Is Winner Jordin Sparks Too Fat to Be the American Idol? NAAO Says Yes!
More on the debate concerning American Idol winner Jordin Sparks. MeMe Roth, president and founder of National Action Against Obesity, appeared on the Fox News Channel last week, shortly before the American Idol Season Six finale.
This wouldn’t be particularly exciting, since she seems to be on Fox News constantly, except that this time, she said that Jordin Sparks should not be named the American Idol because she’s overweight and, thus, a poor role model for children in America.
Yeah, I know.
Here’s the video clip (feed readers click here):
Jordin’s already taller than your average teenage girl (she’s 6 feet and wears a size 11 shoe, according to Yahoo Answers), which I’m sure has made her self-conscious in the past if it doesn’t now (despite the fact that she’s stunning, and it’s no surprise that she’s done some modeling), and now there’s a skinny blonde chick from a national anti-obesity calling her a big fatty on TV on the same day that she’s about to have all of her dreams come true. Uh, thanks for the buzzkill, MeMe.
Yes, it’s true that previous American Idol winners have slimmed down after snagging the title. Kelly Clarkson did it, Carrie Underwood did it, Katherine McPhee did it (even though she didn’t win), we get it. But I suspect that they would have lost weight anyway, because they all came into the spotlight at the same time that teenage girls lose the baby fat or the awkward angles and start to look like real women. They also had to handle grueling tour schedules and endless travel for months afterward, which would take it out of anyone. Do you think maybe there’s a connection between those factors and their weight loss?
It’s not right to paint Jordin as an eating disorder waiting to happen (my words, not MeMe’s) just because previous female idols lost weight after winning. And despite the fact that people are also calling Kelly Clarkson fat these days (Is bashing American Idol winners fashionable all of a sudden? Why did no one tell me?) now that she’s back to looking like a woman (you know, with boobs and, heaven forbid, a butt), this is just not cool, even if it’s apparently quite trendy.
Saying that Jordin needs to lose 40 lbs. to have a lasting career is unfair, unkind, and flatly inaccurate. I think Diet Blog hit the nail on the head: “It appears Roth has confused a singing show with America’s Next Top Model.”
Thoughts?
Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King
Tags: American-Idol, Carrie-Underwood, fat, Fox-News, jordin-sparks, Katherine-McPhee, kelly-clarkson, MeMe-Roth, modeling, National-Action-Against-Obesity, Obesity, overweight, unhealthy, weight, woman, women, Womens-HealthRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Entertainment
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38 opinions for Is Winner Jordin Sparks Too Fat to Be the American Idol? NAAO Says Yes!
Healthy B.P.M. » Blog Archive » Would You Like A Slimmer Sparks?
May 29, 2007 at 5:24 am
[…] Would You Like A Slimmer Sparks? May 29th, 2007 by Neel Blogs are buzzing about Jordin Sparks for more reaosns than her nailing American Idol. Apparently Jordin Sparks is not a healthy role model. She’s being calledtoo fat.I loved this story: Is Winner Jordin Sparks Too Fat to Be the American Idol? NAAO Says Yes! […]
Gloria
May 29, 2007 at 1:16 pm
jordin sparks is BEAUTIFUL. period. whoever said she’s fat and looks unhealthy…give this young lady a break please…she’s only 17! I think even if she doesn’t intentionally do so, she will eventually lose wight with all the work she’s going to do now after bagging the american idol title.
right, american idol finalists are judged based on their singing prowess and not on their physical looks.
my god, jordin is so beautiful especially with those empire-cut gowns she wore during the finals night. she is stunning, yes even without opening her mouth yet to sing.
Tammi
May 29, 2007 at 1:44 pm
There is nothing wrong with that girl. She is striking and to some of us, Jordan is a far more beautiful than Paris and Lindsey…and a far better example for young girls.
