Beth Ditto is a punk rock goddess. She is the in-your-face lead singer of The Gossip and lately, known for her cover photo on NME magazine . On NME, Beth poses nude. This is nothing spectacular--women are nude every day, everywhere, and way too often in my opinion.
I’ve been reading the online debates about Beth’s choice to pose nude. As I understand it, Beth gets naked in her stage performance to push the limits of what is acceptable for women’s beauty. Beth is not the version of beauty that we’ve been brow-beaten with by the media. She is large, has rolls, has body hair and doesn’t aim to be demure. For this, her cover has been talked about.
On one side, there is the argument that she is empowering large women to feel good about their bodies. She is fighting a stereotype. She is going up against the patriarchy and saying “look, I’m sexy and I don’t look the way you want me to” and that is considered empowering to some.
I’m fascinated by her photo. I’ve seen very few naked women in my life and most of the one’s I’ve seen are fresh out of jazzercise and taught and toned and completely unlike me. Beth’s body is much more like mine. To see her naked and shameless did make me feel intrigued by my own body. It gave me perspective.
But can her empowerment for a small segment of women be good for all women? How do women benefit by reinforcing that we are sexual and should be celebrated for our sexuality above all else? Where are the naked men trying to get noticed? They are staying clothed and putting forth their skills, talents and personalities.
By now, we all know women have value in their sexuality. It has always been a commodity, but I’m sick and tired of us trading on it all the time. We are held back because of it and yet, it is considered our biggest asset. How does that translate into empowerment?
Jann Arden is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Not a punk-rock goddess, but in my books, a goddess all the same. She has had a successful music career in Canada, winning awards, achieving platinum album sales levels and touring to sold-out venues across the country for almost two decades. Canada is a small country, population-wise, so if you want to get wider recognition and earn more money and create more opportunity for yourself, musicians generally try to break into the American market.
Jann is a consummate entertainer, a talented musician and she used to be fat. When she was the artist-in-residence at the famed Studio 54 in New York City, her audiences were blown away at her singing and song writing, as well as at her live show. She’s a funny woman. Between songs, she tells stories that leave you aching from laughter. Record producers and agents came to see her. Not one would take her on as a client. Apparently, America wasn’t ready for a strong, sassy, talented fat performer in a top-40 chart dominated by heavily handled, media-beautiful, youthful women.
Jann recently lost 50lbs or so. She runs regularly. She’s really looking after her body. She’s in her 40’s and she does what she wants. And I don’t’ think she’s a sell-out, but I do suspect that her latest album will be her break-out success in the U.S.A. And I’m confident in saying that it’s not because it’s her best album musically, but because she now fits an image they know how to market.
The big question for me is this: will Beth Ditto’s cover on NME change this? Will it open doors for women to be whoever they want to be physically and let them be successful based on talent and skill? Sadly, I’m not confident that it will. We just watched Jordin Sparks, the winner of American Idol, get bashed publicly for her purported obesity. Where were those same critics when Ruben Stoddard claimed his spot as the runner-up?
Beth, if you’re reading this: know that I think you’re a brave woman for putting yourself out there. You already know that your brains and talent are your greatest offerings to this world. Let’s make everyone else understand that too. Not just about you, but about all women. |
Trudi Evans |
| About the author: |
| Trudi Evans is the publisher of As We Are Magazine and an active member of the board of directors for the Eating Disorders Action Group. Her interests range from politics and writing to environmentalism and mixed-berry cobblers. She resides in Nova Scotia with her spouse Rob, their son Sam, and Sam’s cat Hero. |
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