What quite possibly makes us love Kelly the most is that she is so refreshingly, confidently herself. She is still a spunky gal from Texas who just wants to sing her heart out. The blinding glare of celebrity that can cripple so many into self doubt and self loathing has not changed who she is. And who she is is a gal who sometimes weighs a little more, sometimes a little less, but always looks entirely normal and altogether fantastic. As she told SELF magazine:
“My happy weight changes. Sometimes I eat more; sometimes I play more. I’ll be different sizes all the time. When people talk about my weight, I’m like, ‘You seem to have a problem with it; I don’t. I’m fine!’”
This of course makes the recent brouhaha around her airbrushed SELF cover all the more ironic. The very magazine in which she professed her happiness with who she is is apparently not all that happy with who she is. Why else would they Photoshop her to be who she is not? And why, after admitting to the airbrushing, would they say it was an attempt to make her “look her personal best.” No, you’re trying to make her look like who she isn’t. Which is not her personal best; it’s make believe. Also, if your goal (as the editor professed) is to “inspire women to want to be their best,” how can they possibly attain that when what they are aspiring to is pure fiction? Thanks for setting us all up for eternal failure.
Look, I hadn’t intended on turning this into a very special body awareness week on Surrenders, but the world keeps making me repeat myself. Some airbrushing is inevitable. But the wholesale rearranging of a human being is not. Must we learn, once again, from the wisdom of Angela Chase? “People are so strange and so complicated that they’re actually... beautiful. Possibly even me.” And definitely Kelly. Happy weekend, all.
Fantastic post, Snarker! I love Kelly and I love the attitude that she has about herself. That kind of attitude is what people should be aspiring to, not these unrealistic interpretations of "perfection."
ReplyDeleteIt's also true that Kelly Clarkson is smokin' hot in candid pictures throughout her weight range, but in those magazine cover pictures where half her body has been erased by the Photoshop flesh-eating tool she scarcely even looks like a real person. And while I understand that that seems like a superficial or objectifying observation that detracts from the seriousness of the point, it's really not, since giving her a literally impossible-to-achieve look and convincing people that it represents "her personal best" is an important part of the magazine's goal. "Setting us up for eternal failure" is, of course, their endgame. The magazine/fashion/diet/beauty industry is deeply invested in ensuring that women find it very difficult to consider ourselves or each other attractive or beautiful unless we buy a lifetime subscription to 1k of their products, and this kind of mindfuckery is just one small way they try to accomplish that.
ReplyDeleteYup, little crush mostly because of Breakaway.
ReplyDeleteI was really upset when her last music video came out because it was 'artfully' shot to never show all of KC at once. It was all angles and distance and stuff in the way to hide her 'fuller' figure. She is beautiful and real (and so gay ;) ) and we need more people like her out there.
ReplyDeleteKelly is beautiful and powerful and outspoken...she's everything today's celebs should aspire to be. She never takes herself too seriously and she's always the first one to laugh at herself and her imperfections (which I have YET to see one)
ReplyDeletelove the pic :)
The SELF cover is ridiculous!
ReplyDeleteI love Kelly Clarkson. She is hot, talented, and fabulous.
ReplyDeleteCheck out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WzYLypff9g
Super duper hotness!
I saw the Self editor and the plus sized model, Emme, on the Today show this morning, and the editor kept using the phrase "personal best" until I wanted to throttle her. The editor looked like a concentration camp survivor. I told my son, "See the beautiful blonde lady on there? She proves that a beautiful woman doesn't have to be pencil-thin!" He just grinned.
ReplyDeleteMad love for Kelly Clarkson. We need more celebs to act like her. Awesome photo to pick too!
ReplyDeleteMmmmhmmm. So crushworthy. Love to the K to the C.
ReplyDeleteShe is alright. I like some of her music but I hate when she is constantly denying being gay.
ReplyDeletehey, look.
ReplyDeleteyou know what skinny jean is.
it's just narrow pants which is
already exist at the past.
it's not something new,
look around whatever their body type, some people wear bootcut,
strait, or the narrow one.
skinny, fit, doesn't mean slim.
even slim jean,
let's say bloon ladies(you're not, cus i know) wear skinny(huge)
slim jean(huge).
or starving man wear skinny(looks gonna pass away soon)what's the matter and looking best?
the narrow one is useful when the weather goes not nice. like rainy.
i really hate the dirty water go up through my pants.
so, simply never mind.
I love Kelly Clarkson. My wife and I saw her with Reba (a hottie herself) and she was amazing. Thanks for the post.
ReplyDeletenice blog post... and LOVE the angela chase quote... will there ever be a tv show so great? i think not....
ReplyDelete@Kristin: You hate her for denying she's a lesbian? Haha, what if she's really not? Or maybe she doesn't know it yet, we don't know. I mean, I want her to be one but if she's not I'll respect it. I would love her forever even if she's not lesbian *wink-wink*.
ReplyDelete