Kelly Clarkson has been famous for a long time, and while that certainly comes with a lot of upsides, which many of us probably can't even begin to imagine, it also comes with some serious downsides. One of those for Clarkson has been the constant scrutiny over her weight and appearance, as she's had to deal with some very public body shaming over the years. Now, The Voice coach is sharing why she always calls out body-shamers.
Kelly Clarkson was a mere 20 years old when she shot to fame while competing on (and then winning) the very first season of American Idol. As with most celebrities who've been famous for as long as Clarkson has, she's had to deal with both a lot of professional highs and lows, and her many personal trials and triumphs becoming public knowledge. One thing that she's never put up with, though, is anyone who tries to throw shade her way for how she looks.
While speaking with tennis legend Serena Williams on The Kelly Clarkson Show recently, Clarkson brought up the issue of body-shaming to Williams and was then prompted to explain why she takes the time to shut body-shamers down, saying:
What makes me mad about it, [is] not how it’s said to me -- it’s rude and obviously, nobody likes to hear it -- but it’s because other women and other little girls are looking out there and they’re bigger than me and they’re going, ‘If they think she’s this way, then what does the world think of me?’ The domino effect of that is so detrimental for people’s psyche, and especially nowadays with young women on social media. It’s just so hard, so that’s what makes me mad and I feel like I have to keep talking about it every once in a while and stand up.
Can we just take a moment to stand and give Kelly Clarkson the ovation she deserves for not backing down in tough moments like this? We can? Good. I'll wait...OK, what I, and I think many people, will love about what Clarkson said, is that even though it's never nice to hear body-shaming comments about yourself, she really stands up to people who engage in that activity so that others can feel better about themselves. Those people are also likely to feel empowered to fight back when someone makes shitty comments about them, so it just helps all-around.
While here has always been pressure, especially for women and girls, to fit into societal standards with regards to their appearances, Kelly Clarkson is right in saying that social media has brought that pressure to a whole new level. Now, not only is everyone potentially inundated with how they're supposed to look, but just try posting a picture of yourself where even one person finds your physical form lacking in some way. The negativity will be swift and brutal. So, Clarkson makes sure to talk about the issue of body-shaming, as well as responding to those who try to body shame her, as often as she can.
Williams then brought up that it was just in 2015 that a British TV personality came after Kelly Clarkson hard (and very publicly) over her weight, by saying in an interview that it looked as though Clarkson had "eaten her backup singers." When Clarkson was made aware of the comments, she simply said, "I'm awesome! It doesn't bother me. It's a free world. Say what you will," and noted that she doesn't care what people think of her as long as she knows she's happy and "feeling good."
I, for one, am glad whenever anyone stands up to a person who attempts to shame them for the way they look, so continued kudos to Kelly Clarkson for fighting the good fight and shutting body-shamers down as often as possible.
The Kelly Clarkson Show airs every weekday, so be sure to check local listings for times. The Voice is still in Season 19, and you can watch that every Monday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST on NBC, but for more to watch right now, check out our guide to fall TV!
