Kelly Clarkson Isn't Here For Your Body-Shaming
Kelly Clarkson is happy with who she is, thankyouverymuch
Kelly Clarkson is a woman in the public eye. She’s a talented singer, a down-to-earth-mother, and someone you could totally picture being your BFF.
She also has not lost the weight she put on after her second pregnancy, which is the least interesting thing about this phenomenal talent. But somehow, the topic of weight wiggles its way into so many of her interviews. It did again, at the recent SHE Summit in New York City. Redbook was there and captured some of the conversation.
The question? “In the press last year, a lot of people commented on how your body looked. As a mom, as somebody who is in the spotlight, and as a woman, how do you deal with the criticism about your body?”
“As a mother, and as an aunt, and as a sister, and as a daughter, I think it’s very important for me to be very open about my weight and people asking about it,” Clarkson said. “Obviously, this is not my goal weight, if anyone’s asking, but I had two kids. I felt like I was perfect for three years. And I didn’t want to lose the weight back then, I knew I was gonna have another kid. It’s hard for me, a lot of physical things going against me.”
It’s hard for a lot of us. But the most jarring thing about weight is… no one cares about it when you’re thin. If you suddenly drop weight, there’s no abuse — only accolades. But if you happen to not “bounce back” right away after baby, or are simply happy with your new curves, all hell breaks loose.
“I think it’s important to tell girls that Photoshop is not reality, that’s not what we look like, that’s not what we want people to see,” she went on. “This [her body] is real, and this is what’s happening right now, this is what I’m rocking. I’m just gonna do me and I’m gonna go at my own pace and I’m gonna do my thing, and if I’m skinny one day or bigger one day, that ain’t gonna change how I sound. I still sound pretty dang good. And my talent is why I’m here.”
As humans walking through this world, there are so many things that make up who we are. It’s incredible how so much of how we are judged is simply based on this outer shell. But Clarkson is willing to talk about it, because she knows her transparency, strength, and contentedness will help others.
“I think it’s great that people always bring it up with me because I get to say, ‘screw you, I don’t care what you think.’ Don’t be me then, do you. I’ve always been very confident though — I’m kind of that kid that’s like, when you tell me not to do something, I’m gonna be like, ‘ohh, OK, watch me do this.’ And I think that God, the universe, or whatever, knows that about me.”
“I’m the happiest I’ve ever been and I can’t even believe my life sometimes. I’m so fortunate, and that’s what I focus on.”
