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It’s 2013. Homosexuals can marry and a black man is president, we thought we were done discriminating. So why is the media so hard on overweight people? These celebrities have been shamed, called names and changed forever by this negative media attention. Do they have the right to complain? Or is this part of the price of being famous?
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Melissa McCarthy
Once Melissa reached star status, the critics’ claws came out and descended to the level of school-yard bullying. The most famous jab is from the New York Observer’s Rex Reed. When he reviewed Identity Thief, he called Melissa “tractor-sized,” a “female hippo,” and “a gimmick comedian who has devoted her short career to being obese and obnoxious with equal success.”
Once Melissa got word of those cracks she showed the world how to handle those haters and laugh all the way to the bank:
“I felt really bad for someone who is swimming in so much hate. I just thought, ‘that’s someone who’s in a really bad spot, and I am in such a happy spot’. I laugh my head off every day with my husband and my kids who are mooning me and singing me songs.”
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Adele
Back in February 2012, Karl Lagerfeld called Adele “a little too fat” in Metro magazine. Then he added insult to injury by taking credit for her weight loss. He told Vogue:
“…after [the comment] she lost eight kilos [17.6 pounds] so I think the message was not that bad.”
The reality is Karl Lagerfeld is proof that you can’t take all criticism seriously. In the same interview, he also said that he doesn’t like Greeks or the Queen of England.
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Governor Chris Christie
Do you have to be thin to run for office too? When Barbara Walters interviewed the New Jersey governor, she asked him why he was so fat and suggested that the American people thought that he was too fat to be president.
Soon after the interview, Governor Christie had Lap Band Surgery. He’s said that the surgery wasn’t a political issue, but we think he had future elections in mind when he went under the knife.
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Kim Kardashian
Mix a celebrity that the media loves to hate and a few pregnancy pounds and you get the perfect storm of criticism. Since Kim announced that she was pregnant in December, everyone’s taken a stab at the celebrity. Even Donald Trump went on Howard Stern and said that Kim has a “fat a–“.
Back in March, Kim clapped back at haters:
“It’s not cool and it’s not fair. People are saying, ‘you’re so fat!’” she told the magazine. “I’m like, dude, I’m pregnant! Social media gives people the guts to say mean things.”
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Tyra Banks
Sometimes the only thing you can do in the face of criticism is to put on a brave face. When Tyra put on a few pounds, Hollywood turned on the former model. Even Janice Dickinson threw shade on her former boss on the Today Show saying, “You want to see someone who’s fat? I’m sorry, Tyra. Tyra Banks is fat.”
At first, Tyra told the world to “kiss her fat a–” which wasn’t really that big in our humble opinion. But eventually, Tyra turned to a soup diet and a stringent exercise regimen to slim down to a size that got her out of the media’s critical eye.
Gianna Jun
Think weight criticism is bad here? It’s even worse in Korea. Korean actress Gianna Jun fell under a deluge of criticism from fans when these screen caps from her new coffee commercial hit the web. Critics called the star “fat” and accused her of having a double-chin. It’s hard being a celebrity no matter where you are.
Kelsey Williams
Things have gotten so bad that not only do you not have to be fat, you don’t even have to be a star. Oklahoma City cheerleader Kelsey Williams went viral when CBS Houston blogger Claire Crawford asked fans to vote on whether or not they thought she was fat. These were the options she asked her readers to choose from:
1. She has the perfect look to be an NBA cheerleader
2. She could use some tightening up in her midsection
3. She has no business wearing that outfit in front of people.
Kelsey’s words for the blogger that thrust her into the public spotlight?:
“Shame on you. I mean you’re a woman. You know exactly what we all go through on a daily basis, just being a woman. Shame on you.”
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Nicole Richie
Sometimes media criticism leaves permanent scars. When Nicole Richie first appeared on The Simple Life, media critics were quick to point out that she was much curvier than her stick-thin co-star Paris Hilton. Nicole went on to lose so much weight that people started to worry about her weight. We wonder if Nicole would be quite so underweight if she’d never wandered into the public eye.
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Rihanna
In what world is Rihanna fat? In Hollywood’s apparently. Critics — and even her dad — have blasted her for being “too curvy” according to their stringent standards. But Rihanna’s attitude is all about shaking the haters off:
“I realized that I actually like my body, even if it’s not perfect according to the book. I just feel Hot. For the first time, I don’t want to get rid of the curves. I just want to tone it up. My body is comfortable, and it’s not unhealthy, so I’m going to rock with it.”
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Lady Gaga
Not everyone takes criticism about their weight gracefully. When Lady Gaga gained 30 lbs., the superstar struggled under the shade. She asked fans to support her and said that she was committing herself to a healthier lifestyle. But then, she turned around and threw some of her shade Adele’s way: “Adele is bigger than me, how come nobody says anything about it?” Really, Lady Gaga?
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Gabourey Sidibe
Should bloggers and writers take the mental health of their targets into consideration when they’re being critical? Precious star Gabourey Sibide recently revealed that criticism of her weight sometimes shakes her confidence:
“A few weeks ago I was on vacation and I went into a CVS and as I’m paying I see a picture of myself on the cover of a magazine and they’re guesstimating what my weight is? The headline was ‘Gabourey Sidibe 250 pounds’”
That’s rough. But criticism hasn’t stopped Gabourey’s star from rising. She’s nabbed several roles on TV and in films since her debut role.
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Kelly Osbourne
Sometimes criticism comes full circle. It’s been a while since Kelly Osbourne was overweight. But she seems to have forgotten how much comments about weight can sting. When Christina Aguilera put on a few pounds, Kelly was quick to call her “fat”. And claims that she was never as big as the singer is now. Maybe she’s forgotten about this picture.
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Jennifer Hudson
Hollywood pressure can change the way stars see themselves forever. Jennifer Hudson said that she didn’t know she was fat until a reporter on the red carpet asked her “How does it feel to be plus-sized in Hollywood?” The singer said that back in Chicago, her size 16 frame was considered normal.
But now Jennifer Hudson looks at herself differently. She lost 80 lbs. with Weight Watchers. And now she says that she’s more proud of her weight loss than she is of her Oscar.
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Beyonce
Pressure to lose weight can cause celebrities to take drastic measures. After Beyonce gave birth, she reportedly went on a crash Master Cleanse diet and lost 20 lbs. in two weeks. Most doctors will tell you that isn’t healthy, but after all the talk about her body during the “bootylicious” days she probably didn’t want to take any chances.
