We follow their diets, read their lifestyle tips and pore over their designer outfits in magazines. But can we really model our lives after our favorite celebrities? And will we be happier if we do? Stuck in a personal slump, Rachel Bertsche (MWF Seeking BFF) decided to find out.
Jennifer, Gwyneth & Me chronicles Bertsche's attempt to make over her life by following the wisdom of various celebrity role models. She starts with Jennifer Aniston's workouts, and moves on to Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook, Jennifer Garner's marriage and Julia Roberts's brand of Zen (for starters). As Bertsche sweats to workout videos, whips up gag-inducing green smoothies and even wears a purple tutu in public, she muses on the lure of celebrity culture and the recent shift toward treating movie stars as lifestyle experts. She also shares another, deeply personal struggle: the long, nerve-racking journey toward pregnancy and motherhood.
Of course, Bertsche can't emulate her favorite stars exactly: many celebrity indulgences aren't accessible on a middle-class budget. And while trying Gwyneth's recipes and Julia's meditation routine is fun for a few weeks, it's impossible to maintain multiple celebrity regimens in the long run. But Bertsche's project does yield a few nuggets of wisdom, plus some workout and fashion tips, which she's happy to share with fellow celebrity wannabes.
Funny, engaging and wise, Bertsche's journey reflects both the cultural obsession with our favorite stars and the real-life quest of every woman to be happy, healthy and fulfilled. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams