British journalist Katie Hopkins’ recent body shaming comments about singer Kelly Clarkson have proved we still have not made the progression towards being a body-positive society.
After Clarkson made an appearance on a talk show, Hopkins took to twitter to poke fun at Clarkson’s weight, questioning if she ate her back up dancers and referring to her as a “chubster.” When she received backlash on Twitter, Hopkins went on live television and defended her comments. She defended herself by saying, “There is no such thing as fat-shaming, there is only skinny-blaming.” She also said she feels it is her responsibility to point out “chubsters” and tell them to get off their ass so it saves her money as a taxpayer.
This is not the first time Clarkson has fallen victim to body shaming. Since the start of her career, Clarkson has been criticized for her weight, which has fluctuated since she won American Idol.
Clarkson herself has said in interviews she has become desensitized to the fat jokes perpetuated by the media.
There are so many things sad about this story. First, there is the obvious lack of respect on Hopkins’ part. Second, the fact that she has no remorse about the hurtful comments she made leaves one to wonder how someone can be so cruel. But the saddest of all is that Clarkson is used to these remarks about her body.
It shouldn’t be this way. We shouldn’t be able to just freely throw around words that shame people for looking a certain way. We shouldn’t be so used to being reduced down to our appearances that we don’t even flinch when someone body shames us.
Why do we have to put so much value on how big or small people are? Why can’t we focus instead on people’s achievements and whether or not they are good people? We’ve become so accustomed to judging one’s success based on appearances that we don’t know any different.
Clarkson was not voted American Idol because of the way she looks in a pair of jeans. She doesn’t have three Grammy awards because people find her attractive. Clarkson made her career because she is talented.
Her career was made by the varied degrees of her voice, not the size of her hips. It’s sad that somewhere along the line in Clarkson’s career, we have associated her with fat jokes rather than her voice. People like Hopkins perpetuate eating disorders in young women and promote body satisfaction in an already skinny-privileged society.
It is a shame that she is a woman who has made a career on shaming people for their weight, when she really should be ashamed of who she has become.
