'Lollipop Head' Starlets Start Fashion Trend
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Who would have guessed that stick figures who appear to have larger-than-life craniums would become the hottest trendsetters in Hollywood?
Starlets like Mary-Kate Olsen (search), Lindsay Lohan (search) and Nicole Richie (search) have been dubbed "Lollipop Heads" because of their tiny bodies and propensity toward wearing disproportionately large designer sunglasses, such as the ones made by Gucci and Marc Jacobs, as well as swimmingly oversized "boho" clothing.
"It's a chic young Hollywood style and it is all credited to Mary-Kate Olsen. That is who everyone is dressing like and that is what everyone wants to look like," said John Eshaya, vice president of women's clothing for Fred Segal (search) in Los Angeles, where pals Lohan and Richie regularly shop.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Unlike other pin-thin celebrities' styles, the Lollipop Heads' fashions are suitable for most body types, which explains some of the look's popularity.
After all, toting around a jumbo Balenciaga bag while wearing a loosely fitting frock and Coke bottle-sized sunglasses can make anyone look like a shrinky dink.
"There are a couple things I like about this new style, but the whole blond hair and being extremely skinny is not one of them," said 16-year-old Brooke Butler, from Boca Raton, Fla.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I do love the accessories, like the big necklaces and cowboy boots. I own a pair of oversized Chanel sunglasses. So does my sister, who is really into fashion."
While Mary-Kate Olsen is the brunette half of the Olsen team, blond hair does seem to be part of the style (Lohan and Richie have both dramatically lightened their hair in recent months.)
But Eshaya said you don't need a tiny waist to rock this look.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"You could be totally tiny or a big girl to wear this style. Either you're hiding it because you are too skinny or because you are fuller. Either way it is cute," he said, adding that customers Lohan and Richie look both "fresh and healthy."
Though many are praising this new style, others are concerned about the thinness that appears to be its centerpiece.
The Web site feedlindsay.com has collected over 30,000 signatures petitioning the 19-year-old "Herbie: Fully Loaded" star to go back to her voluptuous self. The Web site even sells T-shirts that read "FEED LINDSAY" and "HEROIN CHIC WENT OUT IN THE 90'S."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}And just as Mary-Kate Olsen battled anorexia, many worry that Richie and Lohan are also suffering from an eating disorder, as they have dwindled down to little more than skin and bones.
Back in February, Richie topped the scale at 97 pounds while weighing herself on "The Howard Stern Show."
Since then, "The Simple Life" star's bones have begun to protrude, leading many to speculate that the 5-foot-2 bride-to-be's weight is around 90 pounds.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Well, she's anorexia by weight. I don't know if she has lost her period or if she's starving herself, but I would suspect she's anorexic. Until she collapses nobody is going to notice it as much," said Dr. Susan Ice, vice president and clinical director for The Renfrew Center (search), an eating disorder clinic in Pennsylvania.
"When you can see their bones and their ribs and their spinal cord sticking out, you know something is wrong," added Ice.
Ice also fears that these painfully thin celebrities are sending the wrong message to their young fans.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I think these skinny celebrities are definitely causing our young folks to diet, and dieting in pre-adolescent girls is the single most contributing factor to anorexia," she said.
Both Richie and Lohan have denied that they are starving themselves (Lohan said she lost her baby fat by eating right and exercising, and Richie said she had put on weight and is now back to her naturally skinny self.)
But real girls confirm that young women are dieting to look like their favorite stars.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I have so many friends who look to the stars for their entire style. I know so many people who look at Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie and feel like they have to look like them," said Butler.
"My one friend was in love with Lindsay Lohan and started dieting pretty badly and we had to give her talks to try to help," Butler added. "She was already blonde and added even more highlights to her hair."
Lohan and Richie have become fashion icons in recent months for better or for worse. And as their styles become more and more en vogue, the twiggy twosome's popularity is sure to escalate, making the "Lollipop Heads" anything but publicity Dum-Dums.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But whether they are shelling out the big bucks for designer duds or starving themselves to perfection, these stars are paying a high price for fame.