Kristen King
May 29, 2007 at 7:15 pm
I’m with you guys. Jordin is a beautiful, talented girl, and I don’t think there’s anything about her that implies, much less encourages, obesity!
kk
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May 29, 2007 at 7:16 pm
[…] this hullabaloo about Jordin Sparks and the National Action Against Obesity has got me thinking about the kind of example other American Idols are setting for American kids. […]
Kathy
May 29, 2007 at 10:35 pm
Okay, this is such a load of crap. If the winner of American Idol were determined by dress size, then of the female finalists, Haley would have had to have been deemed the winner. Unfortunately, she was the least talented of the bunch. Come on; get real! This year I was actually impressed that the girls were so “real.” Only one Barbie doll in the bunch is the way things are in the real world. Most of us don’t fit in to a size 2 and never will. It kind of gave me hope that this generation might not be inundated with unobtainable beauty standards…unlike my generation. I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same.
mj
May 30, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Yes she may be beautiful but she is overweight. If she were the average Jane walking down the street with no make-up you wouldn’t mind MeMe Roth saying it. She will eventually loose weight? Are you sure? Why if she gain weight? After all if you don’t think she’s overweight there shouldn’t be any harm in her gaining a little more pounds.
Kristen King
May 30, 2007 at 1:31 pm
Uh, if she gained weight then she probably would be overweight, and that’s not healthy. I’m not overweight, but I don’t want to gain weight, either, because I’d like to stay at a healthy weight. Wouldn’t you?
kk
izbiz1220
May 30, 2007 at 8:51 pm
I think that Jordin is just fine the way she is. She is NOT overweight, and she is the most beautiful person I have ever seen. But I think the most apaulling thing about this is that just because she is overweight, which she isn’t, she shouldn’t win american idol. Wasn’t this supossed to be a singing competition? Didn’t anyone ever hear the phrase looks don’t matter? I know I have. Jordin is a beautiful girl. God forbid she isn’t a size zero. She’s just seventeen, I think MeMe Roth should pick on someone who is probably going to stay the same weight for the rest of their lives, not someone who is NOT obese, and NOT going to stay the same weight for the rest of their lives (Which would be Jordin). -Jordin’s Number 1 fan!!!!
Talia Mana, Centre for Emotional Well-Being
Jun 5, 2007 at 11:51 pm
I agree, Jordin is beautiful. She doesn’t look fat to me. I don’t see weight as an issue unless the weight is causing health or lifestyle issues. If she has the energy to do everything she needs and feels good then the weight is a non-issue.
Accepting yourself as you are is far more important than slimming down. Until this issue was raised I hadn’t perceived her as fat. Roth’s comments are inappropriate and perpetuate all the stereotypes about people needing to conform to some waif like image in order to be attractive and accepted. I’d like to grab Roth and flail her!
EJ Myers
Jun 7, 2007 at 2:28 pm
What does Roth know? Just being on Faux News lowers your credibility. To be honest, I don’t really know much about Roth, but I do remember PhD or MD not being behind her name.
Does she realize that is is just as unhealthy to be too skinny? The health risks of eating disorders range from dry skin and brittle nails to swollen joints, heart failure, brain damage—and even death. (Nazareth Hospital) Being too thin is one cause of fatigue. Those who are too thin often fail to have menstrual periods or only have occasional periods. People who are dangerously thin can develop osteoporosis—even in their 20s. Karen Carpenter died at the age of 32 from cardiac arrest. If you do not know who Karen Carpenter is, she was the lead singer of The Carpenters (Google it). Her extreme weight loss took a toll on her heart. When a person doesn’t eat, the body starves for nutrients, and will search anything to keep the body going. As a result, other systems in the body may shut down to conserve energy, resulting in death.
So instead of criticizing and just calling people fat, do something construction like teaching proper nutrition and exercise. How much money has been spent by this organization for a program of nutrition and exercise in the public school system? Be constructive, not destructive. Besides, everyone wasn’t meant to look like Skeletor.
shawn
Jun 7, 2007 at 2:53 pm
Ok, relax everyone. If she is not an American idol, everyone would have agreed she is obese.
Kristen King
Jun 7, 2007 at 3:21 pm
EJ, you’re right: Being underweight is also a serious health concern. NAAO does have an education iniative in the works, but that’s not readily apparent from MeMe Roth’s comments on this topic! I’d love to have seen that conversation go in a different direction. I do think Roth’s heart is in the right place, but she’s just way off base here.
