Diana looks sick on the cover of the 50th Anniversary set

[carlo]

Does anyone else agree? I always noticed that in this particular shot, Diana looks sick. Now that I have the 50th Anniversary set, I'm noticing it even more. She was dangerously skinny. You can see her pelvic bones sticking out. Her waist is also really small. Her face is beautiful in this photo, but she doesn't look healthy.

Not trying to stir the pot, but just making an observation. I always felt that it's a miracle that Diana is still with us today. She was far too thin.

[Glenpwood]

I dont think she's unhealthy in that pic by any means. She always was a skinny girl, it was just her metabolism in thise days. Dancing and swaying in heavy beaded gowns for hundreds of hours of rehearsal and performance helped too. Im sure if Diana had even remotely possessed an eating disorder all those writing books wouldve thrown it into the mix......

[marv2]

I have to agree with Carlo. This is one time where I think it was a mistake to have her standing next to Florence and Mary. They look GREAT. She looks weird!

[carlo]

Diana did not have any sort of eating disorder that was deliberate or intentional on her part. However, in her book "Secrets of a Sparrow", I seem to recall where she says something along the lines of, "I don't know if I had an eating disorder. Maybe I did. I could not stand the smell of food." Correct me if I'm wrong. She says it was all the stress that caused her to be so skinny. When I watch the footage of her on Sullivan when they perform "Love Child", she also looks unhealthy. Same with the performance of "In And Out of Love" in Sweden, from the Reflections DVD.

[marv2]

If a person looked like that today, they would say it was because of drugs....crack! I remember all the talk that went on when Whitney Houston appeared on a tribute program to Michael Jackson and she was about as skinny as Ross is here!

[jeff9nyc]

If a person looked like that today, they would say it was because of drugs....crack! I remember all the talk that went on when Whitney Houston appeared on a tribute program to Michael Jackson and she was about as skinny as Ross is here!

Yes, but Whitney WAS on crack and Diana had an eating disorder brought about by nerves and overwork. So I don't understand the point of your comment?

[jobeterob]

The part that looks sick is the hairdo. Not appealing.

I wouldn't have chosen that particular picture for the cover.

What is critical about that set is the track by track analysis and for historians, setting out who sings on what songs, Andantes, Supremes, etc..............particularly the notes about the single release of Stop in the Name of Love with the Andantes.

[marv2]

Yes, but Whitney WAS on crack and Diana had an eating disorder brought about by nerves and overwork. So I don't understand the point of your comment?



You may be right Jeff, although Diane denies having an eating disorder at that time. Drugs were around in the sixties ya know. That is not to say that she was using, but there was something going on there because both Florence and Mary had to also endure the same grueling performance schedule that is the point I am making.

[franjoy56]

it is "Stop n the name of Love" with the Supremes and the Andantes, and yes Diana was thin and terribly overworked thanks to Berry.

[floyjoy678]

All 3 Supremes seemed to have handled their stress differently, Diana: not eating, Flo: drinking but it seems Mary handled it the best out of the three of them and didn't seem to affect her or cause any problems for her. A quote from Mary from a recent interview "It affected the three of us differently, but I was just out having myself a good old time".

[marv2]

All 3 Supremes seemed to have handled their stress differently, Diana: not eating, Flo: drinking but it seems Mary handled it the best out of the three of them and didn't seem to affect her or cause any problems for her. A quote from Mary from a recent interview "It affected the three of us differently, but I was just out having myself a good old time".

I believe that is why Mary is still able to travel and tour the World today without much problem at all at her age! Some people were just made for it.

[uptight]

Ross is the only one in this picture turned fully to the side. So anyone will look skinnier in a photograph this way. That's the idea of posing that way. Plus the washed out bright parts of the image makes her belly disappear. The more you stare at it, though, she does look grotesque. LOL

[Constantin]

I have to agree with Carlo. This is one time where I think it was a mistake to have her standing next to Florence and Mary. They look GREAT. She looks weird!

The three girls don't look at their best mainly because the picture was heavily edited. Their smiles, their teeth and their lipstick are completely unnatural. And the wigs don't help: they seem to scream "fake!". Are they women or dolls?

[BigAl]

Diane was the very definition of "Type-A." She was relentlessly self-driven. This will use up lots of energy and many Type-A folks are very thin as a result. By my reckoning, this photo was probably taken in late 1966 — a period when she was at her thinnest. Things were falling apart within the group by that time, she and Flo were squaring off, the group was touring constantly [[approaching slave labor, or a forced march, apparently). Under stress, some people will lose their appetites and sleep poorly while others will stuff themselves and take to bed. Diane obviously was of the former inclination, but I would not say she was anorexic/bulimic or anything like that. If you'll notice, all her form-fitting stage outfits were padded in back, and during the DRATS years when most of the stage outfits were high-necked, many were also padded a bit in front to make her appear curvier and less angular. Other photos from this session were heavily retouched but none so ridiculously as this one.

