger at yourselves: 46 percent said the public is to blame (for consuming and discussing such photos), followed closely, at 35 percent, by the media. "I checked out her photos because of all the discussion on the website," says reader BlueeyedSara. "When I saw them, I did not understand why people were so critical that a star did not look perfectly toned. I thought that, in spite of not being in the right suit for her body, she looked great."

We've divided up the year's 20 biggest stories into two categories: those that happened on TV and those that happened in real life. J. Love was just the tip of the iceberg — without further ado, here are the Top 10 Celebrity Beauty Scandals and Stories of 2007:

10. As part of Dove's campaign celebrating real women, curvy Grey's Anatomy star Sara Ramirez presented the winner of a DIY Dove commercial contest during the Oscars on Feb. 25; Private Practice's Amy Brenneman will be doing the honors at this year's awards.

9. Dancing with the Stars host Samantha Harris gave birth to a baby girl on Sept. 23; two and a half weeks later, she was working out again, and less than a week after that, she was back on the show, looking svelte. Another high-profile mom, Tori Spelling, whose son was born March 13, lost her baby weight — and then some — over a six-month period.

8. Valerie Bertinelli followed in the footsteps of fellow former sitcom star Kirstie Alley in April by becoming the latest celebrity to go on the Jenny Craig plan — and shill for it in a national ad campaign. "I need to do this in front of millions of people," Bertinelli told People, "so I can't mess up."

7. In the September issue of Glamour magazine, Court TV (and former View) host Star Jones admitted — four years after the fact — to having had gastric bypass surgery. She had previously vehemently denied having the procedure, despite losing 160 pounds. "I had spent my entire adult life telling everyone that I was fine with the way I looked," Jones wrote. "But the complete truth is, I was scared of what people might think of me."

6. Simple Lifer Nicole Richie , who earlier in the year had often appeared superthin, said on Aug. 3's Good Morning America that she was willing to gain 40 to 50 pounds to ensure a healthy pregnancy. When asked what she thought when shown pictures of herself looking skeletal, she said, "I see a girl that is obviously going through something and is much too skinny."

5. On Feb. 1, Tyra Banks appeared on her talk show wearing the same bathing suit that, in January, had created a brouhaha about her weight gain. Citing the photo's bad angle and taking a "what's-the-big-deal?" approach, she finished up the hour by saying, "Kiss my fat ass!"

4. Rapper Kanye West's beloved mother, Donda, died on Nov. 10 at age 58 after complications from plastic surgery.

3. A woman known almost entirely for her body — and its many changes over the years — onetime Guess jeans model Anna Nicole Smith died on February 8 of an accidental drug overdose in Florida. The spokeswoman for TrimSpa diet pills was found with human growth hormone and another drug whose side effect is weight loss in her system. When asked by CBS' The Early Show why she had gone on TrimSpa, Smith said, "I wasn't unhappy at all until everybody started ridiculing me so bad."

2. Pictures of a bikini-clad Jennifer Love Hewitt were posted on TMZ on Nov. 28. The site criticized Love, who was frolicking in Hawaii with her fiancé, for her voluptuousness. Love retorted, "A size 2 is not fat! Nor will it ever be. And being a size 0 doesn't make you beautiful.... To all girls with butts, boobs, hips and a waist, put on a bikini — put it on and stay strong."

1. Britney Spears, who has been having perhaps the worst of 2007's many scandal-plagued stars, shaved her own head on Feb. 16 at a Tarzana, California, salon, whose owner says the singer's only reaction was, "My mom is going to freak." On Sept. 9, Spears appeared on the MTV Video Music Awards looking both bedraggled and out of shape.

The beauty scandals and stories influenced the TV airwaves, too! Here are TV's Top 10 Beauty Stories of 2007:

10. 30 Rock, "The Collection," Oct. 18: Having gained weight for a Broadway role, Jenna found herself struggling to keep it on after her new physique gained her a ton of fans.

