TAKING a break from filming her latest movie, Gwyneth Paltrow walked inyo the lobby of a smart hotel in downtown New York and was ignored.

It's the sort of place where the Oscar-winning actress would usually be mobbed by fans but, because she didn't look her usual glamorous self, she passed by unnoticed.

In fact, Paltrow was wearing a fat suit a latex creation that bulked her willowy frame up to obese proportions for her role in the new comedy, Shallow Hal.

The movie charts the relationship between the eponymous hero and Rosemary, a 300lb wallflower played by Paltrow. Hal is only interested in women with perfect looks but, after being hypnotised by a self-help guru into seeing only inner beauty, he falls for Rosemary. She's the sort of girl who breaks chairs when she sits down and empties the water out of swimming pools when she dives in, but Hal thinks she's sylph-like.

The Farrelly brothers are best-known for their outrageous film, There's Something About Mary, but, while their latest offering promises plenty of humour, it has a serious message women shouldn't be judged simply by their body shape.

It seems an odd choice for Paltrow, who weighs only eight-and-a-half stones, and, in order to get to grips with the character of Rosemary, she decided to wear the fat suit out and about in New York. She was taken aback by the reaction, or rather lack of reaction, she received.

"I was nervous about being found out, but when I actually walked around, nobody would make eye contact with me. If you get a sense of somebody being slightly outside what we would consider normal, you think it's polite not to look, but actually, it's incredibly isolating," she explains.

But law student Laura Mulholland is proof that you don't have to be a size eight to be glamorous. Last year, the 20-year-old, from Brompton, near Northallerton, won the 16+ Model of the Year Competition run by Woman magazine and clothing retailer Evans. If you open a copy of the Evans catalogue, you'll see her striking poses as she models the latest ranges.

Laura, who is a size 18, says she's never felt the need to diet. "I know a lot of people do feel pressure to lose weight but, to be honest, it's not something I really think about. I think it all depends on how you feel about yourself and that's not just a weight issue. There are plenty of people out there who are thin but they're still unhappy with the way they look."

Even Paltrow insists she knows what it's like to be self-conscious about her body.

"As a woman I obviously have things about myself I'm insecure about. When every angle of you body is scrutinised all the time, it does have a tendency to make you self-conscious. We all suffer from it. There have been times I've felt good about the way I look and times I've felt terrible."

She thinks the film, which she describes as "a love letter to heavier people" could help change people's attitudes.

"It's very clear that the message in the film is that it doesn't matter how overweight you are. If you have a judgement about somebody who is overweight, then you are the one who has the problem," she says.

Laura is cautiously optimistic about its impact. "There's potential for it to be positive or negative. It's a Farrelly Brothers film so it could be way over the top, but I hope it's going to be positive. People need to see that you don't need to be thin to be attractive and it's good to see someone like Gwyneth Paltrow doing a film like this. People usually look to her as a role model and it can put pressure on them."

The actress, who is one of the most photographed women in the world, agrees.

"I think young women are really hard on themselves over this and it has to do with the media being so interested in promoting this image of what ideal beauty is.

"Even though I'm supposedly one of the beautiful people, I never think I'm thin enough or toned enough, or my boobs are big enough or whatever."