Dangerous Curves Ahead . . .

It's pretty hard to believe it, but the woman pictured above was recently called fat on the red carpet.

Christina Hendricks is not a size 0. She's not even a 2, and to be any bigger than that and expect to be an actress in Hollywood is almost impossible these days. But, look at this woman. She's a knockout, a bombshell, a Marilyn Monroe with fiery red hair. She's shaped like--gasp!--a woman. And, she's on a hit television show to boot.

I was introduced to Christina Hendricks as many geeks like myself were: I first saw her as the kickass con-woman Saffron on Joss Whedon's fabulous Firefly.

I remember thinking, "A redhead who's gorgeous and can also act! Fabulous! Represent, girlfriend!"(don't worry: I only said this inwardly.) Then, I didn't see her for awhile, and suddenly Mad Men pops up. There she is again, as the incredible Joan Holloway, sashaying through that office and typing memos with panache. I was glad to see her again, working it for redheads everywhere. And suddenly, all anyone can talk about is the way she fits into her costumes.

Nobody was talking about January Jones like that. You didn't see any headlines mentioning Elizabeth's Moss' dress size. And while most articles and interviews were good enough to mention her performance, they always, nearly without fail, talked about her size.

Sometimes they were complimentary in an almost relieved way. "Finally! A woman shaped like the rest of us!" Sometimes, not so much. But, this recent incident where a photographer called her fat and a blogger for a major newspaper seemed to endorse this comment is almost too much to bear.

Does anyone think this looks fat?

I challenge you to find a man out there who would kick her out of bed for being a "big girl".

Maybe I'm overly-sensitive to this subject: as an actress who's always been a "big girl" myself, I get tired of being considered for the mother, or the aunt, or the best friend. I look around auditions and see little rail-thin beauties who look like the first stiff wind would blow them away and it makes me want to throw my uneaten lunch in the trash. But, why should I? Christina Hendricks is beautiful, and a talented actress on a hit show, and her curves are an accessory, not a character trait. I love her for having them, but I sure do wish people would stop talking about them.