Why do so many white women stand for and even support this?

Question

Britney Spears has made a fool of herself publicly on many occasions. And for her own sake and the sake of her poor children, I hope this troubled young woman gets help.

But so much of the criticism of her VMA performance was that she was FAT!

My first though was, "Dayum! White folks is CRAZY!" Of course initial reactions and reasoned responses are different, so I now ask, more grammatically and without over-generalizing: why do so many white people think this way?

It wasn't just men. I've heard white women calling her a "stupid cow" or saying "her fat *** looked so gross".

Setting aside the issue of her choice of dress,

1, The woman has just had a child.
2. I doubt she was even overweight according to medical standards (which are a bit skewed anyway).
3. She didn't look bad. (Foolish yes, but not "gross")

Black women get bombarded with the same media images (and worse), but do not suffer the same prevalence of anorexia, bulimia, yo-yo dieting, and needing to be skinny.

I wonder why white women do this to themselves and each other.

Layla

I didn't think they were making excuses for her. They were attacking her for other things too. Some of the criticisms are valid. I just found the "fat" thing outrageous

Anna

I do have my facts. Although rates of binge eating disorder are close to rates among white women, rates of anorexia and bulimia, which I referred to, are much lower.

"Anorexia nervosa is found mainly in the white (>95%) adolescent (>75%) populations of the middle and upper socioeconomic classes, although it can be observed in either sex and in people of any race, age, or social stratum."

http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic115.htm

Answer 1

I think it has a lot to do with the targeted audience of each race, also, the role models. Although I'm Middle Eastern, I feel that I have lived the life of both, in terms of body image and trying to appeal to different groups. When I was in Europe I weighed about 110lbs and still thought of myself as "overweight." At the time, I dated Swedish guys, who also somewhat agreed with the image of myself.

Years later, when I started dating Blacks, my body image eventually changed...even though I put on weight, none of my exes ever complained, as a matter of fact, they appreciated my thickness...also, my ideal body changed from Kate Moss to Beyonce...I guess I can thank my black exes for teaching me acceptance of my own body...

Maybe it's just a matter of demand and supply? White men prefer skinny women, hence the pressure to be skinny. Black men prefer thick women, hence less pressure to be skinny? I know skinny black women who have had bad body images and wished they were thick.

Answer 2

I don't pay attention to male and female celebrities, since the media focuses on people for no other reason than that they act or sing. Since they don't do anything I'm particularly interested in, I have no reason to care about them or what they think or do.

The way the media discusses these people's private lives is disgusting. I have no idea why there are so many shallow people obsessed with celebrities. These celebrities are not role models, nor are they someone to denigrate. I don't condone what they do, nor do I condemn them. Frankly, I don't care what they do. There will be a new group of celebrities who will be used and abused in future, the same as this crop is being used by the media and the public.

Answer 3

In this day and age, the media frenzy wins out over almost anything else. Internet allows information to be transmitted with an immediacy that has never before been witnessed. This has allowed for an overflow of "amateur critics". People who are not qualified to comment on the performance beyond "I liked it" or "I didn't' like it". This phenomenon leads people to go beyond professionalism and begin attacking people on a personal level. And to a woman, what's more personal than her weight?
As for the different ways that white and black women view this issue, a majority of it stems from the function of the different races throughout history in our society. Black women have always worked as hard as black men, while white women were expected to stay withing the feminine domain. I'm not implying that black women shouldn't have a feminist agenda, there are still inequalities regardless of race. However, the need to become more masculine is something that seems to be localized to white Western women. The drive to make the feminine body look more streamlined and muscular, more masculine, is a by-product of the fear of women in the workplace. It is much easier to accept the woman who looks like a man, than the girl next door, as the boss.
Women like Britney Spears aren't fat, they have curves. You can't see the definition of every muscle in their bodies, nor should you. Women are not meant to have the bodies of pre-pubescent males. Real women don't wear size 2.

Answer 4

In my humble opinion, it is what media had inflicted on all of us: skeletal bodies ( think Paris Hilton) scantly dressed in bright and shiny rags. It has nothing to do with what regular adult people think or feel. Unfortunately, easily swayed youngsters are repeating what they hear on TV, because of their inability to form their own opinions. There is another issue every celebrity has, when they make a choice to join the media circus: they become the center of gossip and BS mangling 24/7. So, Britney Spears has absolutely nothing to complain about: it is part of her world. What she really needs to do as a professional: get her act together and start doing her job well. That is true for everyone of us, so she is no different.
I don't think many adults of any racial background are paying much attention to what is called "perfect weight" these days. I could be wrong, but by certain age most of us worry about being healthy and happy, and concerns about what other people think of our looks and lives are left in our teens and never missed.

Answer 5

if she is fat than i would hate to see what thin looks like

i personally believe that some women are so wrapped up on what fashion finds "pretty" in woman that it has damaged there own self image that attacking others verbally with such demeaning remarks somehow makes them feel better about them selves and there own self loathing
others are just mean

yes Brittany is not the size she use to be but only by a pant size or two. come on people everyone's body changes she has been going threw alot of crap (yes some is self inflicted) but I'm sure her weight is one of the last things she should worry about maybe her own mental health should come first

look how bad people and the media attacked Kristie Alley (now a jenny Craig spokes person) and she did pack on some weight

people just need to stop worrying about such trivial issues such as a celebrities weight and start to focus on other things that directly effect there own towns like more healthy food in school cafeterias, how much sex and violence is on TV, or ways to raise children to respect people and there own self worth

Answer 6

IMO it's because white men place higher expectations on women and one of those is to have a fit body with a nice figure. Sadly I think the expectations are way high and the pressure too much which is why cases of anorexia and bulimia occur---it's not that having expectations are bad just when so much emphasis is made at such early ages it leads to problems.

Answer 7

Yes, it's ridiculous. She may not have had the concave abs of her 19 year old former self, but she was by no means fat or overweight. And while I thought her performance was pretty bad, she LOOKED pretty good. I fear for the kind of message this is sending to young girls, when a woman of perfectly healthy weight (and I would guesstimate a BMI of no more than 27) is ridiculed (yes, by men AND women) for being "fat."
As for black women having a healthier body image, I think this is true, and an example of the difference in cultural standards. Yes, black women are subjected to the same images, but they are not affected by these in the same way. I think it's the paucity of black women in the media, coupled with different standards of beauty within black culture, that give black women a healthier acceptable weight range.
Why do we do it to ourselves? The need for acceptance in a culture that places so much emphasis on a woman's physical beauty. Again, within black culture, a curvier look is ideal, the standards are more forgiving when it comes to weight. for white women, this is not the case.

Answer 8

lol! I think that your 1st thought probably won't be the last time you think it! The only reason that I can think of is that Too many American white people set their ideas of what is good or right from the images they get from the media and many of them don't get it that it is Not Real. White women are being compared to models and they are too often comparing themselves to models. Black women in America more often look around them for their idea of what is normal and pretty.

Why is it like this and how did it happen like this I am not sure.

Answer 9

I think it has to do with the exaggerated image that the media brings, supermodels, actresses etc who aren't the "darlings" unless they subsist on lettuce.

Brittany has a lot more problems than her weight. She's not fat, just heavier than her "before kids figure". However, her lack of judgement and maturity are her main issues. I don't personally think anyone needs to show that much skin in public whether it's skinny or fat, white or black, red or brown. I just think leaving something to the imagination is a lot more sexy than showing everything you were born with.

Answer 10

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