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March 26, 2007

The Gossip's Confusing Gig Selection

In case you don't know, NME's reigning Queen Of Cool Beth Ditto is proud of her body -- and fierce in the face of those less accepting. When Topshop offered The Gossip a prestigious(?) shot at performing instore for the clothier, Beth acerbically rejected. She told BBC6 (via NME):

I don't think it's fair to put my face somewhere where they would never let me in there to wear their clothes. I want the respect that Kate Moss gets. If they want our music they've got to actually do something to earn it. I can get money anywhere, I don't need your money unless you're going to do it my way.

Ditto added: "They don't want to dress people that look like me, that have a normal body, a bigger body, whatever. I mean I don't really know why they want The Gossip to do things for them, I don't understand because if they saw me in the street they'd never give me the time of day. I like me, I think that other girls like me, they need people like me, people who feel really strongly and will say no.

She then counteroffered Topshop, saying she would gladly design a line for larger sized women, which we respect entirely.

But Beth! You confuse us.

What then is the rationale for playing Perez Hilton's birthday party?! 'Cause he's a fan? We appreciate the poetry of The Gossip playing the gossip monger's shindig and all but -- all due respect to the queen of photoshop graffiti -- isn't making an issue of people's bodies and looks exactly what he's all about?

We lost your logic, Ditto. But hope you had fun!

Posted at 3:26 PM
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26 Comments

shes a foul beast. but man can she sing

Posted by: ew at 03/26/07 3:35 PM | Reply
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what the f is she doing

Posted by: socks at 03/26/07 3:43 PM | Reply
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It's like she's got Grillz, if Grillz were made of chocolate chip cookies.

Posted by: Erin at 03/26/07 4:05 PM | Reply
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Well maybe it has something to do with the fact that Perez pimps the shit out of their band every single day and millions of people view the site?

Coincidence?

Posted by: anon at 03/26/07 4:27 PM | Reply
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everyone in this picture has something in their mouth

Posted by: jim at 03/26/07 4:42 PM | Reply
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That photo makes me so glad I never, ever, go to Perez Hilton's Web page. Thank god for small favors.

Posted by: S. Jerusalem at 03/26/07 5:07 PM | Reply
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It's also pretty suspect that they feel so empowered to decline all that money. It's not surprising, though, when you realize that most of the kids who would really need to money aren't doing indie rock anyway.

Not that I'd want to do it myself. But it's moreover typical that she's got a blind eye to one piece of her pseudo-liberal puzzle while being all self-righteous about the other.

Posted by: jjs at 03/26/07 5:34 PM | Reply
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yup, Meth-head Hilton will give the band a plug 2 times a day. and she's morbidly obese

Posted by: juano at 03/26/07 5:36 PM | Reply
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That's not a "normal" body, its not even healthy!

Posted by: pauly at 03/26/07 6:18 PM | Reply
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I hate when obese people claim that their body is 'normal' or healthy. If you're the size of Beth Ditto, you're going to have a stroke or heart attack before you're 40 and diabetes before that. Theres no reason to mock people because of their appearance, but don't go around saying its 'normal' to be 200lbs at her height.

Posted by: Teve Torbes at 03/26/07 6:43 PM | Reply
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I have to admit I was personally confused when she performed at the NME awards with Jarvis, considering the lyrics to "Fat Children."

Posted by: cm at 03/26/07 8:29 PM | Reply
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OH! COMPUTER GUYS (commenters) RIPPING ON THE AWESOME POWERFUL BIG LADY!!!!!

WHO WOULD'VE THUNK?

lamest comments ever.

coolest lady ever.

Posted by: Steve Schroeder at 03/26/07 9:01 PM | Reply
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hahah meth-head hilton. what a tool. Good God some peoples kids.

www.energyturtle.com

Posted by: The Dude at 03/26/07 9:53 PM | Reply
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We've already discussed Beth Ditto's body to death (no pun intended) over on Brooklyn Vegan: http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2007/03/beth_ditto_nake.html

By the way, The Donnas were also at Perez Hilton's b-day. Why?

Posted by: Richard Simmons at 03/26/07 10:08 PM | Reply
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yeah, beth ditto is heart-failure fat. to me, for her to be in a band on kill rock stars and come from the riot grrrl lineage, turning down an offer from topshop is a no-brainer. but promoting a look that will make you die sooner is no more responsible than the waif-shark advertisers she's criticising. her heart is in the right place, but only till it stops beating, dig?!?!?!

p.s. as an asshole, i'd also like to add that if she was -50 lbs, she'd be totally hott

Posted by: mr. loserson at 03/26/07 10:14 PM | Reply
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i thought beth ditto and perez hilton only hung out in my nightmares, not the human realm.

Posted by: nick at 03/27/07 3:23 AM | Reply
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'THE AWESOME POWERFUL BIG LADY!!!!!'

Sounds like something Godzilla battled in the '50s.

Posted by: monkeygrump! at 03/27/07 8:37 AM | Reply
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Go anywhere but the U.S., or the U.S. but 40 years ago. Thin is what's "normal."

Posted by: Bugs Meany at 03/27/07 9:26 AM | Reply
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She really needs to get over the fact that she's fat.

The rest of us have.

Posted by: Bobby at 03/27/07 10:05 AM | Reply
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shes a repulsive huge fat pig and will probly die in a couple of years. and that band sucks too.

Posted by: robert at 03/27/07 12:35 PM | Reply
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It's so disheartening to me that, even here, people are taking the opportunity to dis a cool, outspoken and ridiculously talented woman for being a "fattie." No wonder Ditto says things like, "if they saw me in the street they'd never give me the time of day." From the grossly prejudiced and mean-spirited comments here, it sounds like she'd be lucky to be ignored in a crowd. I was truly ashamed and angered by your petty comments.

Posted by: becca at 03/27/07 3:07 PM | Reply
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This just in: The Gossip set to play at a Torrid in the Sherman Oaks Mall.

Posted by: nick at 03/27/07 3:17 PM | Reply
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Seriously, there's nothing normal about it and people need to stop being self-righteous and start being honest. That's not "brutal" honesty, just plain, well-meaning honesty. I've struggled with my weight before, though not nearly to that degree, but trying to turn something abberant and negative into a symbol of self-empowerment is, well, very American, I guess, since we're just HOOKED on that self-righteousness stuff, aren't we?

There's no need to be cruel, but there is a need to say that obesity is NOT normal ANYWHERE, at any point in human history, and that it's also a symptom of an ailing culture.

Posted by: jjs at 03/27/07 4:28 PM | Reply
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Eh, they're both a couple of idiots. 15 minutes almost over...

Posted by: John Claude at 03/27/07 6:11 PM | Reply
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Holy shit! Is the guy on the right wearing a Members Only jacket?

Posted by: Waldo at 03/27/07 9:26 PM | Reply
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Yea, she has talent, but put down the donut for Christ's sake! She lacks discipline. If she had more inner strength her music would be even better than it is today.

Posted by: J. Villenueve at 03/28/07 2:53 AM | Reply
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