Kelly Clarkson is one seriously talented star. Almost everyone I know secretly (or not so secretly) admits to loving her music. And with good reason. She is peppy, empowered, and fun to listen to. For many women, she is also something else -- a powerful "curvy woman" role model.
That's why many were disappointed by her recent weight loss. Even though she looks great, it's always a little disconcerting when a person who has said they would never lose weight and don't care about meeting some standard of beauty suddenly drops the poundage.
Still, Clarkson has famously said she never actively tried to lose weight. She is just working out more. And she has promised not to drop any more. She said:
Really, what I try to instill in my fans is to be healthy and happy. I have no desire to be super-skinny.
And what more can we ask for? Sometimes when stars like Jennifer Hudson (or even Jessica Simpson) go from shouting about body confidence at any size to shilling for diet companies, it can be a little painful.
Are we beautiful at any size or is that just something we say until we go on a diet?
The fact is, working out and eating right are less about being hot or fitting a mold than they are about being healthy. If a person is doing all those things, can't they be healthy at any size? Actively TRYING to lose weight does send a message that the only way to look and feel gorgeous is also to be thin.
Personally, I would be more apt to idolize a person like Kelly Clarkson who isn't working for Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig and who is merely trying to get healthy than someone like Hudson or Simpson.
Beauty and thinness are weird things because it's true. Clarkson looks better now than she did. But health is about more than weight and appearance. If she hadn't dropped a pound but had started working out more and eating better, she would feel better even if she didn't look "better."
Sure, we need curvy role models in Hollywood and more women with bigger bodies. But we also need models of health and body acceptance regardless of size and I think Clarkson fits that role better than she ever has.
Were you disappointed with Clarkson's weight loss?
Image via Redbook
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Comments 11
No, I think she looks fab and healthy without losing her womanly shape. Haters are gonna hate regardless, no? Rock on Kelly!
There is nothing beautiful about being overweight, heavy breathing, diabetic and on the verge of heart disease. Curvy is such a grossly abused word, coined and marketed to overweight women so they'll feel accepted by the companies making money off of their poor health decisions. There is curvy (which is really based on uncontrollable things such as breast size, hip bone width) and there is fat. Kelly was fat and I'm glad she dropped the weight. Misery loves companies and now overweight woman have one less celeb to make them feel better. I have not known ONE SINGLE overweight person that didn't have underlying health problems so when I hear women say "I'm big but I'm perfectly healthy" I do NOT buy it.
As well, just because someone is working with Weight Watchers doesn't mean they are unhealthy. In fact, one of the reasons Weight Watchers has such a high success rate is because it encourages healthy eating habits and proper portion sizes.
And again, as another posted said, stop deriding the super skinny among us. We can be very thin and also very healthy.