I couldn't care less about Britney Spears! I need you to understand just how much I don't care about Britney Spears because it is the only way I can bring myself to talk about her. So now that we all know that I am not some closeted teeny bop idol lover I can get on to talking about Britney Spears.
Once again this morning, Britney is all over the news due to her "disastrous" performance at last nights MTV Video Music Awards. I happened to see part of the performance on the Today Show this morning while waiting for the weather report. I will agree, it did look bad and was probably an ill advised comeback attempt for someone not ready to be back in the spotlight. There is however one thing that is bugging me about all the media coverage.
Here is a quote from an AP article on Yahoo news this morning:
"As in most train wrecks, it was hard to focus on just one thing as the Britney Spears disaster unfolded. There was just so much that went wrong.
Out-of-synch lip-synching. Lethargic movements that seemed choreographed by a dance instructor for a nursing home. The paunch in place of Spears' once-taut belly."
Can you guess which part of that quote I have a problem with? Nearly every news report I have seen on last nights VMA's mentioned Britney Spears' weight as one of the things she "did wrong" last night.
Ok, now take a good look at these pictures. Do you see the paunch? Sure it's not a set of six-pack abs, but I think Britney has a lot more to worry about then being ten pounds overweight and a little soft in middle. To me, she looks incredibly healthy. The only hint of a "paunch" is in this final photo and that may just be because of her pose and the angle of the photo.
But, here is the message I hear going out to young girls. "Be skinny or else people will make fun of you." Sure I am super sensitive to this issue due to my current obsession with my own body. But as a father of two little girls it worries me to see how nonchalantly we can call a 130 lb. woman paunchy merely because she is a celebrity who once had a rock hard body. She has had two kids for cripes sake.
So here is my point, if you have young daughters who read the newspaper or watch the news or listen to the radio or watch MTV, do me a favor. Let them know that while Britney Spears may be a little off her rocker, she is a healthy looking young woman who doesn't need to lose any weight.
Encourage your kids to live healthy lifestyles but at the same time be sure they understand what it means to have a healthy body image. And for the betterment of us all buy them some Ani Difranco or Tori Amos or Cat Power CDs. Please!!!!
Tony
9/10: 236.4 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
16.4 lbs. to go
p.s. Check out Tori Amos' take on todays young female roll models.
