Taylor Swift

[squiggle]

The total lack of definition in her chest/collarbone/arm area is so unattractive. When I was at my highest weight, the only tops I felt comfortable in were long sleeves up to the neck. The doughy chest area is one of the worst parts of weight gain, in my opinion.

It’s also funny to me when celebs talk as if their weight gain is a positive thing for their mental health, yet the way they carry themselves says the opposite. Taylor just looks so uncomfortable in her body right now.


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Is it just me or do fashion designers always deck celebs out in the worst clothes possible after weight gain? That bandeau is clearly too tight (in the last pic her left boob is spilling out over the top) and that bottom makes her hips look twice as wide.

Poor girl, she looks like she's about to cry in the first picture.

 

[Natalie]

Is it just me or do fashion designers always deck celebs out in the worst clothes possible after weight gain? That bandeau is clearly too tight (in the last pic her left boob is spilling out over the top) and that bottom makes her hips look twice as wide.

Poor girl, she looks like she's about to cry in the first picture.

It’s like they haven’t gotten the notice that she gained a bunch of weight. It’s a shame, that dress would look absolutely stunning on someone else.

 

[squiggle]

It’s like they haven’t gotten the notice that she gained a bunch of weight. It’s a shame, that dress would look absolutely stunning on someone else.

I think it's problematic that everyone is praising Taylor for getting "thick" without realising that her style has to change when her body does. IMO she would look and feel half decent (I use this EXTREMELY loosely) in clothes that are more figure flattering. I feel bad for how uncomfortable she looks wearing clothes that are a glaring reminder of her past skinniness.

 

[Natalie]

I think it's problematic that everyone is praising Taylor for getting "thick" without realising that her style has to change when her body does. IMO she would look and feel half decent (I use this EXTREMELY loosely) in clothes that are more figure flattering. I feel bad for how uncomfortable she looks wearing clothes that are a glaring reminder of her past skinniness.

It's not as if she doesn't have executive approval of what she wears, I think she just can't let go of her hey-day good looks. Yeah she'd probably look and feel better with an updated style... but realistically she's already been given that suggestion by her stylist.

 

[heroinechic]

Taylor has come clean about an eating disorder in her new documentary (movie? series?). https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...ocumentary-sundance-film-festival-lana-wilson

I don't doubt her struggles nor do I want to sound cynical or judgemental but why does it feel like every female celebrity has/had an ED?

 

[Tinyportia]

I don't doubt her struggles nor do I want to sound cynical or judgemental but why does it feel like every female celebrity has/had an ED?

It’s not that surprising when you consider the fact that:
- female celebrities constantly have their appearance scrutinised by the media and public. The slightest weight gain or loss is often turned into a front page article in a gossip magazine. I recall reading how an editor of US Weekly said their best selling issues were the ones that had celebrity weight gain/weight loss stories on the cover. Even when a celeb hasn’t gained weight, the gossip mags often claim they have and post unflattering photos of them.
- on average, celebrities are a lot thinner than the general population. A celeb with a BMI of circa 23 (like Taylor), while perfectly “normal” (or even thin) according to the general population, is considered “big” by Hollywood standards. Hanging out all the time with other celebs and being worried that you’re the fattest one in the room would be confidence destroying
- Camera makes you look fatter than you are. Can’t be easy seeing yourself on screen looking 5-10kgs fatter than what you actually are. Would certainly do my head in!
- many celebrities are Type A personalities (how else would they have achieved the success they have without their unrelenting drive and determination) and we know there is often a correlation between perfectionists/high achievers and eating disorders
- and finally, sometimes, an eating disorder is used as a cover up for a drug addiction.

At the end of the day, I’m not particularly surprised by this revelation. Doesn’t make me dislike her any less than I already do

 

[vanitas]

Taylor has come clean about an eating disorder in her new documentary (movie? series?). https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...ocumentary-sundance-film-festival-lana-wilson

I don't doubt her struggles nor do I want to sound cynical or judgemental but why does it feel like every female celebrity has/had an ED?

Not questioning her struggle either because I think she spoke about it fairly eloquently and it sounded truthful, but when I see this kind of story coming out about someone who recently gained a bunch of weight I frequently think that it's probably something I'd say too, just because it's a great way to shut up people who are being bitchy about you.

I also think there's a slight crossover between ED behaviour and the sort of discipline required to maintain a skinny body, which is why so many of us here are often accused of having ED's (I'm accused of this a lot, mainly because I'm now at an age - 40 - where you're expected to put on weight, but that's a whole other topic TBH).

So I can imagine, retrospectively, once you've stopped being so disciplined, it's very easy to be convinced, or convince yourself, that the discipline was actually a bad thing, and symptomatic of a disorder, rather than just a difficult, but fairly successful diet and exercise regime. And in some cases it probably was getting unhealthy.

