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Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Reality check: Britney is not fat!

I was trying to ignore the story of Britney’s “comeback” at Sundays Video Music Awards. I don’t take pleasure in kicking people when they’re down. But, you my TV-loving readers have forced my hand. Hundreds of you have shown up here at Tube Talk searching for the video and apparently my commentary on her performance.

So, here it is.

Leave her alone! Yes, that’s right. I’m defending Britney Spears. (They must be making ice cubes in Hell for me to come out in defense of the gum-chewing pop tart, but someone has to.)

Simply put: Britney is not fat! Frankly, I’m sick of hearing about how overweight she is and that her midriff looked semi-gelatinous. Reality check, people: This girl is a size four at most. While she isn’t sporting that ripped six-pack she had at 18, she is in no way fat!

The hateful headlines this week about Britney’s body have made me angry and deeply concerned for our society. Monday’s headline in the New York Post read “Lard and Clear” while E!Online called her belly “bulging.”

How is it that we’ve come to live in a society where a girl as thin as Spears is ridiculed as “lard” in a reputable newspaper? Perhaps it’s because we’ve become so accustomed to seeing anorexic women, bones and ribs protruding through their skin, being heralded as paradigms of beauty. Stick-thin and unhealthy looking actress such as Angelina Jolie, Nicole Richie, and a bevy of other Hollywood starlets grace the covers of magazines each week. And if the super-thin aren’t thin enough in real life, many publications airbrush the photos to what they consider perfection. Sadly, apparently those images are what we now consider beautiful.

Plenty of publications and online sites have picked on Spears’ performance at the VMAs. I agree that her lip-synching was off, her energy was low, and it didn’t live up to her past performances that featured her fierce dance moves. I’ll leave it at that. It’s clear something is not right with the former pop princess. I hope that she regains her focus and passion for music, and I wish her luck in doing so.

Honestly, though, I wouldn’t blame her if she chucked it all and left the business. The media, of late, seems to relish being cruel to celebrities, especially those with problems. And Britney is the latest target.

As always, comments are welcome, but please withhold your Britney bashing. I’m sick of it. There are hundreds of other sites out there for folks to spew the venom. This isn’t one of them.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for writing this. I'm no fan of Spears either, but good Lord, the girl is NOT FAT!I know fat. Believe me, she ain't it!

Anonymous said...

TTG, I think you hit the nail on the head here. The media are a bunch of blood-thirsty, venom-filled snakes who enjoy watching celebrities fail. Yes, it's easy to pick on Brit...she's made herself such an easy target with her two-minute marriages and partying, but this has gotten out of control. She didn't perform well, but picking on her body is just mean. I'd kill for that figure!

Anonymous said...

Jen, these people are NUTS. Her body is gorgeous. The world has gone mad. Some of us actually like healthy looking women.

Anonymous said...

She's hot. The singing and dancing need work, but the body does not.

Anonymous said...

You have a great deal of integrity, TTG...I'm genuinely impressed...few people in your position would defend Brit

Anonymous said...

TTG, I agree with you about her body, but I disagree that she doesn't deserve to be taken to task for her horrible performance. She reportedly was out boozing it up instead of practicing her moves and rumor has it the routine was changed due to the removal of a magic bit. So, a normal person would have worked extra hard to make the routine better. She put it out there, so she can't expect to not be criticized.

tube talk girl said...

Macy, you're right about her lackluster performance. And she's certainly getting plenty of criticism for it, no worries there. Maybe that's what she needs as a wake-up call.

Yes, she should have rehearsed more, skipped the partying,perhaps chosen lower-heeled boots, a different outfit, hell, a different song. The negative backlash for her performance is understandable. I won't argue that with you. It's the criticism of her body that disgusts me.

tube talk girl said...

Tim...thank you. The truth is, I've never been a fan of Britney Spears. I hate her music, always have. (Toxic and the Slave song make me want to puncture my own eardrums. The one song I do like is Everytime.)

But, I've been hearing/reading/watching the odious things people are saying about her to the point where it's almost become a sport to bash the kid. It disturbs me that people are taking such pleasure in ridiculing someone. I feel like it's a bunch of middle-school bullies on the playground taking shots.

