FEATURE: My Skin: The Issue of Sizeism and Fat Shaming in Music

FEATURE:

 

 

My Skin

IN THIS PHOTO: Self Esteem (Rebecca Lucy Taylor)/PHOTO CREDIT: Olivia Richardson

 

The Issue of Sizeism and Fat Shaming in Music

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THERE are a couple of things that…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Suzie Howell for The New York Times

I saw recently that open up a wider discussion, and they raise concerns and fatigue at the same time. Self Esteem (Rebecca Lucy Taylor) posted to her Twitter account recently that some American fans/listeners had seen her perform. She heads to America in March, and it will be the biggest gigs of her career I think. She has conquered the U.K. and won hearts here, but the U.S. is also loving her music. No wonder! Although Self Esteem did not give details regarding the context of the comments she faced – and whether these remarks came from people watching her on T.V. -, it got me thinking about sizeism and the standards women are held to in music. I am going to come onto another issue that has reared its ugly head. In terms of Rebecca Lucy Taylor, she is not the only woman who has had to face people mentioning her size. As Self Esteem, we have this hugely inspiring and confident artist who is speaking to a whole generation. An extremely beautiful and sexy woman, it is upsetting to think that she is having to read cruel or nasty comments about her weight. I am not in a position myself to be able to personally relate, but there is a lot of expectation towards women anyway. There has always been this ‘ideal’ in terms of looks and size. Maybe things have changed in the modern day, but this sense that women should be thinner.

Unhealthy and sexist, there are not the same expectations on men. Self Esteem, in every sense, is amazing. Her body should never be the topic of mockery or any sort of offensive comment! Self Esteem posted how Americans were calling her fat on the Internet. She has struggled with disordered eating, and she said that it makes life a lot less lovely sometime if you are really thin. It shouldn’t be, as she correctly said, a talking point. I think women with fuller and real figures should be celebrated and highlighted! Self Esteem is a positive role model to so many people who might have been told they need to be super-thin or follow other people’s ideals and expectations. A healthy and happier artist than she has ever been, it does seem to be this immense and horrible setback when you read about the comments received. One would think there would be more understanding and less toxicity towards women and body image now. Maybe I am being naïve, but embracing and celebrating all body types and sizes should be paramount.

This narrative that women should be thin and that is what makes them desirable. I recently compiled a playlist of body-positive songs. Women celebrating their body and size. From Lizzo to Billie Eilish, through to Self Esteeem and Andra Day, these are powerful tracks that embrace the body. The fact they do not have to be perfect and flawless – or at least according to the rules and standards placed on them by society. I know there is a tonne of love out there for Self Esteem and, when she posted her reaction to getting called fat by American fans, it was met with a wave of support, reassurance and love! She is visiting the country soon, and I hope the fans and media are far kinder than the horrible few that have recently posted what they did.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Billie Eilish featured in Vogue in May 2021/PHOTO CREDIT: Craig McDean

It would be wonderful to think that women can embrace their bodies and feel comfortable in their skin without having to receive abuse and misogynistic comments. Callous, sizeist and hugely harmful, I am not sure people realise the effect their words have! American sensation Billie Eilish is someone who has struggled with body image and her feelings towards her own body. Last year, Cosmopolitan reacted to an interview from The Sunday Times, where Eilish stated how she has hated her body since she was a child. Here is another woman with an incredible and healthy body, but she has been the recipient of jibes and comments about her figure. I remember when she was snapped last year walking near her home and revealing her figure. So many comments that homed in on her figure; stating she was overweight or looked horrible. She didn’t! The sort of devastation that must have caused. The impact that would have had on her self-confidence and mental health:

“Speaking to The Sunday Times the 20-year-old (who will this week become the youngest ever headliner at Glastonbury Festival) revealed that she's "hated" her body since she was a child, noting that she previously self-harmed "because of my body".

"Nowhere good," she replies when asked where her relationship with her body is at currently. "My relationship with my body has been a truly horrible, terrible thing since I was 11."

Billie went on: "I love that my body is mine and that it’s with me everywhere I go. I kind of think of my body as my friend. My ugly friend! It’s complicated. But what are you gonna do?

PHOTO CREDIT: Mason Poole

"I honestly don’t feel desired, ever. I do have this worry that I felt so undesirable that I may have occasionally tried too hard to be desirable. It makes me sad to think about."

