she looks like shes lost weight

do you think her career would end if she ever lost enough weight to appear "normal"?

I love how everyone is so concerned about her weight. The fact is, as much as she moves around and exercises her body she's probably a lot healthier than someone like, say, Nicole Richie. I think Beth Ditto's body is fantastic - simply because she's happy with it.

And yes, she would lose like all of her "Indie cred" if she dropped all her weight.

that might have to do with unlike other atthletes they are supposed to be thrown to the ground by other 200 lbs men. i love baseball - but that doesnt happen in EVERY GAME

I mean, according to that article it only accounts for 38% o deaths (although i may have misread it i scanned it breifly) 10% due to homicide/suicide and 28 to heart disease. It doesnt actually discuss what the other 62% are dying from.

Beth Ditto needs to lose weight. It really isnt a "shes healthier than nicole ritchie" discussion. She probably is, but that does not mean shes not unhealthy. Lindsay Lohan (about 2 months ago) was healthier than Nicole Ritchie, bit both women needed to change their lifestyles to expect long lives. Ditto's great, but she must drop a few.

However, she does exercise and has good stamina. Better to be fat and fit - skinny ppl have heart attacks as well. Jim Fixx. I also dont think beth ditto is "dying early" heavy. Some people really are born that way, i guess the real question is, beyond all this exercise we THINK she is getting… how is she eatting?

"Ditto’s great, but she must drop a few."
Must? According to who? You? She's an adult and if she wants to eat crappy food, smoke and be heavy that's her decision..
I'm sick of all these holier than thou folks who think that cause they do pilates and eat soy they're going to live forever well..you're not!!

Likewise, Cord, just because a person is fat doesn't mean they're unhealthy.

Myth: Being overweight causes heart disease. Studies show that average to 30% above average body weights, have lower disease and mortality rates than those 20% under weight.
http://www.shs.uwo.ca/publicat.....phobia.htm

Also, I wouldn't say Ditto is "comfortable with herself", I'd say she's fully aware that she fuckin' rules.

Can you really not think your way out of the fat phobic box, Cord?

hey pearly i am glad you are the defender of all adult choices and healthy or unhealthy lifestyles.

you know what tho, i dont see you defending nicole ritchie or angelina jolie whne pl say then need to gain a few or are too skinny. Arent they adults, cant they make the adult decision not to eat? Does that not fall into your realm of protection?

OR do people you like who make oyu feel comfortable about yourself fall into that hypocritical realm. Dittos in cuz shes fat but happy and an adult and she makes you feel comforatble. but all those over exercizing soy eating pilates practiciing skinny waifs they are fair game beacause?????????? Beacuase you are a hypocrite.

im not gonna live forever partly becuase im human, dont do pilates and smoked for 10 years.

yea according to me ditto MUST drop a few, ritchie MUST gain a few and Lohan MUST stop fucking doing drugs… BUT ditto CLEARLY has an unhealthy BMI so also according to the AMA she MUST drop a few.

PS soy will kill you and everyone eats it cuz its in everything.

hence forth pearly, your angry comments would be much more effective if you started defending everyone for thier adult decisions. not just the people you like. ESPECIALLY since i was originally defending ditto.

I am copying and pasting this. I'll try to find all the links to all the facts given.

1. Weight itself is not a health problem, except in the most extreme cases (i.e., being underweight or so fat you’re immobilized). In fact, fat people live longer than thin people and are more likely to survive cardiac events, and some studies have shown that fat can protect against “infections, cancer, lung disease, heart disease, osteoporosis, anemia, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis and type 2 diabetes.” Yeah, you read that right: even the goddamned diabetes. Now, I’m not saying we should all go out and get fat for our health (which we wouldn’t be able to do anyway, because no one knows how to make a naturally thin person fat any more than they know how to make a naturally fat person thin; see point 4), but I’m definitely saying obesity research is turning up surprising information all the time — much of which goes ignored by the media — and people who pride themselves on their critical thinking skills, as I know Shakers do, would be foolish to accept the party line on fat. Just because you’ve heard over and over and over that fat! kills! doesn’t mean it’s true. It just means that people in this culture really love saying it.

2. Poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle do cause health problems, in people of all sizes. This is why it’s so fucking crucial to separate the concept of “obesity” from “eating crap and not exercising.” The two are simply not synonymous — not even close — and it’s not only incredibly offensive but dangerous for thin people to keep pretending that they are. There are thin people who eat crap and don’t exercise — and are thus putting their health at risk — and there are fat people who treat their bodies very well but remain fat. Really truly.

3. What’s more, those groups do not represent anomalies; no one has proven that fat people generally eat more or exercise less than thin people. Period. And believe me, they’ve tried. (Gina Kolata’s new book, Rethinking Thin, is an outstanding source for more on that point.)

4. Diets don’t work. No, really, not even if you don’t call them diets. If you want to tell me about how YOUR diet totally worked, do me a favor and wait until you’ve kept all the weight off for five years. Not one year, not four years, five years. And if you’ve kept it off for that long, congratulations. You’re literally a freak of nature.

5. Given that diets don’t work in the long-term for the vast, vast majority of people, even if obesity in and of itself were a health crisis, how the fuck would you propose we solve it?

6. Most fat people have already dieted repeatedly. And sadly, it’s likely that the dieting will cause them more health problems than the fat.

7. Human beings deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Fat people are human beings.

8. Even fat people who are unhealthy still deserve dignity and respect. Still human beings. See how that works?

9. In any case, shaming teh fatties for being “unhealthy” doesn’t fucking help. If shame made people thin, there wouldn’t be a fat person in this country, trust me. I wish I could remember who said this, ’cause it’s one of my favorite quotes of all time: “You cannot hate people for their own good.”

10. If you scratch an article on the obesity! crisis! you will almost always find a press release from a company that’s developing a weight loss drug — or from a “research group” that’s funded by such companies.

Simone de beaver,
"Myth: Being overweight causes heart disease. Studies show that average to 30% above average body weights, have lower disease and mortality rates than those 20% under weight."
If I were you I would check your sources. Perhaps you forgot to read the part where they are comparing that normal to obese people are healthier than severely anorexic girls. Um DUH! That doesn't prove that overweight girls are any healthier than normal girls. While I am all for the general gist of that article (confidence in one's body-image etc…), I am currently studying to specialise in food psychology and I can tell you right now that many REAL studies show that having a BMI of over 25 (or under 18.5 for that matter), - and I would bet that Beth has a BMI in the >30 zone (which would make her obese)- have a greater likelihood of dying within one year (and sooner in general) than those people within the healthy weight range. Ever heard of type II diabetes?
People are also using genetics as an excuse far too often. That same article said "Myth: Fat people eat more than thin people. People's body weights are not directly related to the amount of food intake…."
Yes, some people have conditions and thyroid problems, but this is relatively rare. While both genetics and our environment play a role, it is clear that it is our environment that is the major influence in the increasing obesity epidemic (our genetics haven't changed since the 70's, before the epidemic began, we don't evolve that fast).
What you eat and how much you exercise are the two biggest predictors of how much a person weighs (including those with metabolism problems).
Long story short - Beth is very overweight. Being overweight is extremely unhealthy. She may exercise, but clearly her exercise output is far less than her calorie input, so while she may be "fitter" than other girls her weight, she is still heavily deconditioned. HOWEVER, I think her self confidence is wonderful and she should be a role model to girls everywhere so that they can feel confident, no matter what their appearance is. But I would recommend some weight loss - not so she is skinny, just healthier.

And everyone please stop justifying that being overweight is not that unhealthy because being anorexic is worse health-wise. While that is true, it is not the issue here. We should be comparing them both to healthy people, in which case, both are extremely unhealthy!

Your mum:

Your post is written in a confusing way, but I will try to respond to it.

First of all, you say that my article was comparing "normal"-to-obese people to severely anorexic girls. The article in question does not phrase its info that way, and being 20% underweight does not automatically mean being a severely anorexic girl, or a girl at all, for that matter.

Second, I never said overweight people (not girls) were healthiER than people of "normal" weight. My post was in response to Cord's, who said "just because a heavy person moves a lot doesn't mean their healthy". I was responding that it's a fallacy to assume that a person is unlealthy simply by virtue of being "heavy", especially if that person has an active lifestyle. Take my parents, for example, neither of whom smoke, drink, or have particularly stressful lives. My mother started gaining weight at around age 30, and has been around Ditto's size/BMI for the past 15 years. Her cholesterol and blood sugar levels, as well as her blood pressure, have always been completely healthy. My father, on the other hand, is stick-thin and always has been (he also excercises frequently and eats well), yet his cholesterol and blood pressure often veer into dangerous territory.

