"You Are Responsible For Your Self-Esteem"

Most Americans aren't familiar with the name Beth Ditto.  Though she was born in Arkansas, and now lives in Portland, OR, her band, Gossip, gets no airplay in the States.  In the UK, however, the media follow her every move.  She's the most famous female singer to hit England since Madonna.  She's also one of the most outspoken.

She's an out lesbian and very vocal on LGBT issues.  She is also seen as a role model, spokesperson and champion of the fat positive movement.  At one time, she ran a regular column in The Guardian called 'What Would Beth Ditto Do?'.  One question in particular caught my eye.  As a size 20-22 woman, how can I stop worrying about my weight?  This was her response:

"If I ever happen to be, say, in an antique store and stumble upon a dusty lamp and polish it, because, well, it's dusty, and to my surprise, pink smoke puffs from the spout and a genie pops out and grants me three wishes, this would be one for sure. I would wish that all the people who are dissatisfied with their bodies be granted immunity from all the bad feelings.

Thanks to capitalism, the importance placed on beauty has never been so manipulated. We are the guinea pigs force-fed ads that tell us how pathetic we are: that we will never be loved, happy or valuable unless we have the body, the face, the hair, even the personality that will apparently be ours, if only we buy their products.

Believe it or not, I don't wake up every day feeling weightless. There are days when it is harder to fight the lie, but telling the truth gets easier all the time. It is about de-programming yourself and telling yourself you are a human, a living, breathing creature.

You've heard the saying that hate isn't something we're born with, its something we learn. Well, that goes for your body as well. The first step to letting go of the hatred is to stop blaming yourself for your body. Step two is accepting that not everyone will agree with you. You will have to defend yourself regularly. People will ask you constant questions about your health in an attempt to convince you that you are unhealthy. Remember, you are responsible for your self-esteem. Self-love starts with stopping the negative thoughts as soon as they begin.

I can't stress enough that it is hard work, so don't expect to wake up tomorrow feeling like a new woman. Instead, pat yourself on the back for your daily progress.

I was born fat and have always been, which was just fine and even healthy and cute until I turned ten or so. Puberty hit like a hurricane and brought a new set of rules. All of a sudden it was my fault I was chubby. The prefix "baby" fell away from fat, a little word that hung around and haunted me until one day, in my late teens, I decided that I was either going to spend the rest of my life trying to change myself or accept myself as I was. I chose the latter. I believe I owe all the best parts of my adulthood to embracing my imperfections and showcasing them.

Reclaiming the word fat was the most empowering step in my progress. I stopped using it for insult or degradation and instead replaced it with truth, because the truth is that I am fat, and that's ok. So now when someone calls me fat, I agree, whereas before I would get embarrassed and emotional.

Start by wearing clothes with the intention of reclaiming your self-esteem, clothes that make you feel good, confident, sexy even, instead of clothes meant to hide your body. You can also look at your body more. A lot of us ignore our bodies. Connect with your body instead, especially when naked.

Finally, the key change that would help everyone in our situation feel a little better would be if all the skinny people who talk so nastily about fat people would stop being "

I would much rather see that on magazine covers than some skinny movie star revealing how they lost "those final 6 pounds" to People magazine.  Those covers make me sick.  To imply that 131 lbs just isn't good enough.  We need more honest commentary from people like Beth.

The Gossip's Singer Launches Battle Against Skinny Chicks

Beth Ditto, lead singer of the band The Gossip, recently has taken issue to the fact that heavier people are stereotypically seen as being unhealthy.  As a well known advocate for positive body image, Ditto has been making the case for quite a while that overweight people can still live healthy lives.  Though her size 28 body is on the high end of the BMI scale, she says in her recent interview chronicled in The Independent:

 "I'm not an unhealthy person and... one of the most tiring parts of being fat and being proud of it is... you do a lot of proving yourself all the time."

She added: "It's really interesting to me that people will look at a thin person and go, 'That's a healthy person'. I want to go: 'Come, open my refrigerator and look, and then let's talk about what you think is so bad.' To be thin and to stay really thin... some people literally do coke all the time. Some people smoke cigarettes instead of eating. That's crazy. But that's OK, because you look healthier."

Ditto has recently released her second plus size collection for retailer Evans, to rave reviews.  As a lesbian, she has also garnered attention for her outspoken support of LGBT and feminist causes.  Her band, The Gossip, released their fourth studio album, titled Music for Men, last year.  Here is their latest video for the single Heavy Cross.  Until now, I've known of Beth Ditto, but never really gave her band a listen.  I like it.