Fw: Mariel Hemingway and her Ruptured Breast Implants

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----- Original Message ----- From: ilena rose

Sent: Tuesday, January 28, 2003 8:16 AM

Subject: Mariel Hemingway and her Ruptured Breast Implants

http://www.portlandtribune.com/archview.cgi?id=15796

EXCERPT: The subject of gurus seems 180 degrees from the topic of breast implants, but Hemingway says that both issues have played a part in who she is today. The broad-shouldered beauty got breast implants at 19 as a way to convince Bob Fosse — and herself — of her femininity. Fosse, the director of “Star 80,” the story of murdered Playboy playmate Dorothy Stratten, initially rejected Hemingway for the role, saying her build was too boyish for the part. “It’s a shame that I did it, but no one could have stopped me,” she says. “I didn’t feel feminine, so I thought, ‘I’ll just go buy it.’ ” Hemingway had the implants removed several years ago after they ruptured. “I guess it was just part of my journey,” she says. “I had to learn that femininity has nothing to do with your bust size.”

Hemingway takes the Eastern path to well-being For this actress mom, yoga is the antidote to a turbulent legacy BY JILL SPITZNASS Issue date: 1/28/2003 The Tribune

“My journey has been discovering that I’m exactly where I am for a reason,” says Mariel Hemingway, tucking her long legs underneath her in a suite at the Heathman Hotel. In Portland to read from her new book, “Finding My Balance,” Hemingway reflects on her struggle to find peace despite her family’s notorious heritage of mental instability, substance abuse and suicide. Hemingway’s father, Jack, was the son of famed author Ernest Hemingway, who killed himself only months before the 41-year-old actress was born. She grew up a witness to her parents’ loveless marriage and her two older sisters’ self-destructive behavior. (Muffet now lives in Idaho, and Margaux committed suicide in 1996). In “Finding My Balance,” Hemingway tells the story of her unhappy childhood and her attempt to escape it through acting, and how she turned to yoga as a means of finding her center as the rest of her life spun out of control. She begins each chapter by describing a particular yoga pose, using the specific challenge it presents as a metaphor for a period in her life. For example, an explanation of “rabbit pose” and its nurturing qualities calls up her thoughts on having to learn to parent herself, something she says her mother was incapable of doing. Hemingway, husband Crisman and their two teenage daughters live in Los Angeles, but they spend summers in her hometown of Ketchum, Idaho, where she owns a yoga studio. “I live a blessedly normal life, in that I make my daughters’ breakfast, pick them up from school and take them to track and dance class,” Hemingway says. She says the normalcy was decades in the making. “In my 20s, I just wanted everyone to like me. In my 30s, I was starting to figure it out, but still had a lot of self-doubt. Now, in my 40s, it feels like I’m in an easier, gentler place.”

Meditation is key

Once compulsive about diet and exercise, Hemingway now credits yoga and meditation for giving her the peace to gracefully navigate her life. “I used to control my life through how little I ate and how much I exercised,” she says. “Meditation and yoga remind me that I have no control. Of course, discipline is still important to me, but I’ve also learned to let life take me where it’s going to go. Being centered and present allows me to go along with that process.” Hemingway, who was remarkably convincing as a pentathlete in the 1982 film “Personal Best,” now says that where she once demanded daily two-hour workouts from herself, she now is able to skip a day of yoga without too much self-flagellation. Her twice-daily meditation practice, however, is a given. “Meditation is where I hold reverence,” she says. “It’s an essential part of who I am.” In her book, Hemingway discusses her involvement with a group called the Self-Realization Fellowship, whose disciples follow the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda. The author of “Autobiography of a Yogi,” Yogananda died in 1952, after having played a major role in introducing yoga to the United States. Wearing a symbolic arm bracelet of twisted gold and copper, Hemingway says she considers Yogananda her guru and expresses her devotion to him — and ultimately God, she says — via Kriya yoga and meditation.

‘I’ll just go buy it’

The subject of gurus seems 180 degrees from the topic of breast implants, but Hemingway says that both issues have played a part in who she is today. The broad-shouldered beauty got breast implants at 19 as a way to convince Bob Fosse — and herself — of her femininity. Fosse, the director of “Star 80,” the story of murdered Playboy playmate Dorothy Stratten, initially rejected Hemingway for the role, saying her build was too boyish for the part. “It’s a shame that I did it, but no one could have stopped me,” she says. “I didn’t feel feminine, so I thought, ‘I’ll just go buy it.’ ” Hemingway had the implants removed several years ago after they ruptured. “I guess it was just part of my journey,” she says. “I had to learn that femininity has nothing to do with your bust size.” She admits to being underwhelmed by supermodel Christy Turlington’s recently released book, “Living Yoga.” “What’s that about?” she asks, referring to the lofty spiritual tone that Turlington takes in her book. “It’s hard work to get through it. I want people to read my book and see how it relates to their life.” Hemingway also is annoyed by critics who cast her as just another celebrity who’s jumped on the yoga bandwagon: “Sure it bothers me — I’ve been doing yoga forever.” After appearing in 23 movies since her acclaimed debut in the 1976 film, “Lipstick,” Hemingway will step behind the camera for her next project. “I’m going to direct the film adaptation of my grandfather’s book ‘A Moveable Feast,’ ” she says. “ Bob Thornton is my co-producer.” Despite the talent and beauty that have engendered success, Hemingway appreciates the doors that her legendary surname has opened for her. “It’s a beautiful legacy to be a part of, one that allows me to connect with people around the world,” she says. “I use it, and I honor it.”

Contact Jill Spitznass at jspitznass@....

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