[blueskies]

While they were so busying 'retouching' that photo....they should have filled in that driveway down the middle of Diana's head. Her hair/wig has the 'beginnings' of Mickey Mouse ears!

[luke]

I seem to remember that too Carlo from her book.

[marv2]

Ross is the only one in this picture turned fully to the side. So anyone will look skinnier in a photograph this way. That's the idea of posing that way. Plus the washed out bright parts of the image makes her belly disappear. The more you stare at it, though, she does look grotesque. LOL

See you said that [["grotesque"), I did not say that! hehehehehehehehe.........

[marv2]

The three girls don't look at their best mainly because the picture was heavily edited. Their smiles, their teeth and their lipstick are completely unnatural. And the wigs don't help: they seem to scream "fake!". Are they women or dolls?

That picture is not that edited. I've seen and had that picture for years. It appeared in a nostaglia magazine back in the mid-80's. Everything you mentioned and label "fake" were customary things the Supremes employed to get their "look". It wasn't even that heavy in this pic. Go look at the peformance of "Reflections" on the "Hollywood Palace" if you want to see extreme.

[marv2]

While they were so busying 'retouching' that photo....they should have filled in that driveway down the middle of Diana's head. Her hair/wig has the 'beginnings' of Mickey Mouse ears!

Stiop it! You are killing me! LOL!!!!!!! I was thinking that she may have been wearing Mickey Mouse ears underneath for another shoot. Perhaps "The Supremes sing Disney".........hehehehehehe,.

[luke]

And it makes me think how Florence is same as Beyonce or a bit thinner, yet they used that as a reason to kick her out!

[jobeterob]

Likely the more relevant point was she was an alcoholic that stopped showing up for work regularly. It could have been an issue, doncha think??? How about Beyonce is a massive superstar where Florence was a background singer?

Oh what we don't wanna see.

[marv2]

Likely the more relevant point was she was an alcoholic that stopped showing up for work regularly. It could have been an issue, doncha think??? How about Beyonce is a massive superstar where Florence was a background singer?

Oh what we don't wanna see.

Florence was never fat while in the Supremes or arrested for DUI in Arizona.........

[carlo]

How about Beyonce is a massive superstar where Florence was a background singer?

Oh what we don't wanna see.

I would like to say to both Jobeterob and Marv: Please do not turn this into another thread that ends up disrespecting The Supremes and the memory of Florence Ballard. Rob, perhaps you do not necessarily believe that Flo was a star [[because as you like to say week after week, the public only remembers Motown's five biggest stars), but I believe she was and still is a star. If The Supremes had been Diana, Mary and a different lady, I can guarantee you that the musical and movie "Dreamgirls", which has won many awards in Hollywood and grossed millions of dollars...I can guarantee you it WOULDN'T have happened. Say what you want, but Flo is a star. She inspired "Dreamgirls", amongst many other things. Jennifer Hudson even acknowledged this during the 2007 Golden Globes. There are fans out there who will continue to make attempts to "re-write history"...but let me tell you...they are only re-writing history in their own minds. You may think she was only a background singer, but history shows us that she was so much more. Please respect that.

[BigAl]

While they were so busying 'retouching' that photo....they should have filled in that driveway down the middle of Diana's head. Her hair/wig has the 'beginnings' of Mickey Mouse ears!
Since their stage outfits always had to be identical, headgear was one way each could assert her individuality, and it was always fun to see who would wear the most outlandish wig. Mary and Flo would sometimes outdo Diane with odd ones. It just happened that the two of them went more traditional for this particular shoot.

[loveblind]

I always say Diana Ross and Martha Reeves were the skinniest women on the planet...But these were the days of the very popular model Twiggy, so this was very cool during the 60's

[luke]

Remember that Supremes coke ad with the ladies posing at some stadium? All three look seriously thin[[with Cindy).

[marv2]

Elvis Presley, John Lennon and Florence Ballard. Other than them no longer being with us, what do these three people have in common? They are all Popular Music Legends!

[captainjames]

Actually back then, Diana's look would appear very Chic. In fact in this photo I don't know why but she always reminded me of Joan Crawford. The good part about the photo is they were three unique individuals and it always shined through. I would not say that any girl dealt with the stress or day to day routine any better than the other. Diana, Mary and Flo had their demons and dealt with them differently.

[randy_russi]

She looks absolutely adorable! This was the look we saw on TV sooooo many times in the mid-60s.