By: Carla, San Jose, California
A.B. Replies: The answer, as usual, lies in science. In their meager little minds, female stars can never be petite or skinny enough. Ever. However, they can only starve themselves for so long before their internal organs start turning on themselves in an acid-soaked feeding frenzy (so not fun). So, when the Mischas and Hilarys and Nicoles have fasted as much as they can--or when they realize their Tab Energy and air diets are no longer working--they turn to strategic shrinking poses. The most popular of these is the Widdle Girl.
Starlets especially heart the Widdle. First, as I've already said, it makes many a body part simply seem to shrivel up and blow away. For example, Mandy Moore's ass appears to take up negative space.
Apparently, the Widdle can even shrink feet, making Paris Hilton's size 11s look like normal-size hooves.
"Paris will actually cross her legs while standing and turn her toes inward," stylist Colleen Abrie tells this B!tch. "The reason is her feet are really long. She takes that stance so you never see her feet parallel with the eye of the camera."
However, while the physical impressions are important, the psychological ones are even more so. When done properly, the Widdle throws out a calculated signal: This person--this harpy-hearted, puma-clawed wolverine of a starlet who has squashed dozens of rivals just so she could walk the red carpet at a Mark Jacobs store opening--is harmless.
The rise of the Widdle has not been lost on our beady-eyed feminists. In an article in Vanity Fair, Naomi Wolf noted Paris' pigeon-toed poses: "She's managed to create a construct that's completely, explicitly sexually available and completely naive and innocent and girlish at the same time, which is very soothing. It's almost like white noise in an overstimulated environment."
Absolutely! Like an American Girl dolly, only with her own sex tape.
"Paris Hilton is like a palate cleanser," Wolf says. "You can project absolutely anything onto her, which is the perfect situation for branding."
Lastly, the Widdle may reflect some unresolved issues.
"A lot of the young women pose doing a little girl act," says Abrie. "It just means she isn't comfortable or grown up yet, nor is she refined and ladylike. It's a dumb blonde, little girl thing, like Renée Zellweger in Chicago, which fit the part."