Mandisa placed ninth in the fifth season of American Idol. She was regarded by the judges as being too overweight to be a success, regardless of her absolutely stunning vocals.
After being voted off American Idol, however, she landed a record deal with Sparrow Records, and her musical career has taken off. Her first album, “True Beauty”, was so named as a response to the crticism she took for her weight on American Idol.
Mandisa has worked on a solo album, and has collaborated with many Christian musical artists, such as TobyMac, Matthew West, and Michael W. Smith. Her first single, Only The World, debuted at #1 on the Top Christian Singles charts, and at #43 on the Billboard Top 200.
Mandisa is a force to be reckoned with, and glows with true beauty inside and out.
In the past few days, I have seen an argument of sorts occurring over words being used to describe people who do not conform to the Hollywood standard for body size.
On May 12, 2010, Roger Ebert wrote a review of the movie “Just Wright”. The full review can be read at that link. In his review, Roger made the following observation about Queen Latifah.
Latifah has never been fat. She has always been plus-size. There is a difference. She is healthy, fit, carries herself with confidence, and looks terrific in “Just Wright” in the kind of clothing a physical therapist might feel comfortable wearing. If you’re dragging around feeling low about yourself, you want to know her secret.
On May 13, 2010, there was a response in the form of an article on Fatshionista.com. The article discusses the words “plus-size” vs. “fat”, and how we view these two different concepts in society today.
From Fatshionista:
Indeed, “plus size” and “fat” are distinct concepts, but not exclusive. Fat people are uniformly plus size by necessity, but not all plus size people are fat. You can be both, neither, or plus size, but not fat alone. “Plus size” is a matter of accessibility; fat is a matter of substance. The difference Ebert mentions here is rather one of personal appreciation and semantics. One could read the above as suggesting that Latifah isn’t fat because fat people are not “healthy, fit,” they do not carry themselves “with confidence”, nor do they look terrific. (Pish-tush, dear fats, for the moment let us set aside our objections though we know these assertions to be far from universally true.) These are, after all, the examples Ebert uses to identify Latifah’s lack of fatness. Fat is still bad. Plus size is… almost good?
Later in the article, the author explains that she takes exception to words like “plus-size” or “curvy”, as they are meant to describe women who still have the Hollywood idealized body, except “thicker” (her word, not mine). Further, she points out that not every woman can fit this description, that the female body can come in many different shapes, which don’t fit even this “idealized, except thicker” standard.
The article then goes on to defend “fatness”, damning those that praise thinness, and, in my opinion, shows as much discrimination against the thin as she believes thin people show to her. This can be seen in the false assertions she makes in the following:
The elevation of thinness is damaging to fat women, certainly, but also to fat men, and also to people of all sizes who needs must spend their lives worrying about the alleged risks of becoming fat: a sudden loss of “fitness” (which only thin people possess and all thin people have), a lack of confidence (link very NSFW), and a failure to look terrific (get back in your muumuus, you fatasses!).
As always, I recommend reading the full text of the article, in order to fully understand exactly where the author was going with this.
Now that we’ve established the basics of the argument, such as it is, I’d like to go to the trouble of explaining the difference between “plus-size”, “curvy”, and “fat”.
First of all, Fatshionista did agree with me on one point:
Indeed, “plus size” and “fat” are distinct concepts, but not exclusive. Fat people are uniformly plus size by necessity, but not all plus size people are fat. You can be both, neither, or plus size, but not fat alone.
“Plus-size” in a fashion sense, is terminology for any woman that wears Size 14 or above clothing. This plus-size woman can be in good shape, or she can be very, very out of shape.
“Fat” on the other hand, refers to those people that are not in good physical shape, and have a high percentage of body fat.
Now, I know that what you just read qualifies me for the gold medal in the “State The Obvious” awards, but bear with me, I needed to state the obvious in order to make a point.
Hollywood has started to accept plus-size actresses, such as Queen Latifah and Camryn Manheim. They are plus-sized. They are gorgeous, and they are in shape. Ashley Graham, one of Lane Bryant’s most beautiful plus-size models, is beautiful beyond measure, and she is in good shape.
Yet, Hollywood does not often give leading roles to “fat” actresses. The author of the article at Fatshionista had the following to say about what this does to “fat” women:
The elevation of thinness is damaging to fat women, certainly, but also to fat men, and also to people of all sizes who needs must spend their lives worrying about the alleged risks of becoming fat: a sudden loss of “fitness” (which only thin people possess and all thin people have), a lack of confidence (link very NSFW), and a failure to look terrific (get back in your muumuus, you fatasses!).
Hollywood does, occasionally, bring a “fat” actress into the limelight, and size notwithstanding, they have the chance to prove themselves to be every bit as good as any thin actress. The 2010 Academy Awards proved this, with Mo’nique winning the Best Actress award for her role in Precious. She deserved it.
Outside of Hollywood, we need to explain why “plus-size” is acceptable to society, while “fat” is not.
It really boils down to a very simple concept. As a general rule, people like to see healthy people. A woman can be thin, and in shape, or plus-size, and in shape, and she is generally accepted by most people as having a good figure.
In the case of “fat” women, however, society looks at them differently, and as less beautiful, because they are viewed as being less healthy than thinner people.
The above quote shows, however, the author’s negative views on health. Specifically, she talks about the “alleged risks of becoming fat”, such as “a sudden loss of ‘fitness’”.
“Fat” and “plus-size” can be different for different viewpoints. “Healthy”, however, is definable, and measurable.
Excess body fat can cause all sorts of health problems, from strain on your heart, to high cholesterol.
Of course, I know that not all fat people are inherently unhealthy. Some lead very healthy lifestyles. They eat moderately healthy, they exercise regularly, and they are still “fat”.
But, if you are eating unhealthily, are not exercising, are not staying active, you are doing a disservice to yourself.
At CurvyHer, we advocate a healthy view of your own body. Whether you are thin, or plus-size, or fat, we believe you need to love your body. Part of loving your body, however, requires that you take care of it. Your body is your temple, and even temples need regular maintenance.
Lastly, “fat” is also more than just a physical attribute. ”Fat” is also a state of mind. Any body, whether big or small, hourglass shaped, or pear shaped, can be dressed to look sexy. If you are a bigger person, and you decide that nothing will make you look sexy, and you just shop for shapeless, baggy clothing at Walmart, you will be seen differently than if you go to Torrid, or Lane Bryant, or Addition-Elle, and find clothing designed to show the sexiness of bigger women.
While I do agree with the author at Fatshionista that society as a whole needs to stop looking at body type as a determining factor on a person’s worth, I do believe that how a person carries themselves, no matter their size, determines how they are viewed by others. Pride in yourself shows in your appearance, your posture, and your demeanor. That carries over into how you are viewed by others more than just your size.
In the end, I believe that Roger Ebert had a valid point about Queen Latifah, and our author at Fatshionista.com needs to consider that “plus-size” and “fat” are used differently for good reason. ”Plus-size” refers to size. ”Fat” refers to size, combined with state-of-mind and overall health.
We continue to advocate a positive body image to all our readers. But remember to take care of your body, as it’s the only one you’re given.
