Lana Del Rey

The 'Born to Die' singer-songwriter has been trolled with fatphobic comments after being photographed at a Malibu chili cook-off. But would the same have ...

Watching Del Rey, who at her thinnest was idolised as a “queen” or a “goddess”, getting picked apart for daring to put on weight has been infuriating. “If you look back at the last 100 years and how women in particular are manipulated through body image, no wonder we still have people trolling others for weight change. [Plus-size](/topic/plus-size) TikTokers began recreating outfits they saw on thin celebrities and models, making judgements on whether the clothes were genuinely interesting. In particular, the space has been consumed by the trend of conventionally attractive women posting “posed versus relaxed” selfies of themselves, in which one photo taken at a specific angle so they appear at their thinnest is placed side-by-side with another selfie showing the slightest hint of a tummy roll. My perspective completely changed when I came across some of the best fashion advice I’d ever heard a few years ago. I’d feel like I’d somehow failed to embody the same level of coolness as these women. The post will be unbearably popular, with thousands of likes and heart-eye emojis flooding the comments. But I would put on all the same outfit components and be immediately disappointed. The same is true for bigger women, but with the opposite effect.” The fact that this is still happening in 2022 shows how little we have moved away from thin privilege and fatphobia, with people who aren’t skinny still having to work much harder to prove they have style. Others came to Del Rey’s defence: “If a stick thin celebrity wore this, ya’ll would eat it up and say they look amazing.” Wearing baggy blue jeans and a flannel shirt over a cropped polo tee, she’s carrying a red Chanel handbag; her hair is styled into pigtail braids held by green and gold scrunchies.