So the celebrity gossip world has worked itself into quite a tizzy about a certain singer's supposed weight gain.
There are people deriding her for looking like a fatso, and then there are people saying that she looks great and curvy and blah blah blah.
The habit of watching female celebrities for any change in weight is one of the media's most obnoxious, in my opinion. I would not disagree that criticism of a woman for appearing (or being) heavier is wrong.
But here's an idea.
Maybe the fact that there's a side defending her figure isn't such a great thing either.
Maybe the fact that a column with the title "Female stars are too skinny, so give [insert name] a break" has been published is not much of a sign of progress.
How about this --
When a woman's body stops being fodder for gossip magazines and blogs, when the media is neither saying "too skinny" nor using astonishing phrases like "weight gain controversy," when a woman's weight stops being an Issue, something to either defend or decry, when stories about celebrities' weight gain or loss are no longer run because they won't sell --
When we don't just defend a star for not being as thin as her peers, but refuse to engage in discussion of a celebrity's weight because we really believe that she is more than her body or appearance --
That's when I'll believe that our society is making progress in how it views women.
So true. I agree 100%.
ReplyDeletei could not agree more!
ReplyDeleteYES.
ReplyDeleteBravo!
ReplyDeleteOur society has made progress in how it views women. We can work outside the home now. We can make decisions for ourselves and be recognized for it. But we do have a long way to go.
ReplyDeleteQ - I agree. Sorry, I was unclear - I do not mean to say that I don't believe our society's made any progress in that area.
ReplyDeleteRather, I don't think that people standing up for a celebrity's purported weight gain instead of laying into her for it is a sign of that progress.
I'm right there with you on this one.
ReplyDeleteThe planet is warming. People are dying. Get with the program. Care about what matters.
I agree with "Beth Kephart" there is so much more that we could be covering from food shortages, global warming, and the homeless...and yet I turn on the t.v. and see stupid things that are a waste of breathe.
ReplyDeletePersonal opinion: I don't think its a big deal if someone gains or loses weight as long as their doing it healthy. I mean obesity and anorexia are big problems but i mean if someone has little fat on her/his bones that's not a bad thing.
well said! :D
ReplyDeleteAmen! You tell 'em, sister. :D
ReplyDeleteDefinitely not. Lay off. If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.
ReplyDeletei agree too 100%
ReplyDeletethanks for following me,
you blog seems so insightful,
i'll be back
Sorry I'm late on this, but I definitely agree. I was really bothered not just by the media coverage of Jessica Simpson, but even blog posts. It seemed like everyone kept saying, "ZOMG, I can't believe the media is making a big deal out of this. It shouldn't matter what she weighs!!" And then they'd immediately turn around and say something about how a size 2 isn't fat anyway, which undermined their entire argument, and brought it right back down to size again, implying that if she'd REALLY gained weight, then it would be okay to make a big deal about it.
ReplyDeleteI sincerely hope this makes sense.
Definitely makes sense, Ashley, and I wholly agree.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. It's like when school were segregated between black kids and white kids and peolpe thought there was progress when the schools were of equal quality or if a place let blacks whites drink out of the same water fountain...that's NOT racial eguality and acceptance.
ReplyDelete