 

[Skinny_to_be]

Taylor has come clean about an eating disorder in her new documentary (movie? series?). https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...ocumentary-sundance-film-festival-lana-wilson

I don't doubt her struggles nor do I want to sound cynical or judgemental but why does it feel like every female celebrity has/had an ED?

actually I never truly believed that this life “after” the alleged ED is what those celebrities really cherish.If she looses huge amount of weight - I don’t believe her. But I believe that deep down those girls in those stories miss their skinny bodies but try to convince themselves otherwise.

 

[marieebo]

Taylor has come clean about an eating disorder in her new documentary (movie? series?). https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...ocumentary-sundance-film-festival-lana-wilson

I don't doubt her struggles nor do I want to sound cynical or judgemental but why does it feel like every female celebrity has/had an ED?

It’s surprising how she’s speaking about it, I am happy that in someway she ‘grew’ her public persona. I remember reading an article way back to her 1989 days about her always ordering the same dinner at the restaurant - a slice of bread and a glass of wine. I never had an Ed but I have my closest friend who did, and after her ricover she went through a phase where it was really hard for her not to overindulge with food cause she was scared that, by putting control on it again, she would crash back on it. I don’t want to assume, but considering Taylor weight gain maybe she’s in a similar place. I like her and I hope she can find balance

 

[Tinyportia]

It’s not that surprising when you consider the fact that:
- female celebrities constantly have their appearance scrutinised by the media and public. The slightest weight gain or loss is often turned into a front page article in a gossip magazine. I recall reading how an editor of US Weekly said their best selling issues were the ones that had celebrity weight gain/weight loss stories on the cover. Even when a celeb hasn’t gained weight, the gossip mags often claim they have and post unflattering photos of them.
- on average, celebrities are a lot thinner than the general population. A celeb with a BMI of circa 23 (like Taylor), while perfectly “normal” (or even thin) according to the general population, is considered “big” by Hollywood standards. Hanging out all the time with other celebs and being worried that you’re the fattest one in the room would be confidence destroying
- Camera makes you look fatter than you are. Can’t be easy seeing yourself on screen looking 5-10kgs fatter than what you actually are. Would certainly do my head in!
- many celebrities are Type A personalities (how else would they have achieved the success they have without their unrelenting drive and determination) and we know there is often a correlation between perfectionists/high achievers and eating disorders
- and finally, sometimes, an eating disorder is used as a cover up for a drug addiction.

At the end of the day, I’m not particularly surprised by this revelation. Doesn’t make me dislike her any less than I already do

@proseccoprincess I see you disagree with my post. Curious as to your reasons? While I don’t think the factors I’ve called out are true for all celebrities (or Taylor for that matter) I think they would certainly be true for many. If you have a different perspective am keen to hear it

 

[proseccoprincess]

A celeb with a BMI of circa 23 (like Taylor), while perfectly “normal” (or even thin) according to the general population, is considered “big” by Hollywood standards.

Maybe 10+ years ago? But nowadays I rarely see average-bodied celebrities get shit on for their size, and even the general population's "dream body" is pretty attainable. If a celeb is plus-size then it is a point of discussion, but a) I don't think we're talking about overweight celebrities here and b) even then, any media outlet that dares to call a celebrity "fat" is immediately shit on for body shaming.

The slightest weight gain or loss is often turned into a front page article in a gossip magazine.

omg how dare they :O

 

[Tinyportia]

Maybe 10+ years ago? But nowadays I rarely see average-bodied celebrities get shit on for their size, and even the general population's "dream body" is pretty attainable. If a celeb is plus-size then it is a point of discussion, but a) I don't think we're talking about overweight celebrities here and b) even then, any media outlet that dares to call a celebrity "fat" is immediately shit on for body shaming.

I do agree that we don't see celebrities being shit on for their size anymore. But their weight fluctuations are still turned into a news story. The difference now is that the tagline is often: (a) in the case of weight gain: "xxx shows off her new curves", or "xxx is looking healthy" and even "is xxx that a baby bump?" and (b) in the case of weight loss: "friends worried about xxx's shock weight loss" or "xxx takes weight loss too far". Am sure many celebs would interpret "healthy" = "not thin enough". While the media coverage of a celeb's weight gain is largely positive, it doesn't mean that everyone on the internet sees it that way (remember the "Taylor Swift is Fat" Twitter account dedicated to Taylor's weight gain?). Even if the media or public isn't talking about a celeb's weight, being in the public eye means that they are constantly photographed and there's always bound to be at least one unflattering photo of them published online. Maybe I am projecting here but if I am tagged in a photo on Instagram or FB, I will always examine any photo of me to see whether or not I look thin enough. If I was a celeb, I would find it hard to resist analysing every photo of me that gets published online. If one is not happy with their weight, it can't be easy to be presented with constant visual reminders that they're not looking their best.

omg how dare they :O

I wish they did it more often!