Thus, even though I was responding to Cord's generalisation about "heavy" people and not really referring to Ditto's health in particular (since it's none of my business), I will respond to your "Beth is overweight. Being overweight is extremely unhealthy" by saying statement one does not necessarily equal statement two, and furthermore, like pearly said, i don't see why we should care/monitor/attempt to pass judgment on Ditto's health or lifestyle choices, especially when there are so many more interesting aspects of her life and performances to talk about.

ps- Cord, don't say "best" when you mean "fuck you". It's condescending.

i think thats the point of saying best. to avoid having to say fuck you BUT have the same if not more irritating effect. Like calling someone sweetheart while you are fighting with them.

simone de beaver,
Actually, to meet the criteria for anorexia, an individual must be 15% below her healthy weight for her height (DSM-IV). I say "her" becuase 95% of anorexics are female. So 20% underweight, While there are other criteria to take into account, certainly is light enough to be considered anorexic.
I also didn't say you said overweight people were healther than normal weight people.

…sorry, pressed enter before I was finished.
Anyway, yes, there are people who are overweight and are in considerably good health, but it is likely that as they age and their growth hormones (that aid in burning fat and gaining muscle) decrease and their metabolisms can no longer keep up with their habits, they will more often than not run into health complications sooner or later.
I did not necessarily mean "Being overweight is 100% of the time extremely unhealthy", but if you look at the statistics, you will find that weight is one of the highest indicators of a person's health, and the vast majority of people who are overweight are so becuase of unhealthy dietary habits and sedentary lifestyles.
There will always be exceptions, everyone knows somebody who genuinely can't lose weight or eats whatever they want and don't gain weight, but it is our physically and nutritionally deficient environment which is causing unhealthy levels of weight gain in such a vast number of people.

So nobody's going to mention the fact that Beth is always stripping her clothes off? What the hell is up with that? I get that she's fat-positive and all that, and I suppose this is her showing her confidence in her body but come on. (And if this were a skinny girl constantly stripping down to her undies on stage I'd find it just as weird).

I agree Krista, constantly stripping off all your clothes is a pretty trashy way to show off your confidence in your body.

Who f*cking cares. Seriously. The Gossip has some good music, Beth Ditto has an amazing voice. Live and let live, who are you to judge?

She is a fat ass and I go blind a little bit more everytime I have to see her plastered on a website. Not only is it just gross to see someone as obese as she is but no it is not healthy. I am so sick and tired of fatties trying to make excuses for not putting down cheetos and getting some exercise.

meh, I don't really like the Gossip's music that much. Ditto smokes, drinks, and does drugs, which I can't hate her for, but I wish she didn't, because too many sad things happen as a result of those vices. oh well, hope she's doing ok… cos despite all these good points made by the people who posted above, i can't judge her decisions as if I knew her

I never thought about it that way. With the way medicines are being developed everyday I think pretty much anyone who takes a least bit care of themselves has the chance to live a long life.

I am not a Beth Ditto fan and I couldn't care less about her music, but since I used to be severely obese (BMI higher than 40) I think I'll add my opinion.

1 - being obese IS unhealthy. Back when I was 'big' I would have told you that my health was perfectly fine but now I know better (plus nobody likes to admit that thay have weight-related problems) and I feel better.
2 - some say that diets don't work but that is true if you think that a diet is just something you have to follow for a certain period of time and then you can go back to eating 'normally'. I had been overweight since I was a little girl and had tried countless diets over the years but the the thing that worked for me was realising that I had to change my way of eating FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. There are some lucky people who can eat what they want and don't gain a pound but unfortunately I am not one of them and i have to watch everything I eat.
3 - thin people think losing weight is easy, IT's NOT ! Losing weight is very hard and mantaining your weight is very hard if not even harder.
People who never had a weight problem have NO IDEA of what it is having to give up most of your favourite foods FOREVER. I used to love cheese, I am italian and we have so many different types of cheese over here but I stopped eating them because they are too fattening. I had to give up pizza, my absolutely favourite food, I only have a tiny little piece every two months or so (and I even feel guilty about it).
4 - losing weight is not easy but IT'S NOT IMPOSSIBLE. Everyone can lose weight if they really want it and if they work really hard for it, even those who are 'naturally fat'. It is true that not all fat people eat more than thin people (and I really didn't eat thet much) but that doesn't mean that they have to give up, it only means that they work harder than others. Back in the day I would have told you that this was all a bunch of crap but now I know that losing weight is possible and if I could do it anybody can.
5 - thin people just need to shut up. Just because you've been luckier than others, that doesn't give you the right to pass judgement !
6 - I think those who have surgery to lose weight are cheaters and usually unhealthy because they chose an easy way and didn't really change their eating habits for life.

