So, this is fat? According to an avalanche of post-Super Bowl body shaming, yes. Now, Lady Gaga is fighting back.
So you really want to ‘make it’? Then get ready for endless ridicule and steaming hatred, especially when you’re on a stage as big as the Super Bowl. In fact, we’ve even written entire articles on how artists can deal with hate. You’ll need it if you’re planning to play for anything larger than a small group of friends.
+ Musicians, This Is How You Deal With Haters
But maybe Lady Gaga is writing the best guide imaginable.
After her Super Bowl Halftime performance last weekend, Lady Gaga was getting body-shamed and taunted across Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks. People have been mercilessly blasting the singer for her ‘beer gut,’ ‘muffin top,’ and for being ‘fat’.
The performance was viewed by more than 100 million people, according to Nielsen. That makes it the second most-watched Halftime performance in history.
Here’s a quick sampling of what started pouring in on Sunday:
But even people defending Lady Gaga were calling overweight. So, how skinny do you need to be?
To which Lady Gaga has now responded:
“I heard my body is a topic of conversation so I wanted to say, I’m proud of my body and you should be proud of yours too. No matter who you are or what you do. I could give you a million reasons why you don’t need to cater to anyone or anything to succeed. Be you, and be relentlessly you. That’s the stuff of champions. thank you so much everyone for supporting me. I love you guys. Xoxo, gaga”
I heard my body is a topic of conversation so I wanted to say, I’m proud of my body and you should be proud of yours too. No matter who you are or what you do. I could give you a million reasons why you don’t need to cater to anyone or anything to succeed. Be you, and be relentlessly you. That’s the stuff of champions. thank you so much everyone for supporting me. I love you guys. Xoxo, gaga
Any questions?
Yes, people are cruel and the opportunity to voice cruel opinions is easier than ever now, but context is important here. When you’re an artist whose marketable “persona” and stage act showcases your appearance (body, costume, dance etc.) people are justified in being critical.
The same thing happened when D’Angelo shot that video for “How Does It Feel” and his body immediately became a marketable asset. He became a sex symbol. When he grew a giant gut years after, people reacted cruelly. Was it right? No. Was it expected? Yes.
Artists that don’t market their appearance aren’t really subject to that kind of scrutiny and cruelty. Adele has always been a bigger woman, but she hasn’t been scrutinized the same way. Her body isn’t part of her marketable persona or stage act. It’s her voice and songwriting talent alone. Sorry to say, but however talented a songwriter and singer Lady Gaga might be, she’s always but her physical appearance at the forefront. Not saying she deserves the scrutiny, but let’s at least be honest about it.