Oh the Simpsons
Soooo. I'm not necessarily a Jessica or Ashlee Simpson fan. BUT I find it alarming when any woman (Jessica) is called out for putting on weight or not living up to any other ridiculous beauty standard. And I definitely admire when another woman (Ashlee) can speak out against it. Check out this news article and share your thoughts!
2
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Oh the Simpsons.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.feministing.com/cgi-bin/movabletype/mt-tb.fcgi/11667
Is it just me, or do Americans have a strange sense of entitlement to the lives and bodies of celebrities? Even in the wording of this article it's as if Simpson owes it to us to stick to her fitness and diet regimen.
I had mixed reactions about this. On one hand the Simpsons never complained and indeed profited from the objectification of their bodies. One could say this is their right, but I felt that Jessica in particular was a horrible role model and representation of women perpetuating the whole "dumb is sexy" shtick. I recognize the pressures among performers to physically conform to a certain "ideal", but she kind of went above and beyond that and became entirely about "the body". Now they are complaining about being on the other side of something that they helped to perpetuate. It is hard to decide where Jessica turns from victim of society to part of the problem. Indeed, I suppose she is both. However, that said, if she has made decisions to be healthier or lead a more balanced life by not constantly dieting or exercising I applaud her, or if she got heavier for whatever reason it is her body and should be her choice. I also cheered for the Ashlee Simpson speaking up about it. I expected some kind of argument along the lines of "those pants made her look heavier than she is" and instead she sounded surprisingly intelligent and reasonable. With all that is going on in the world why is this Fox's story and, really, where do they get off? When a female celebrity putting on a few pounds is scandalous and headline making news we have reached a sad place for both women and the media.
You know, I suddenly respect Ashlee Simpson more. Her comment were very well thought out and very to-the-point. I commend her for standing up for Jessica not just as her sister, but as a woman, and for all women. Nicely done.
Why is not being overweight a "ridiculous beauty standard"?
I'm new here and was planning on posting about this; thanks for beating me to it!
Though the fact that Ashlee has had so much plastic surgery (she is hardly recognizable from her pre-surgery self) makes me feel like she hasn't done much to indicate she believes in accepting your body as it is, I really appreciate the beautiful words she has written. This is the second wonderful thing she has said about body image recently; the first was regarding her pregnancy. Even if she's been pushed to say these things by criticism (of herself and her sister), I'm glad the words are coming from someone with a large and varied fanbase who just might listen.
To address the previous comment:
A) It's partially ridiculous because Jessica Simpson is NOT FAT. If you go to the FOX News article about her weight, you'll see some pictures of her in high-waisted jeans where she supposedly has love handles—I don't see 'em. She lost a lot of weight a long time ago to play Daisy Duke. She looks no bigger now than she did before that weight loss, and she looked great then. What is considered "overweight" right now is a size 8 and up, and that's just crazy.
B) It's more ridiculous because it's nobody's business how much she weighs. Why and how is it okay to evaluate or comment on someone's figure, especially when you don't even know the person? Who gives a damn, you know?
A: Her stomach is rolling over the top of her jeans. There is a difference between "overweight" and "obese". I did not call her obese.
B: Because when a celebrity trades on their looks, and establishes themselves as "hot", and uses that to their financial advantage, they open themselves up to such critique.
I'm not sure what you mean with a celebrity 'establishing' themselves as hot. I'm pretty sure Jessica Simpson 'established' herself as a singer and later an actress. The fact that people find her hot may have had an affect on her success, but I do not think that when she started her singing career at age 12 that she planned on only being a 'hot' celebrity. She doesn't owe it to anyone to stay 'hot'. If someone doesn't want to buy her latest country album because she is too 'overweight' then I guess that is their prerogative, but that still doesn't give them the right to suggest it is her 'job' to stay within a certain BMI. For all you know, maybe she doesn't want to be 'hot' by your standards anymore. Maybe she just wants to be a singer who doesn't have to constantly worry about every little thing she eats/wears or people will be jumping all over her in the media. Or maybe she wants to show young girls that you can have a few extra pounds on your stomach and still be a popular singer. Or, maybe it's just none of our damn business.