On the topic of why she struggles with her body image, the singer explained that extended periods of alone time during the pandemic left her spiralling over her appearance. "COVID made me go right back down into the spiral of, who am I?" she said. "There was nothing happening and I remember thinking, I need to figure out who I am right now. Then halfway through COVID I felt as if I was starting to have an identity again, let’s do different things, let’s have different experiences. And then it [another identity crisis] happened again."

Billie continued: "Being known for the whole start of your career for one thing — 'she wears baggy clothes and she sings like this' — it was driving me mad." The thought triggered her to overhaul the look she'd previously been known for, appearing on the cover of British Vogue in a pink silk corset and later channeling Old Hollywood Glam at the Met Gala.

But, she says with the praise came criticism, too. "No matter what you do, it's wrong and right," the singer said. "Wearing baggy clothes, nobody is attracted to me, I feel incredibly unlovable and unsexy and not beautiful, and people shame you for not being feminine enough.

"Then you wear something more revealing and they’re, like, 'you’re such a fat cow whore'. I’m a slut and I’m a sell-out and I’m just like every other celebrity selling their bodies, and woah! What the f*** do you want? It’s a crazy world for women”.

It is interesting what Eilish said about what to wear and that desirability. If she dresses casually in baggy clothes, she is seen as uncouth and unattractive. If she is more revealing, she then gets jabs about weight and size. It is an impossible situation and reality that women should not have to face! Body positivity is such an important thing. There is this curse when you look at platforms like Instagram. So many photos posted by famous women and models. The fact that, still, a certain body type is popular and considered sexy. It extends to music. I think, especially in the mainstream, artists are watched closely and judged if they are not thin or put on any weight. It is about women feeling confident and comfortable in their own skins. That, in turn, inspires young women (and men), who will also feel the same. Lizzo is an artist who has faced fat shaming and remarks about her weight. She is someone who is defiantly proud of who she is and her body. As this article from 2019 highlights, Lizzo is someone who says the only thing that matters is what she thinks of herself and her own body:

“A few days later Lizzo explained her journey from diet obsessed, self-doubting young woman to tour-de-force performer.

Speaking to Jameela Jamil on her I Weigh programme on Instagram, Lizzo revealed insecurities about her size, shape and colour plagued her early years. As a result, her first forays in music were always as a member of group.

“I would be in these groups with people who I thought were prettier and cooler than me,” she said. “I thought they deserved the spotlight. I was like no one wants to hear what I have to say. No one wants to just look at me. Making solo music was so hard for me.”

The turning point came when she was 20 and excessive dieting meant she was thinner than ever but, according to her boyfriend at the time, not thin enough.

“I realised it doesn’t matter how small or big I am, or how I look, no one is going to be completely happy about it. I’m not going to be able to please everybody with my outward appearance. What matters is what I think about it.”

This realisation granted her the freedom to express herself how she wished, and her career blossomed. Go Lizzo”.

I guess the common factor is that it shouldn’t be up to others to judge and comment. Women in music need to feel comfortable in their own skin and be happy with themselves. I know, again, I do not have that personal relatability, but fans and the industry should embrace women to be who they want and actively ensure that there is no fat shaming or sizeism. Celebrating all figures and sizes, I don’t think there is this inclusiveness and acceptance that there should be. I know Self Esteem, Lizzo and Billie Eilish are not the only women in recent years who have highlighted their negative experiences when it comes to their bodies and how they have been perceived. I hope that, very soon, things change and there is not this problem where women are receiving shaming or abuse because of their size. Artists like Self Esteem are such positive role models! Although it is the minority who are responsible for fat shaming and sizeist comments, it does open up a wider conversation and question. Are women in music still expected to look a certain way and be a particular size?! For decades, the mainstream has been filled with women who are thinner. The feeling that this is sexier and more commercially appealing. It seems that this still pervades. Not only should size not be an issue, but women should be made to feel accepted and comfortable in their own bodies! Taking focus away from the music and their talent, there is so much toxicity and judgement levelled at women. I am writing a separate feature on Madonna, as she is touring soon to celebrate forty years since her debut album. There have been articles wondering whether she’ll embarrass herself because she is in her sixties – and maybe it will be awkward watching her truing to reclaim her past. It is heartbreaking and depressing to see how women are treated. They should not be judged and face such sexism and abuse. Instead, they should be…

EMBRACED and accepted.

Sam Liddicott