 

[vanitas]

I do agree that we don't see celebrities being shit on for their size anymore. But their weight fluctuations are still turned into a news story.

i do think some of the problem is not just what words are used about women's bodies, but the extent to which women's bodies are a topic of conversation. It really is a huge and constant topic of conversation, so - no matter what is said - we're all told, all the time, that our level of body fat is terribly important, very visible and then this reinforces or exacerbates whatever internal preoccupations we naturally have.

My approach with my daughter is to talk about healthy food and what nutrition makes you feel good and function well. And to take her out for outdoor exercise as much as possible. And never comment on my own or anybody else's body in a critical way around her. I really try to divert adults from diet conversation at the dinner table, except when it's health related and somewhat intelligent. And we only have magazines with genuinely well written content lying around; good fashion magazines - like 90's ID magazine - never have stupid articles about 'is xxxx anorexic'? They cover xxxx's work and write critical or informative pieces about them which is a much more useful kind of thing to read about.

So while I think she's genuine, had good intentions and spoke about it fairly intelligently, I do question the extent to which it helps others and I think an element of her reasons for doing this might be to provide a sympathetic narrative for her thighs.

 

[marieebo]

Maybe 10+ years ago? But nowadays I rarely see average-bodied celebrities get shit on for their size, and even the general population's "dream body" is pretty attainable. If a celeb is plus-size then it is a point of discussion, but a) I don't think we're talking about overweight celebrities here and b) even then, any media outlet that dares to call a celebrity "fat" is immediately shit on for body shaming.

omg how dare they :O

Taylor now is probably the same size as Dua Lipa and I always see people praising Dua’s body. The difference is that Taylor used to be almost model thin, everyone can see how much she gained through those years

 

[irid3scence]

Maybe I am projecting here but if I

Welllll, @Tinyportia ...

Holding up that mirror for your projections, babe

Not thin skinned in the least and very happy with my body

(I have no idea why, but from beginning to end, I imagined that psycho girl as Taylor Swift.)

Re: (actual) TS, I don't have much to add that hasn't already been said (@vanitas you sound like a beautiful person just from the approach you describe towards raising your daughter ). So just a few tidbits:

• Everything about her public image seems optimized for performative value, so that in itself makes me less sympathetic to revelations of ED (real or not). Sure all celebrities more or less try to drop these things at an opportune time, but she's on a whole 'nother level IMO.
• From my (deliberately limited) knowledge, it was her mom who pushed TS into being a country/pop star, and crafted her early (by mainstream standards extremely desirably skinny) image. If we're talking celebrities or performers in general, though, I think it's worth mentioning that the pressures start way before they enter the professional sphere (eg, "Hollywood"). Dance and ice skating are easy examples, but theatre people are put under this pressure early on as well. Even classical musicians. It's not *just* that people who are capable of obsessively honing their craft are also predisposed to ED; it's also that one somehow knows--deeply intuits, even without being explicitly told--that fatness (or, honestly, even some level of "ugliness") is not exactly allowed. They aren't replete with SGF-skinny skinnies, ofc, but there are hardly any fat people (specifically, girls) at elite conservatories. All other things being equal (and this honestly breaks my heart sometimes), the skinny girl will win the competition over the pudgier one. Recall that these are people whose role technically is to *sound* good--and vanishingly few will ever have even 1% of the success of Yuja Wang (seen as well as heard), and will be lucky to sit (as a member of an indistinguishable mass) in an orchestra or be credited on a commercially-successful soundtrack. All this is just to say that somehow--at least traditionally speaking--not being fat is deeply connected with performance...even if the performance itself is not primarily visual.

 

[proseccoprincess]

While the media coverage of a celeb's weight gain is largely positive, it doesn't mean that everyone on the internet sees it that way (remember the "Taylor Swift is Fat" Twitter account dedicated to Taylor's weight gain?).

I mean yes, but every celeb will get creeps/stalkers/death threats on the internet and usually in person. That twitter account would have been just another one of those, had pop culture magazines not wanted to make a quick buck out of it. "Omg, can you believe this random person on twitter is calling taylor swift fat to literally no audience??? And anyone who has come across the account is vehemently against it??? We live in such a #fatphobic society"

And re: magazine headlines about celebrities' weights, I rarely see any mentions anymore, be it in a negative or positive, weight gain or weight loss light. Passing by magazine stands in the subway or in convenience stores, I occasionally will see one trashy tabloid cover about celebrity weight, but never more. Mid to late 00's gossip blogs- a la Perez Hilton- are basically irrelevant now. Maybe things are different in other countries- DailyMail has really taken clickbait "journalism" about literally nothing to a new level- but this is my experience

when I see this kind of story coming out about someone who recently gained a bunch of weight I frequently think that it's probably something I'd say too, just because it's a great way to shut up people who are being bitchy about you.

