TVSquad

Being overweight or not-that-good looking can be resolved but bad singing is forever.

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"Simon will say something mean regarding the chances of a very talented, but overweight girl."

Actually, he's being honest. I remember last season when he had an auditioner with a fabulous voice and a goddess-sized figure...he told her, straight up, that her chances were limited. He wasn't being cruel, he was telling her the truth.

In this country, despite the politically correct rhetoric we like to spout, average society still considers it fair game to abuse the plus-sized women, to demean us and to deny us opportunities, regardless of our level of talent, purely on the basis of our dress size. It isn't Simon's fault - he just calls it like he sees it.

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Most of America is fat, so how can we settle for anything less in our Idol?

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If a fat girl ever does win American Idol, it will probably be an African-American or Latina girl since extra weight is more acceptable among those ethnicities than it is among white women.

Also, who is that featured in the pic for this story? Is it Martin Lawrence in drag? I'm not trying to be nasty, but if you're trying not to offend fat girls, you would do better not to use a picture that seems to ridicule them.

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I think that Simon in particular is critical of people's looks and he is the judge that the people take most seriously because they know he calls it how he sees it. He also speaks with authority while the other judges are more sensitive. Paula had her share of problems with body image and eating disorders. Randy was a big guy so he's not going to call someone out for being big. If Simon wasn't verbally critical of the appearance of certain contestants the public wouldn't focus in on it as much. The public knows a good voice when they hear it. Weight never stopped Patti LaBelle or Aretha Franklin from making bank in the height of their careers. The public would be less likely to focus on someone's weight or appearance if it wasn't brought up in the judging. When the judges compare a contestant to someone or something, it brands that contestant in the mind of the viewers for their remaining time on Idol.

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a fat girl won Australian Idol in 2004. Casey Donovan. She was only 16 too.

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Perfectly understandable. The music industry is now dominated by "talent" you'd like to sleep with. Thank MTV, lip synching or music production that can make anybody a passable act (i.e. Ashley Simpson) for that. Looks matter more than musical talent. Patti LaBelle or Aretha Franklin wouldn't have a chance today.

As for why average or below average men have a chance, just look around. Women aren't as shallow as men when it comes to picking a mate. And I'm guessing they're willing to give the same bit of slack to a male artist.

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When did that memo went out that Fantasia is not fat? She won and she weighs at least 200 lbs.

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I don't think it is really a measure of who America wants since Idol is basically controlled by the rabid subset of fans that vote 100+ times a week. It takes an enormous amount of casual voting viewers to counteract the small, psycho-determined fanatics.

If Fox was truly interested in who America wanted, it would be 1 vote per household/phone line but of course, multiple voting means gaudy totals to trumpet which means more advertising revenue and the perception that America has truly spoken. I believe there was some research done a season or 2 ago that showed only 10% of the viewers even bothered to vote.

Obviously, the show is a viewing sensation and cultural phenomenon, but, sadly like our elections, not many people actually bother to vote and influence the decision.

That aside, I do think that a heavier female could win if she was very good, telegenic, from the South and her competitors were not strong.

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The correct term is 'weightist'


I dont know if thats how you spell it, but thats the word...

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A very heavy girl won Australian Idol in 2004: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_Donovan_(singer)

And she was up against a super cute guy with an amazing voice. The mean Simon-esque judge there told her early on she would never make it because she wasn't hot enough, but people rallied around the underdog I guess.

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Chubbs Clooney! I loved the article. As a Jennifer-Hudson-Style fat girl, I'm laughing my cushy ass off.

I think you definitely have a point. People will probably bring up Mandisa from last year, and I think there was a fat girl in season three who made it to the top 12, but those girls had a likable quality to them. (Simon actually remarked that they would need a bigger stage when they put Mandisa through to Hollywood, and then she called him on it, and he apologized.) But the thing is, Mandisa had a pretty face, and seemed like a smart and confident girl.

Katherine McPhee, who was never fat, dropped like 20 lbs by the finale last season. Kelly Clarkson lost weight after she won, as did Carrie Underwood.

I think that they're hard on the ugly girls, a little more than the fat girls, or at least more than the ugly guys. You pointed out that the winners and runner-ups have not been typical "heart-throbs" like Ace, and you're right. Ace actually got a lot of flack for being a good looking guy. People were calling him gay all over the idol message boards.

In summary: fat girls are ok unless they want to win, ugly girls are never ok, fat or ugly guys are a shoe-in.

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Looks shouldn't count when it's a talent show for singing. It doesn't say BEAUTY CONTEST... but, and I mean a BIG BUTT ... it's bad enough walking into an audition being overweight but wearing horrible ill fitting clothes and calling MORE attention to HUGE pink arms is a disaster! Singing songs such as "HOT LIKE ME" when the person clearly is NOT hot is just a joke no matter how well they could sing it. It's about looks probably more so than talent because as long as someone has an ounce of voice they can mold the person into a star if they have "The look". Even children like to look at pretty people compared to average or below average. I myself enjoy looking at the below average people. I enjoy it when someone has white frizz for hair and too much garish make up or missing teeth.. lol Sounds horrible but it's true... The world needs all kinds of people! Everyone can't be beautiful or the world would be boring.

