So I vowed to give 90210 another chance a few weeks ago, because it was created by Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars) and because I adore Tristan Wilds from The Wire and want to see him succeed in his next venture. However, I ended up turning off the TV only 20 minutes into the second episode. Not because it was bad — though it was, but because the lead characters played by Shenae Grimes, Jessica Stroup, and AnnaLynne McCord (who I loved in Nip/Tuck) are simply too thin to bear watching. Here’s the thing. I was as thin as Shannon Doherty and Jennie Garth from the original series in high school. No, let me correct myself. I should say that I was as thin as Brenda and Kelly in high school, because it was possible to be as thin as they were without starving yourself. I don’t believe that the new series female regulars are actually anorexic. But I am certain that they are starving themselves and over-exercising to look the way that they do. They probably feel that being extremely thin is the price that girls must pay to be on TV. However, if they’re meant to represent the high school ideal, then they are sending the wrong message to girls across America as we speak: that it is more important to be underweight than to be smart, that extreme thinness attracts both boys and popularity. And though I tend not judge TV — it is after all, TV. I cannot condone that message. And If I were a parent of impressionable girls, I might allow them to watch The Wire, but I wouldn’t allow them to watch this. What strikes me as especially interesting about this situation is that my new favorite high...