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Chris Pratt is on a diet. He's been here before, having posted the gym-selfie-seen-round-the-world when he first bulked up for Guardians of the Galaxy, and since then kept up that buff bod for the sequel and, now, Jurassic World 2. All his food comes in individualized packages, which is public knowledge because he keeps posting about it in a series called #WHATSMYSNACK on Instagram. (Along with #jurassic2, just in case we forget that he's doing this all for a very specific, well-paid purpose). The diet itself, however, doesnt appear to be paying him. Theres no #ad in the caption. Yet.
As a super-buff movie star who started as a shaggy comedian, Pratt has spent the last week pulling back the veil of celebrity diets in a way only hea man with a sense of humor and only a fraction of the pressure to be slim that women experiencecan do. His snacks are gingerly labeled snack, for clarity in good times but especially for clarity under the duress of a diet-addled mind. In the Instagram videos, he gets progressively more unhinged, obsessing over crumbs and even sharing a moment of weakness when he cant help but devour an olive oil pistachio cake intended for the next day. He sweats. His under-eye circles are deep and dark. Hes unable to keep his cool around a Fuji apple. These are all familiar tropes of dieting, played for laughs by the once-chubby Andy Dwyer.
And then comes the flood. The body-shamers descend, calling the actor too thin. He posts a not today, haters type of Instagram, except the photo is of a literal skeleton from a Tyrannosaurus rex head. Well, just because I am a male doesn't mean I'm impervious to your whispers. Body shaming hurts, Pratt wrote in the caption. So to prove my security in the way I look I'm posting a current selfie of me at what I consider a very healthy weight. 500lbs. Zero percent body fat. Totally JK guys. This is a T Rex skull. Nailed you so bad. Omg.
WHATSMYSNACK is effectively a brand building effort that helps hone his Hey, Chris Pratt here anchorman persona on his preferred platforms, Snapchat and Instagram. The series was likely born out of those film experiences, as Pratt tries to get out ahead of all the diet questionsor the actors adept understanding that people and fans are fascinated by actors and actress bulking up or slimming down. He cant repeat the gym selfie that made the Internet double-take with Chris Pratt has a muscle; what? incredulity, and this method is more authentic to his goofy-guy brand anyway.
As much as hes being tongue-in-cheek and owning it, Pratt is part of the familiar cycle no one can really avoid. A celebrity goes on a diet or flaunts his or her body in some way; shamers come through; celebrity says he or she is proud and gets to appear more human and also mentally strong. Its not a great cycle, maybe, but it is a familiar one. Pratt doesn't have the power to change it, but in making fun of it, he makes it a bit more tolerable. (Even if hes still hungry.)
Continued here:
Chris Pratt Spent a Week Parodying Celebrity Diets (While Dieting) - Vanity Fair
