14 DAY TRIAL // Beth Ditto, the plump singer who often causes a frenzy with her live shows in which she performs dressed in close to nothing, is now speaking out against the fashion industry and the standard notion of beauty it promotes. Such a personal thing as one’s body should never be a reason for controversy, since every person is beautiful in their own way, the singer says for Black Book.
Often criticized for being the reverse of the size 0 model (with some even claiming she was the poster child for obesity), but also hailed by many as one of the few truly bold public figures, Ditto has never been shy about speaking her mind. Her wicked fashion sense and originality have landed her a contract to design her own line for plus-sized women, while her take on beauty and the fashion industry are considered an aggressive stance that more celebrities should take.
“Girls in general have really nice things to say [about beauty] – especially big girls. It’s mostly men who aren’t as open. I think men fear me sometimes. I played in Greece last summer and, I swear, when I went into the crowd, people actually ran away from me. But things like that make me really happy. You make a decision: if you are going to participate in the music industry and put yourself out there, you have to know that it’s all full of [expletive].” Beth tells about her idea of beauty and how many people still shun away from it.
Given her live performances, Ditto relies a lot on the shock factor to make people aware of her presence. In fact, her rapid ascension in the music industry was also partly due to the fact that she used the very thing that could have worked against her – her weight – to make herself visible. This is precisely why she believes no one should be ashamed of their body, let alone jump to criticism with others, such as is her case.
“It’s kind of like a drug… it’s a performance. It’s funny how something so normal and mundane that you see every day – your body – can be controversial. The shock value is intense. It’s like carrying an art piece around with you all the time. […] It’s really about making an art piece out of what you’ve been handed. It is about being resourceful. When all you have is an ugly sweater-vest, cut it up and make a really cool skirt out of it! When all you have are these really hateful people, cut them up and make something funny out of them.” Ditto explains.