Awards season is upon us again, and that means women and their bodies will be centre stage once more. Don’t get me wrong, I love to see incredible woman all dressed up and watch them collecting the awards they have worked so hard for, but the reality is that commentators are not interested in celebrating women as they take to the red carpet of award shows. They are waiting to dissect every part of their bodies in the dresses they have been forced or chosen to wear.
Just last week Selena Gomez had to hit back at body shamers. She explained why her weight fluctuates and went live on TikTok to open up about body image. She was responding to endless social media speculation about the way she looked following her appearance at the Golden Globes and on the cover of Vanity Fair’s Hollywood Issue.
Gomez revealed that she has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and lupus — and explained that the medication she uses to control symptoms causes weight fluctuation. She owes no one this explanation, especially when she is a young woman dealing with a chronic condition. I could see the stress and discomfort in her eyes as she calmly told millions of people why it is not OK to focus on women’s bodies and why as a society we need to change.
Sadly, Gomez is not alone in being the target of the media over her body this awards season. Madonna has now revealed the “swelling from surgery” has gone down following criticism of her appearance at the Grammys. The internet was flooded with comments on what people thought about her face.
Oddly, some people even posted pictures of their mums who were the same age as Madonna, as if expecting the superstar to look like them rather than as she — a global megastar — did.
The internet is wild, we know, but people are only reacting to what others are interested in. I had no idea what a toxic environment was being created and how that actually impacted me and millions of others when I was younger.
I still remember how stunning Kate Winslet looked on the red carpets when Titanic came out and how excited I was to see a woman with the body shape I thought aligned with mine be centre stage. But this was short-lived. She was called fat and ridiculed by those creating the hideous “worst dressed” lists for TV and newspapers.
She has since talked about the impact this had on her, but the truth is it had an impact on so many of us. In our 30s women like me are only just coming out the other side of this. We should do better and stop objectifying women who are just trying to celebrate their work.
There is nothing rarer, nor more beautiful, than a woman being unapologetically herself. So when these amazing artists show up for their moment of glory please let them have it. They deserve it and countless young girls watching them will be inspired to follow in their footsteps.
Labour leads on clean air
As the Tories talk about leaving the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the Labour Party is seeking to extend our human rights protection by making clean air a right for all. Living in the capital, we know how bad air quality can get and Labour supporting the right to breathe clean air is a great step forward. But what really strikes me is this question: how can our political parties be so far apart when it comes to the basics of a civil society? I have no idea what those who think the ECHR is the boogie man are on,
but the reality is that the ECHR was written by incredible British lawyers. It is the foundation of many of the things we hold dear in this country and stripping it away would damage not just us but future generations.
I really hope that rather than attacking human rights legislation the Tories get their act together and add to it instead.