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The music industry for years has been so obsessed with these perfectly fit singers. They tended to be insulting to some overweight singers. Until American Idol came along. I think that Idol has given some imperfect people the chance to be successful. I never said anything insulting about people like Ruben Studdard, Jennifer Hudson, Kimberly Locke, Mandisa, Taylor Hicks or others--I accepted them for their TALENT! And all of them range from good to great! Simon Cowell seems so uncomfortable about some singers who are overweight or a few pounds heavier that come into the auditions. And he was doing it again in this week's shows, still the same insulting remarks. I think that's he so afraid that he'll be embarrassed if that person makes it in the semifinals. He's so trapped with this "perfect" image of what he wants his American Idol to be. Because he's one of the main producers, he expects this perfect presentation and image. I think that a plus-size girl can win American Idol if she finds the right songs to sing, has strong vocal talent, wins over the judges and the viewers and pushes herself to the limit to win it. Jennifer Hudson (who didn't win) landed on Dreamgirls, won a Golden Globe and now everyone's talking about her! What does Simon have to say NOW?! He needs to get a serious reality check and stop thinking that everybody is so alike!

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I think that article alone explains a lot about America and their prejudice against fat women.

"The question of whether a fat girl could win occurred to me when the decidedly plus sized Jennifer Hudson won her Golden Globe award earlier this week."

Jennifer Hudson fat?? Give a break... I'd take her and America Ferrera together over Renée Zellweger in any day of the week.

I'm just glad I don't live in this country where people are fat and admire others that are as skinny as my long dead gramma.

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It really is disturbing how much more important body image has become, particularly in entertainment, and not just for women.

Cass Elliot wouldn't have made it past the auditions.

Joe Cocker would likely not even have been allowed that far.

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As an owner of a recording studio in Nashville, I am pretty connect to the "scene." And yes, that includes, LA, NYC, Chicago, New Orleans (what hasn't moved here), ATL, Austin.......and so on.

Overweight white/asian women are quite possibly the most discriminated against in the business. Next: Overweight Latino women, then overweight black women.

Here is why: While it isn't fair, right, or even a reflection of the talent-pool we have in the world (usually not even a fraction of a reflection in some cases), the music business is just that: a business. They want money, not art. The people running the record companies do not usually have music majors from awesome colleges/universities behind them. They also don't necessarily have degrees in music business or anything in any creative area. Some don't have degrees at all! But there they are in leather executive chairs, and they are usually ALL white business men. They don't see anything but the bottom line.

Gone are the days when an Aretha could slip through the cracks. Additionally, gone are the days when a Janis Joplin could slip through the cracks. Image, right or wrong, is the central theme, and then music/talent follows.

When Milli Vanilli was SUCH the scandal that the poor not-so-cute guys lost their record deal and the pretty boys lost a killer lip-synching job, it was a reflection on how society was headed. They new on some level (even if they were all black men!) that image was THAT important.

The problem we find is that not all hot people can deliver in a live concert. Studios (and I know) can make anyone - ANYONE - sound decent. So they pick the hottest ones.

In a day and age when James Gandolfini, Danny Divito, Steve Bushemi and Carrot Top can thrive with careers that may be in front or behind the cameras (the list can go on and on for the men - tons of fat or ugly or balding men of all races to choose from in the public eye), there are no real female couterparts. And these guys ala Louie CK or that guy on King of Queens can have cute, petite, hottish "wives" that are paired with them!

I can only count on like one hand the overweight women that are regularly seen on television - then there's film - even less (does this wide screen make me look fat?).

There is a problem in this country with all visual media (and now the "audio" music business). First with obesity being the borderline norm, and secondly for art not reflecting true life. Art is meant to show a window into people's worlds, but when these worlds are filled with only pretty people it is a fantasy world. Hollywood lifts up pretty people and through very drastic measures at times, make them more pretty. The music business is following in step.

Let me reiterate, this is not right. Not in a million years. But until the public stops buying records from the likes of Ashlee Simpson-esque fake-beauties who should be on a runway, not in a studio (or on stage with a mic), the business will continue to churn out these barbie-singers.

Rest assured, they won't be around long. Certainly not a career's worth. After all, in three years there will be some hotter female that comes along who dreams of being a "singer" but never studied music in her life. And she will take the place of the last imposter. After all the last one is already too old at age 25.

But don't get me started on ageism and females......

So, to all you overweight females who are amazing at your craft: you were born at the wrong time in history, unfortunately. But keep studying, keep trying, because you always need to be at the top of your game in case Ashlee faints and they need a quick singer as a replacement. Careers can be born that way!

And if all else fails, you too could be the owner of a recording studio in Nashville if you play your cards right and get that education behind you. That way, you can churn out your own stuff, package it, market it, distribute it - just like me!

Leave the pompous, judemental, non-artist white men in the leather chairs out of the loop entirely. In this day and age, their jobs are at stake anyway with the advent of Utube, Myspace, and personal websites that can sell, promote and even distribute for you.

Trust me, if I can do it as a 32-year-old overweight white female - anyone can!

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Hear, hear, Jill K & Preston! I couldn't have said it any better! Pete, I agree with you; it should be one vote per household to truly make it an even playing field. Sad to say, though, the almighty dollar from advertisers is what's going to promote the folks...

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A singer's appearance has nothing to do with why I would buy his or her album. I own a few Carpenters CDs with anorexic Karen, and quite a few more featuring the likes of Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin, and Mama Cass.

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