Wow, what a rich debate. It is a shame, however, that so many posters are too enthused by their own opinion to express it in a manner befitting the English language. I don't want to name (fake) names, but c'mon folks! You can't win an argument if you can't even express a cogent idea!

A few thoughts:

1) Extremes in weight (high and low) have been correlated to health risks. There is less evidence, however, establishing causal links between weight and health effects. Just because two things correlate doesn't mean that one causes the other.

2) Changing weight isn't as simple as the diet companies would have you believe. Body weight is a function of metabolism, not just how much you eat and of what. Research over decades has shown that obese people show abnormalities in their metabolism that are similar to victims of starvation. Losing weight, therefore, means more than picking low calorie foods or increasing physical activity. The paradox for many obese people is that their metabolism acts as though the body is not getting enough food - even when it is - and engages in the sort of fat storage that is designed for periods of famine. At the same time, such individuals do not have a feeling of being sated after eating a sufficient amount of food, as those with a normal metabolism do. The consequence is individuals who experience some of the symptoms of starvation despite the absence of famine or malnutrition. It has been suggested that this feature of obese individuals is part of why dieting cycles tend to end with a net increase in body weight.

3) Gross body weight is a rather poor indicator of obesity or fat-related health issues. The accumulation of fat is different in each individual, and the pattern matter quite a bit. We have heard about the "apple" versus "pear" body shape discussion, but there is also increasing evidence that internal body fat may have stronger links to health issues than body fat that is externally visible. The accumulation of fat around the vital organs - which can occur in individuals of all body sizes - may have a greater effect on health than the fat in one's thighs or lovehandles.

4) Save your moral judgments until the medical evidence is stronger. There is so much we don't know about why obesity exists and what its consequences are. It is easy to attack people that are outside the "normal" range of body sizes (both below and above), but these attacks tend to reflect the aesthetic preferences of individuals more than genuine concern for health.

5) Abigail Saguy (sociologist at UCLA) has done some interesting work on obesity and the "obesity epidemic" that is definitely worth reading.

I almost forgot the most important point (associated with number 1 and 3, above):

What seems to matter the most from a health perspective is BEHAVIOR, not the number on the scale. You know that friend that can eat six double bacon cheese McSundaes and never gain weight? Well, she is probably as unhealthy as the friend that eats the same thing and immediately gains ten pounds. The difference is that no one wears their blood pressure or cholesterol on their sleeves.

We like to use weight to measure health because it is easy to see. Indeed, it is true that many victims of heart disease, Type II diabetes, etc. are obese, they do not have a monopoly on such health issues. Far from it; which is why the causal link between obesity and health problems hasn't been established. What we need to find are the common denominators that link the obese victims of lifestyle related illnesses with those who have the same symptoms except for an excess of body weight.

I know that I'm a little late on this, but I think the reason that there is more of an uproar over this post than the countless 'get that girl a cheeseburger' type posts on this and similar sites. I think it is totally disingenuous to imply that really the snark and vitriol is coming from a place of genuine concern over an overweight person's health.

It's all about power dynamic. It's more acceptable to be snarky about excessively thin people because that is closer to our beauty ideal.In our society being thin is generally considered a better thing to be. It's less acceptable to be snarky about fat people because they are already society's pariahs. Whether you believe that all fat people 'deserve' the comments and judgments that they receive on a near daily basis, it would be tough to ignore the obsession with thin (and demonizing of fat) in our culture, and the huge disparity in societal status based on weight.

It's the same reason it's ok for a minority race comedian to make a joke about 'oh those kerrrazy white people" but not so much for a white comedian to joke about "those WACKY black people!"

[...] And the chubby teen idol flock (Ed. Note: I intentionally avoided using "herd" there) continues to dwindle. Good for you, Lily Allen. Alas, Beth Ditto keeps on. [...]