How many plus-sized women musicians/singers have you seen on MTV?
Asked by
gemiwing (
14718
)
June 12th, 2010
I’m watching MTVU and they are playing the video for Pop Goes The World by The Gossip (who are truly amazing btw). Beth Ditto is a larger woman and it hit me- when was the last time I saw any female on any MTV/VH1/video channel that was plus sized?
I don’t mean like Beyonce’ even though, in fashion circles she would be considered plus-sized
I’m an audiophile and catalogue all music/videos I’m exposed to- so here’s all I’ve come up with so far:
Aretha Franklin (w/George Michael I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me))
Adele (Chasing Pavements)
Anita Baker (Same Old Love and six others)
Missy Elliot ( eleven songs pre weight-loss)
Faith Evans ( Love like this before pre weight-loss)
Angie Stone (Wish I didn’t miss you anymore; Feat. on More than a Woman with Calvin Richardson)
Queen Latifa ( UNITY and four more that I can recall at the moment)
Beyond that, hell, when was the last time a self-identified queer friendly band was on music television? I got Sleater-Kinney (Get Up)
Can anyone think of more? I’m really wringing my brain on this one. What other plus sized women have you seen on a mainstream music channel?
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12 Answers
There was that one chick in Wilson Phillips. Other than the ones you mentioned (some of whom don’t fit my description of plus-sized), not too many. It’s way less acceptable to be a non-skinny woman in any sort of public spotlight than it is to be a non-skinny man. It’s also practically impossible to find a not-“hot” woman, yet I can think of a bunch of famous men that fit this description. I hate double standards.
Alison Moyet maybe, must admit am struggling for more!
What about Jennifer Hudson? She may not be an MTV star, but she is a singer and is beautiful.
I don’t know some of the women on your list but all the ones I do know are black. I’d wager there are many fewer plus-size white women who are as popular as say, Queen Latifah or Missy Elliot.
While I haven’t watched MTV for approximately 1.6 million years, Heart was on the Palladia (Palladium?) channel. Ann Wilson is a plus-size woman.
The Weather Girls
Montserrat Caballé (together with Freddy Mercury)
@KatawaGrey Jennifer Hudson is now a size 6 by the way. Although that is probably still considered to be plus-sized.
@Facade: That is ridiculous. Unless she was having health issues directly caused by her weight, she should not have gone down to a size 6.
@Likeradar: Because the only reason she would have gone down to a size 6 is because large women are unacceptable in American society except in very specific circumstances. My guess is that she was perfectly healthy, perfectly comfortable and only lost weight because women are told in this country that they need to be thin and that large is undesirable.
@KatawaGrey and @Facade Me too. Maybe she is truly more comfortable in her body at this size.
Me three. I imagine she would be beautiful if she weighed 300 pounds though. :)
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