Shawn, I completely disagree with you. Suddenly famous or not, the child is not obese.
kk
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Jun 7, 2007 at 4:13 pm
[…] what’s going on? On the one hand, we have perfectly healthy people like Jordin Sparks being called obese and get-real crusaders like Joy Nash ranting about discrimation against “fat” people […]
Melissa
Jun 7, 2007 at 10:11 pm
There are some girls and women who are never going to fit into Meme’s tiny pants! How does she know that Jordin is unhealthy? Did she take Jordin’s fat measurements? Give her a fit test on the treadmill? As Morrissey said, “some girls are bigger than others”. DUH! I’m not saying that obesity isn’t serious, but is she really saying that Jordin is unhealthy just because this gorgeous girl wears a size 10/12 (at 6ft tall) instead of a 4? Or 2? I am a tall, very healthy woman who wears a size 10 and I’m proud of it! I will never be a size 2 and believe me…I’ve tried. I exercise and eat very healthy but my DOCTOR has told me that not everyone can be skinny, but we can be healthy. Before anyone opens their big mouth on TV to criticize someone’s weight, I think they should check up on their facts first. The only thing fat and unhealthy is this woman’s mouth!
Kim Tenconi
Jun 7, 2007 at 11:38 pm
I find this subject INSULTING! this woman wants all women to be size 0-6?! I mean come on! Not all people have the bone structure to be that skinny! Why are all these anorexic women trying to make the rest of the worl feel fat or over weight just because we all don’t look like them?! I think Jordin Sparks is beautiful, and I think she’ll represent how most women should look, women should have meat on their bones! they shouldn’t be sticks… it’s not fair. and people wonder why a lot of people have eating disorders in this country. don’t people realize that when someone has an eating disorder, they can die. and with pubicity like this it’ll cause more trouble than good?! i’m ashamed to be an american citizen.
mj
Jun 8, 2007 at 4:52 pm
izbiz1220, if looks didn’t matter on American Idol Melinda probably would have won. It’s not the most important thing but it does matter not only on reality shows but in the everyday life also, I’m sure you don’t go to work/school in your pajamas with your hair uncombed.
David Anderson
Jun 8, 2007 at 7:15 pm
Very few people seem to know that Jordin’s excellent CURVES are crucial from a health perspective:
Experts have known for ages that your WAIST-HIP RATIO says far more about your health than how large you are.
So it is mind-boggling that an organization called “National Action Against Obesity” is so badly informed.
REFERENCES:
“Waist-hip ratio best measure of heart attack risk”:
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2005/11/03/…-hip051103.html
“Diabetes risk - waist size better predictor than BMI”:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=21444
“Big bottoms may come out tops for women’s health”:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn41…06/ai_n13908522
Waist-hip ratio “should replace BMI to measure fatness”:
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/20…?from=storyrhs
Spread the word!
David
Jun 8, 2007 at 9:42 pm
I submitted the post above earlier, but it turns out long URLs (web links) can’t be posted here - only the 2nd one works.
So, if you want to read the other articles, just do a Google search for each of the following, and these articles will show up first in the Results list:
“Big bottoms may come out tops for women’s health”
“Waist-hip ratio best measure of heart attack risk”
“Waist-hip ratio should replace BMI to measure fatness”
mj
Jun 9, 2007 at 2:52 pm
David, do you know Jordin’s WAIST-HIP RATIO, maybe it does not say that she’s healthy as you assume maybe it’s says on the contrary that she’s unhealthy and yes, overweight.
cf
Jun 10, 2007 at 3:36 am
Jordin is not anything close to being overweight. She is 5′10 and her father was a football player so based on her height and genetics alone she is going to be ‘bigger’ I am not saying weight size but altogether bigger. When you look at her shoulders they are very broad. For her height she is in the normal weight range. She should just shut her trap and I am not feeling sorry for her for all those ’supposed’ death threats, I think its all a bunch of BS to get sympathy. Well she is not getting any from me.
David
Jun 10, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Hip-waist ratio is about your body shape, so you don’t really need exact measurements to get an idea:
It is very easy to spot if someone’s waist is considerably larger than his/her hip size, or vice versa.
The term “overweight” is often misleading because it doesn’t take your fat distribution or body type (Endomorph, Mesomorph or Ectomorph) into account. To take an extreme example: A body builder who wins Mr Universe would be classified as “overweight” according to his high BMI, but not when you use his hip-waist ratio as a reference. (Note - this was an extreme example to show how absurd BMI can be: no comparisons with Jordin).
Another example: Endomorph (wide hips, big bones, slow metabolism etc) could never get the BMI of a catwalk model without running the risk of serious health problems (due to being UNDERweight).
Of course, everyone benefits from keeping fit, and from healthy eating habits. I think most of us agree that promoting good health is a GOOD idea. But when it is based on a personal attack on a young woman, combined with a lack of understanding of body types, it is just counter productive and leads to a backlash.
