What was it about the Star System that affected Judy Garland?

How the Star System affected Judy Garland

The Star System made the public believe that their "Stars" were the image of perfection and was the epitome of the "American Dream". This affected Judy Garland because she was not considered as beautiful as her rivals such as Lana Turner. Louis B Mayer referred to her as his little hunchback girl. This affected her self esteem and caused her weight fluxuations over her life.

"Her physical appearance created a dilemma for MGM. At only 4 feet 11.5 inches (151.1 cm), her "cute" or "girl next door" looks did not exemplify the more glamorous persona required of leading ladies of the time. She was self-conscious and anxious about her appearance. "Judy went to school at Metro with Ava Gardner, Lana Turner, Elizabeth Taylor, real beauties," said Charles Walters, who directed her in a number of films. "Judy was the big money-maker at the time, a big success, but she was the ugly duckling ... I think it had a very damaging effect on her emotionally for a long time. I think it lasted forever, really...Her insecurity was exacerbated by the attitude of studio chief Louis B. Mayer, who referred to her as his "little hunchback."

Also the rigorous schedule of filming movies and promoting them left stars feel tired and so the studios would encourage them to take pills such as Barbiturates which she eventually died from an overdose of along with other famous stars such as Marylin Monroe.

"To keep up with the frantic pace of making one film after another, Garland, Rooney, and other young performers were constantly given amphetamines as well as barbiturates to take before going to bed. For Garland, this regular dose of drugs led to addiction and a lifelong struggle and contributed to her eventual demise. She later resented the hectic schedule and felt that her youth had been stolen from her by MGM. Despite successful film and recording careers, awards, critical praise and her ability to fill concert halls worldwide, she was plagued throughout her life with self-doubt and required constant reassurance that she was talented and attractive".

In the studios efforts to try and create the perfect Hollywood image they didn't realise it would come at a cost. The most poignant example is Judy Garland. The studios treated her as an ugly duckling and over worked her to the point that she had to use drugs to wake up and go to sleep. The Star System did not just control what she did but in the end who she was; with low self esteem and a drug problem.







Information from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judy_Garland