If people want to bash celebrities, I think they could find several better candidates than a girl who obviously is struggling i.e. OJ Simpson, Michael Vick, Michael Richards, etc.

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't kick her out of bed for eating crackers. For singing that dreadful song, definitely, but not for eating crackers. :)

Anonymous said...

She's a mess, TTG. There's no denying it. The fact is, she put herself out there, so she had to know that meant enormous amounts of public scrutiny. I'm sorry, but if you know that you're going to be under the microscope that much I would have thought she would have practiced her music and dancing more.

Anonymous said...

You're damned right she's not. I'd kill for that body.

Anonymous said...

I wish I were that "fat." :) The girl looks smoking.

Anonymous said...

Is she phat or is she fat?

Anonymous said...

When I saw the photo I thought, here we go again...another blog bashing Brit. Thanks for taking the high road. You're right about people taking cheap shots. It's like a bunch of sharks who smell blood in the water. It's hard to feel sorry for her, but still, let it go, people. She was crying after the performance, so I think it may finally have sunk in that the partying has to go.

Anonymous said...

I was there and saw her in person. She is not fat. She looked healthy and quite gorgeous. TV adds weight.

If people want to bash celebs, why not go after that idiot Kid Rock who thinks it's just OK to punch people. Geesh.

Anonymous said...

Look, she's a celebrity. She's in the public eye. She performed without being prepared. I do it all the time in my job, but I'm not paid to entertain people. She deserves what she gets. I'm tired of people feeling sorry for these spoiled rich kids who have the world at their feet.

Anonymous said...

I'll jump on the bash Kid Rock bandwagon. He's looking fat these days, isn't he? Oh, that's right. He's a guy. No one cares if he's fat.

Anonymous said...

good point mason3333....why is it ok if guy entertainers don't have six-pack abs, but women are expected to look like f...ing supermodels?

Anonymous said...

Tube Talk Girl...this is why I love your site. When every other blogger has lined up to take a cheap shot at Spears, you go the other way. Bravo to you for taking the high road. Your writing is always professional and fun. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

I picked up the New York Post Monday and was shocked to see the "lard" headline. It was the Post, not the Times, so it's understandable, but still, shame on them. That was a low blow, even for them.

Anonymous said...

Here's my question....why didn't someone who watched the rehearsal tell her it wasn't good enough for the VMAS? She needs to hire a new entourage if they're letting this kind of behaviour happen. Of course, they're probably all yes-men.

Anonymous said...

How many fat rappers have performed at the VMAS and never once did anyone put a headline on a newspaper declaring it so. Disgraceful, that's what it is. There is such a double standard for women in this country.

Anonymous said...

She and JT should have gotten together for a number and brought "sexy back!" He could have helped her with her dance moves.

Anonymous said...

I wanna be that fat. Damn. The girl is still hot.

Anonymous said...

no, she's not fat, but that outfit was really unflattering. it made her look stuppid, skanky and it emphasised her tummy. If she had worn something better it wouldn't be such a big thing. Though, that said those comments you quoted were meas

Ginny said...

I'm not a fan of her, but I do agree that the bashing needs to stop. It is pretty obvious something is not right with her & all this bashing is going to lead to her having more problems. I also agree she is not fat, she just had 2 babies, back to back. That is hard to do! I think she chose an awful outfit, but with society deciding what is sexy, I understand why she thought she needed to wear it. I think her self esteem is at an incredible low & I do hope she pulls through all this.

Scooter McGavin said...

There is no defending Britany Spears here. She has built her whole career around her looks and very little other talent and people have the right to critize her when her those looks faulter.

Certainly a mother of two should have some leaway in the weight department, but you don't see any other monther's of two on national television with nothing on but basically bra and panties. Now calling her fat is debateable, but there is no denying she wasn't in shape.

Plus I bet had Alicia Keys, who also had some downtime between records, came out looking like Jennifer Hudson, there wouldn't have been as much clamor because Alicia has more talents than just looking pretty.

tube talk girl said...

Scooter, you make a good point about the talent. And speaking of Alicia, why didn't they let her open the show? Now that girl can sing.

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