Even for someone who is healthy there is often room for improvement. This may be the case with Jordin too, but this is not to say she does not look healthy.
Careem
Jun 12, 2007 at 2:34 pm
Shes amazing, jordin is awesome! Thsi meme ross doesn’t know what she is talking about, I love Jordins figure! This is irrelevant, and doesn’t matter! She will sell millions of albums and be a huge success regardless! We love you Jordin!
Jessie
Jun 19, 2007 at 11:01 am
Just seems to me that more and more women want to look like pre teen girls. Women are not supposed to look like these little twigs, plain and simple. Of course men aren’t any better..it’s nasty for a man to want a woman to look like a pre- teenager. Hello? Can we said endophile?
Jordin doesn’t have rolls galore, or even a double chin, her waist is mostly flat so..what gives? Stupid little girls that want to be fake. Oh, and I doubt she is going to gain weight being on the go all the time, touring and performing.
It is interesting how our country is so weight obsessed when the scales are tipping here. So many americans are dangerously obese. Something needs to be done about it…besides bitching.
Gautam Asaf
Oct 21, 2007 at 11:00 pm
your way to beautiful gir. Gautam Asaf.
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[…] Is Winner Jordin Sparks Too Fat to Be the American Idol? NAAO Says Yes! […]
Rebekah
Feb 1, 2008 at 10:15 pm
She is fat. Period. Someone said “give this young lady a break please…she’s only 17!” Right, she is only 17! What fat will she be when she is 20??? You are saying it is okay to be fat? Or you are fat, and try to give yourself an excuse to be fat? No, no… If you are fat, just becasue you are lazy and unhealthy. I am 35, my BMI is 20. I work hard and eat healthy. Jordin, you are lucky to have a beautiful voice, but you are lazy fat kid.
Jazmin Xxx
Feb 12, 2008 at 7:11 pm
that girl is too fat to be american idol. and she’s ugly
she needs to lose weight.
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Feb 28, 2008 at 10:11 pm
[…] and “lazy fat kid” to describe beautiful girls like Kelly Clarkson and Jordin Sparks (not my words — direct quotes from comments left on this blog). We have folks like Joy Nash […]
cuda
Mar 21, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Who cares. Worry about yourselves, losers.
michelle
May 7, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Her face is very beautiful, but she really needs to loose some wheigt…
Ann
May 15, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Shut the hell up! There is nothing wrong with Jordin. God forbid all the fat girls in america have a normal *perfectly fine* role model. Oh, and by the way michelle, when you want to insult someone i would suggest spelling weight right. For everyones information, just because your a size zero *which is too skinny* you can’t call jordin fat. In fact I think everyone who says Jordin is too fat should have a blog posted about them being too skinny. 12 is the new 2. Next time you call Jordin fat, think of me and etch the image of me punching the crap out of you, and you’ll think twice before you call anyone fat.
heather
May 19, 2008 at 11:34 pm
Admin note: Edited for profanity. -kk
hell ah she should be and any ways she already is so what the hell
and in a couple years she will lose weight so what is it really u`r problem?????? NO so why both it`s like saying someone isn`t pretty and 4 god sakes shes 17 and 6 feet
she `s really pretty so shut the hell up and who f***en cares?????????
Ann
Jul 10, 2008 at 5:36 pm
you know what all you assholes who somehow think think that because jordin is a 12 she shouldn’t get all her dreams? Think about it how much would it suck if you were her *dealing with the press* about a weight that is okay and you were told you were fat. I’m an 8 and i get called fatty all the time but I don’t understand why a 12 and an 8 are suddenly morbadly obese. So you know what say what you want about her but think about if you were her. She is blessed with a kick-ass voice and she should be prasied for that not dissed about being “fat”. ROCK ON JORDIN
-Ann
abii
Sep 3, 2008 at 4:33 pm
jordin fat ?? ii dont think so
she is so not fatt
its not fair every one saying things about her .. the peope that are calling herr fat go ++ have a look in a mirror cozz ii bet your no skinnier then her. You al right nasty bitch stuff about singers + then your always shocked when they have to go 2 rehab have you ever though it might be your fault ++ if you didn`t put all this stuff they might not be in there
II love you jordin :D
x
annsabitch
Sep 28, 2008 at 10:24 pm
she is fat and needs to lose 100 pounds size zeros cool not size 12
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