To quote you with added emphasis, "it is her 'job' to stay within a certain BMI". It's true, no matter how distasteful this fact may be to those of us (self included) who wish we could just close our eyes and make the beauty and sex industries go away.
Jessica Simpson is no Toni Braxton or k.d. lang, by which I mean that her career is built not on any extraordinary talent, but on clever camera angles and Photoshop, her blond hair, big boobs, and the grueling regimen that manufactured Daisy Duke. Her career does not compass a feminist worldview, and I suspect that she herself doesn't subscribe to one. There's nothing unfeminist about acknowledging that, nor about calling out women who comply with such systems. I'm sure she has personal difficulties what with her scumbag dad and crap from the general public no matter what she does, but Jessica Simpson signed up for this. This is what happens when one tries to dismantle the master's house (in this case economic inequality) with his tools (5'0" human Barbie). This is why we're working for change.
On another note, I love this site, where so many different people -- men, too -- come together to discuss feminism.
It is a "ridiculous beauty standard" because "beauty standards" are themselves ridiculous. They are ridiculous because beauty should be a concept that is different for everyone. What I find beautiful somebody else might not and vice versa. When the beauty and fashion industry start telling us what we are supposed to find attractive and not attractive so that they can make us feel bad enough about ourselves to sell us diet products or cosmetics then it becomes ridiculous. Just how "ridiculous" it is is also more evident when viewed beside the "beauty standard" for men. Men are not held to such rigid standards. Finally, and in this particular case, it is ridiculous because the focus of weight for women, especially celebrities has gotten way out of hand. Female celebrities now look skeletal. I don't find that beautiful and often find them painful to look at because I know just how unhealthy many of them are. The "shrinking starlet" is now common. I looked at the Jessica Simpson photos and I don't find her overweight. I think they are unflattering photos taken in an unflattering outfit, but no, I don't think she is overweight. Perhaps if you do you may want to examine how being inundated with celebrity images of unhealthily (in many cases) underweight women has affected your perception of weight on women. Plus, it is ridiculous that in times of real news Fox decided to focus on this.
Well, if you think that if someone's stomach isn't overflowing their beltline, that they're "unhealthily underweight", perhaps YOUR perceptions are skewed.
I know just how unhealthy many of them are.
UGH, can we please can this "unhealthy" and "underweight" bullshit? Are you the nutritionist to the stars? No? Then how do you know how healthy their weights are?
Fat acceptance folks say this all the time, and you might do well to hear it: Weight and health do not necessarily correspond. That goes for skinny women as well as fat.
Purporting to play doctor to a bunch of strangers by eyeballing their dress sizes is totally counterproductive and only underscores the public's patriarchal presumption that it knows best for women.
...it is ridiculous because the focus of weight for women, especially celebrities has gotten way out of hand. Female celebrities now look skeletal.
Do you realize how hypocritical those sentences sound paired together?
I suppose I should have spelled it out for you and instead of saying "it is ridiculous because the focus of weight for women, especially celebrities has gotten way out of hand. Female celebrities now look skeletal," I should have said "it is ridiculous because of the pressure on female celebrities to obtain and maintain an extremely low weight and the negative attention or lack of positive attention heavier female celebrities receive. Female celebrities now look skeletal." Your other arguments are week as well. I never stated that some women can't be very thin and healthy,(as some women can be heavy and healthy). I stated that for many reaching that level of thinness is not natural for their body (we do have "set points") and therefore unhealthy for them. I also don't believe I have to be a doctor to see the obvious(and I'm not judging by "dress size".) Indeed, many celebs have recently revealed struggles with eating disorders, exercise addiction, disordered eating, etc. Finally, I am not approaching this from a "patriarchal view that I know what is best for women". I am approaching this from a feminist perspective that there is something wrong with the pressures put on women in general, but especially female celebrities, to be extremely thin and conform to other narrow "standards" of beauty.
Way to misconstrue what I said. Goodbye, Troll.