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Big Girls: Hot or Not?
Last Friday, on Jezebel (a Gawker blog about Celebrity, Sex, Fashion, for women. Without Airbrushing), blogger Slut Machine posted a clip from the Today Show, where Mika performed his latest hit, Big Girls (You are Beautiful). " We love him for this shiny, happy performance," she gushed.

Now, as we all know, there's nothing more offensive than a skinny (possibly gay) man claiming that he likes big girls.

Reactions ranged from back-handed compliments:

I never understand why a man so effeminate turns me on.

sulking with a side-order of entitlement:
I always feel there's something vaguely patronising in a gay going onabout how great big girls are. Its like yes you are beautiful andhurray for you, but I won't fuck you anyways cos I like peen, so whothe hell cares?
I want Backstreet Boys to reform especially for a song about normal looking chicks. Then I'll rest in peace.

(The Backstreet Boys have broken up, hon, but maybe we can ask the Chinese Backstreet Boys?)

Exactly. I'm a big girl and I find this song so patronizing. Fuckyou, I know I'm beautiful, so stop trying to capitalize on fat chick'slow self esteem.

to outright bitchiness:

i'm thinking more george michael at most smarmy than freddie mercuryhere. but what do i know. also, he's gay. also, lay-day. ew. just ew.and now this shit's stuck in my head forever. ARGH. you're right in twomonths i'll be oh yeah 'big girls' -- the brilliantest thing since the'ignition' remix. i'm such a late adopter

Meanwhile, skinny women don't want to be left behind:

how dare any man tell us how we should look?! A real woman is onewith curves in all the right places ? Fuck you Mika. Am I not a realwoman if I happen to be pretty flat-chested and slim? I was sodisgusted the first time I heard this on British radio, this guy isjust playing upon women's insecurities to sell a record. And it worked.He got to no.9 in the charts last week....how could this irritatinglittle man make any larger woman feel good about herself?!?

Other people keep to comparing him to Freddy Mercury and agree that Fat-Bottomed Girls was much better and more appropriate (I don't know why Mika, as a gay skinny man, can't say he likes big girls, but Freddy Mercury can. Maybe it's the moustache?).
Me? I'll agree with the commenter who says " Mika's music can put a smile on my face and a bounce on my step in 2.5." Now if you'll excuse me, I want to watch that video again.

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	vigilanterodent 2007-08-13 08:32 pm UTC (link)
	Alas, it's starting to become really common. I mean, amongst actual gay people, not just amongst the unpleasant homophobic people who started that going. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	barankhy 2007-08-13 10:13 pm UTC (link)
	Wha...? I AM SADFACING RIGHT HERE SAY IT AIN'T SO D: ! (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

vigilanterodent
2007-08-13 10:18 pm UTC (link)

I THINK it originally started out as a joke, but, seriously, I did a lot of volunteer work for HRC this past year and if one hears it used non-ironically THERE, frequently, it is a pretty good sign it's picking up steam.

I suppose it could always go the way of "dyke", which is so commonly used as a neutral-to-positive word for "lesbian" that someone has to say it in a hostile tone of voice before I ever register it as an insult.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	polarisnorth 2007-08-14 12:44 am UTC (link)
	I would find being called "dyke" offensive. But then, if I have to label myself, I really prefer "queer" over "gay" or "lesbian". I would kind of like not to be labeled at all, really. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	vigilanterodent 2007-08-14 01:03 am UTC (link)
	See, whereas I've always hated being called "queer". To me that feels more fundamentally offensive than "gay" or "lesbian". (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

polarisnorth
2007-08-14 05:46 am UTC (link)

I don't know why, but I find being called "gay" or "lesbian" very clinical. Not as bad as homosexual, but it still feels like a label, whereas when I use queer, not only am I taking back the word, but I think of it as saying "I'm different and I don't care." *shrug*

"Dyke" bothers me because it implies a very stereotyped image, at least to me, and not one that I match at all.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	magpiggles 2007-08-14 10:50 pm UTC (link)
	I just like the sound of queer better to be honest. I mean there isn't a term that isn't offensive somehow, so jsut go with what is more fun to say, you know? (Reply to this)(Parent)

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