Winslet shields child from ultra-thin models

LONDON — Kate Winslet finds the glamorization of ultra-thin models and actresses disturbing and says she keeps magazines featuring such women away from her 6-year-old daughter.

1. More Entertainment stories
   1. Will Smith shines in 'Men in Black III'
      

      REVIEW: If you're not a fan of Will Smith's smooth-talking Agent J in the "Men in Black" franchise, don't see the third mo...

   2. Can WWII film hidden by Army help veterans?
   3. Happy 35th anniversary, 'Star Wars'!
   4. Tim McGraw giving homes, hope to veterans
   5. Phillip Phillips has a double double name name

“It’s only a matter of time before she becomes aware of it, and it frightens the life out of me,” Winslet said of her daughter, Mia.

Winslet, who is married to director Sam Mendes, said girls are so impressionable from age 11 up to 20.

“They’re trying to figure out who they are, and they want to be loved, and what I resent is that there is an image of perfection that is getting thinner and thinner, and it’s truly upsetting to me,” Winslet told British Broadcasting Corp. television’s “Sunday AM” program.

Stick-thin celebrities like Kate Moss, Nicole Richie and Victoria Beckham have been criticized as poor role models for young women and accused of contributing to the rise in eating disorders. A major fashion event in Madrid, Spain, banned ultra-thin models from the catwalk earlier this year, and other shows have indicated they plan to do the same.

The 31-year-old Winslet, who burst on the movie scene in “Titanic” and stars in the current romantic comedy “The Holiday,” said she hoped her success will be an inspiration to others.

“I hope that in some small way I’m able to say, ‘I’m a normal person, I’m doing all right.’ I’ve got a lovely husband and children and I didn’t lose weight to find those things, and those things are what should be important.”