Yep, I 100% agree, and think that even if Taylor didn't have an eating disorder and was just dieting in the same way that we do here, the pressures of being a celebrity could have produced an ED-like mindset. The average girl with anorexia always thinks she looks fat, feels like she needs to be "perfect" and thin.. most girls aren't satisfied with their bodies, but they don't feel the need to look "perfect" to live a fulfilling life. Taylor might have just wanted to maintain a skinny look for personal preference, but when you're the most famous person on the planet and do actually need to be "perfect" to some extent, your motivation for weight loss starts to mirror that of someone with an ED.

I hope I'm not the only one who thinks this discussion is kind of ironic, if not hypocritical, coming from us though?

 

[Nihal]

I've never followed Taylor as a singer/celebrity but always had the impression she was a very "perfectionist" person. She always gave me the idea of someone who always wants to look good and do everything well, so it wouldn't surprise me that this kind of behaviour turned out into something sick and disordered. If you consider such a personality and the pressure coming from media exposure, disordered behaviours are very understandable. I think her ed story is probably true and that she developed it through this kind of behaviour. I think it's perfectly understandable if she, in her attempt of having success, started by dieting with a healthy mindset and slowly developed a disordered relationship with her discipline.

 

[Tinyportia]

I hope I'm not the only one who thinks this discussion is kind of ironic, if not hypocritical, coming from us though?

Hard disagree here. I don’t think anyone is passing judgment on the effect societal standards can/cannot have on a celebrity’s attitude to their body. We’re simply theorising answers to @heroinechic ‘s original question about why so many celebs seem to develop eating disorders. I am not sure one can answer that question without some discussion about how women’s bodies are viewed and discussed by mainstream media and the public. If we were saying “omg poor Taylor and all these other female celebs, the media and public can be SO mean! Why don’t they just leave them alone!?”, then I would agree with you. But no one is saying that. Just because this is Skinny Gossip, doesn’t mean discussions about standards of beauty are off limits.

 

[quipawiticism]

Swift told the magazine she had come to realise that “if you eat food, you have energy, get stronger, you can do all these shows and not feel [enervated]”, and cited the body image activist and actor Jameela Jamil as an influence on her recovery. “I swear the way she speaks is like lyrics, and it gets stuck in my head and it calms me down.”

Perhaps slightly off topic, but I am honestly so tired of celebrities citing Jameela Jamil after they've gained weight. I kind of always suspected that Taylor would get on the Jameela bus at some point be it via her "girl squad" or the whole "i weigh" community. I find Jameela incredibly hypocritical and needlessly snotty. I haven't read much about her personal life, but I have seen pictures of her before she lost a considerable amount of weight and she looked absolutely miserable. Not to mention, she would certainly not have the career she has now if she hadn't lost (in my personal opinion). Obviously she isn't our aesthetic here on SGF but she is much smaller than she was a few years ago. No way would she have been cast in The Good Place or any of that had she maintained the higher weight. But, I digress.

I am most definitely an advocate for mental health, having had many struggles with my own mind over the years and I'm certainly glad that Taylor is feeling better in her recovery. Her sad eyes in a lot of recent photos may very well be due to her mother's health issues and all of that stress, though it could also be discomfort at her higher weight. God knows I feel like a sausage in a casing when I gain even a couple of pounds.
As a few other girls have mentioned, I also had an inkling that Taylor was type A and a bit of an over achiever/perfectionist. I'm the same way and have never felt my eating habits would be considered disordered (though, echoing @proseccoprincess here, I agree that the pressure and scrutiny from the media could be more than enough to tip anyone over the edge). I think it was the right move to speak about her struggles now, rather than when it was all the rage to be a "sad, struggling artiste" with an eating disorder all those years ago (though, I suppose that would have damaged her brand).

 

[Ellie]

If I was a celeb, I would find it hard to resist analysing every photo of me that gets published online.

If you were a celeb, you wouldn't have the time, due to the sheer quantity of pictures published of you, and the time constraints. Celebs are busy.

Everything about her public image seems optimized for performative value

Except her weight.

I rarely see any mentions anymore

It's still there, but it's changed from "celeb weight loss tips: how I did it" (90's) to "celeb shocking weight loss: is she anorexic??" (00's) to "Twitter erupts over celeb shocking weight loss" (now)