Kelly Clarkson covers the December issue of Redbook Magazine. The put her in some holiday dresses and it’s very seasonal without being red and green, which I appreciate. She’s a judge on The Voice this season and is promoting her new album, