Have you been following the harsh criticism Jessica Simpson has had to endure over recent chitchat (READ: gossip) concerning her supposed new ‘curves’? Apparently, the whole (pointless) hoopla over this weighty issue began after photos surfaced of the singer at a Chili Cookoff in Florida.
Jessica’s sister came to her defense, writing on her blog: “A week after the inauguration and with such a feeling of hope in the air for our country, I find it completely embarrassing and belittling to all women to read about a woman’s weight or figure.”
“All women come in different shapes, sizes, and forms and just because you’re a celebrity, there shouldn’t be a different standard.”
All I have to say: AMEN, SISTER! This ‘controversy,’ if you can even call it that, just goes back to the whole male/female double standard that has had me seething for years. We praise men when they supposedly ‘beef’ up (and btw, I betcha steroids were involved in said human body transformation), admire them for their determination and short of building a shrine to them, think they are God’s gift to all of us. But the second a woman, heaven forbid, should actually have curves (HELLO, they’re called hips), the name-calling starts….
“Wow, she got fat.”
“What has she done to her body?”
“She really let herself go this time, didn’t she?”
It’s frankly belittling and sad that, still, we try to prevent women from being happy with themselves. Are we that pathetic and jealous that we have to put other people down to make ourselves feel better? Instead, here’s a radical notion: Why don’t we support each other instead of playing Mean Girls for the millionth time? I know a lot of people don’t think about it, but there are millions of young girls out there, girls who are teenagers, and are absorbing, sadly, this negative message we’re sending. Why can’t we be a beacon of hope for them instead of the root cause of a future eating disorder?
And I may be blind, but where is all this weight on Jessica that is, apparently, so abhorrent and alarming? She looks beautiful to me.
YOU ALL LOOK BEAUTIFUL TO ME!!! I sincerely hope you think the same of yourself; remember, we women have to stick together. Some beautiful pictures of Jessica…I hope you’ll show your pics off proudly too!!
xoxo,
Mel
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Amy says
I like Jessica Simpson. I like Ashley Simpson. I stood by Ashley after the SNL debacle and defiantly listened to her c.d. ever after the world shunned her as a talentless poser. That is why it makes me sad that I have to disagree with her.
I’ll preface by saying that 1. I think Jessica Simpson looks beautiful and 2. it blows my mind that so much attention is paid to the woman’s weight.
However, such is the way of the world.
Jessica Simpson IS held to a higher standard of physical beauty because she is a celebrity and she made her way in the celebrity world with her buxom good looks. Sure she is a great singer, but let’s all be real here–Jessica Simpson became famous because she was hot (and her dad whored her out to MTV and the parasitic hoards of paparazzi).
I get really annoyed when celebrities have a fat day, it gets commented on and they get pouty and self-righteous (“stop picking on me”). It’s part of being a celebrity. For every crappy picture of Jessica Simpson she’s had 878676876 pictures of her looking gorgeous and everyone telling her how awesome she is. So I do not feel sorry for Jessica Simpson.
Jessica Simpson isn’t a celebrity because she’s really SMART. The woman became internationally known because she’s hot and no one could comprehend her confusion over WHETHER CHICKEN OF THE SEA WAS TUNA OR CHICKEN.
If a celebrity who clawed his or her way into the public eye by relying heavily on a personal trainer and a fastidious beauty regimen doesn’t want to be held to a different standard of beauty, and can’t handle the backlash that comes with being a celebrity, then they shouldn’t utilize their looks to get them where they want to be.
Of course no one holds ME to a high standard of beauty. I am a bureaucrat. My job is not to go on stage every night in a spangled dress and big hair and look hot. That is Jessica Simpson’s job.
So, I respectfully disagree.
Faux Trixie says
I agree wholeheartedly with Amy on this one. When you’re a celebrity, you make millions of dollars based on your image. You spend your days working out, shopping, and lounging… some of that time may be devoted to your talent, but you also have a lot of time and money to spend on your appearance. If someone commented on my weight or my looks, that would be unfair because I’m a LAWYER who doesn’t make millions of dollars. However, when you’re Jessica Simpson, you are subject to the scrutiny of the public because that’s essentially your career. As such, while it’s “mean” it’s not unfair. That’s the life she chose. If she wants to trade her life for mine, I’ll do it in a second – fat comments and all.