9. Nip/Tuck, "Dawn Budge II," Nov. 20: On a show that week after week reveals just how changeable the human body can be, plastic surgery magic-maker Sean refused to give his teenage daughter, Annie, liposuction.

8. Ugly Betty, "A League of Their Own," Oct. 25: Proving that men deal with some of the same stereotypes women do, polished, superficial Marc fell for scruffy, chubby photographer Cliff even though he wasn't "his type."

7. Californication, "Hell-A Woman," Aug. 20: Awash in a sea of fake boobs (many of which he had enjoyed), Hank told nonmodified, 40-something-year-old Sonja, "You just might be the most beautiful woman I've seen in a long time."

6. Gossip Girl, "Blair Waldorf Must Pie!," Nov. 28: Blair had a dramatic relapse of bulimia after learning that her controlling mother forbade her father from joining them at Thanksgiving.

5. America's Next Top Model, "The Girls Who Crawl," Nov. 7: Sarah Hartshorne was eliminated from the competition after being criticized for losing weight. She is only the latest plus-size ANTM hopeful to make an early exit from the competition.

4. The Office, "The Job," May 17: Michael took Jan back, despite his better judgment, after she got a seriously inflated boob job.

3. Mad Men, "The Wheel," Oct. 18: On the season finale, Peggy's weight gain turned out to be caused by... a completely unexpected pregnancy.

2. Grey's Anatomy, "My Favorite Mistake," March 22: Severely disfigured accident victim Ava chose her post-reconstructive-surgery face with help from love-interest Alex.

1. Dancing with the Stars, Oct. 23: Mark Cuban was sent home after losing 25 pounds during the run of the show; Marie Osmond, who came in third place in the competition, lost 31 pounds and 5 inches from her waist. — Nina Hämmerling Smith

What's your take? Who had the biggest beauty meltdown in 2007? Which of our Top 10 TV storyline had you talking most? Who else would you add to our list? Which celebrities are heading for beauty scandals next year?

More in the Body Talk series:
• Photo gallery: Is 50 the New 30?
• 50ish (and Up) and Fabulous!
• Photo gallery: Nip/Tuck Isn't Just a TV Show
• Nip/Tuck Isn't Just a TV Show
• The Skinny on Hollywood's Unreal Ideal
• Photo gallery: The Skinny on Hollywood's Unreal Ideal
• Photo gallery: Top 10 Hollywood Beauty Scandals & Stories of 2007
• Photo gallery: Top 10 TV Beauty Scandals & Stories of 2007
• Special Preview and Polls

Coming soon in Body Talk:
• Getting Red-carpet-ready with the Stars
• A Q&A with TV Guide Network's own red-carpet queen, Lisa Rinna

Check out more of Hollywood's most outrageous and photographable celebrities in Glamour Girls from Amazon.com.

Jennifer Love Hewitt isn't the only star whose body has come under scrutiny this year — she's only the latest. Hollywood's obsession with beauty can lead celebrities to do everything from going under the knife to getting gastric bypass surgery. And while the ladies are more likely to endure the pressures of being "perfect," plenty of gents have taken steps to look younger, thinner, more camera-ready. Though some, like talk-show king Jerry Springer, haven't thought much about body image. "I can honestly say that I haven't had any pressure," says Springer. "Not on my body. I have a shape — but my shape is a circle."

We want to hear what you have to say about all things Body Talk! Check out our polls:

Who is to blame for something like the Jennifer Love bikini pics story spiraling out of control and into the headlines? Vote here.

What's your own take on the Jennifer Love bikini pics? Vote here.

Is losing weight one of your New Year's resolutions? Vote here.

How do "perfect" Hollywood stars make you feel about aging? Vote here.

Would you ever undergo cosmetic surgery? Vote here.


And tell us: What do you think about plastic surgery? Would you ever get it? Do stars who are super-thin freak you out? What about celebrities who have gastric bypass surgery? Can actresses who choose to "age naturally" still find good roles in Hollywood? And how far would you go to make sure you looked good on the red carpet?