Is Britney Spears Fat?

Okay, so we all know that Britney Spears' performance at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards was terrible. Touted as her "comeback" performance, there had been plenty of hype about it and Spears had a lot riding on it. After a less than stellar year (an ugly divorce battle, estrangement from her parents, the infamous head shaving and a stint in rehab), Britney needed to do something really good. She had to outdo herself-- do one better than the performance with the python that she did a few years back. After being spotted out and about with illusionist Criss Angel in recent weeks, the buzz was that Britney was going to pull off a really cool performance with Angel's help. Her fans-and the execs at MTV-- were psyched.

What we saw instead was what appeared to be a barely-rehearsed performance of Spear's new single "Gimme More". The lip synching? Well, she didn't even try to hide it. And Britney, known for her elaborate dance sequences in previous performances, moved like she had weights on her legs. She seemed tired. Heck, she seemed bored. Camera pans to the audience showed some bewildered celebs wondering what the heck was going on. What had happened to this girl?

But what was the most talked-about part of Britney's performance? The unforgiving black sequin bikini that she wore. And the few extra pounds of baby weight that she still has.

The media immediately tore her apart. Headlines like "Bloated Britney" and "Lard and Clear" blasted across papers like the New York Post. Reports say that Spears, who caught a glimpse of her performance on the big screen, burst into tears afterwards and exclaimed that she looked like "a fat pig".

The fact is, you can tear up Spears' performance all you want and you'd be right. It wasn't good. But to call this woman fat? Well, that says a lot about the standards we hold for body image.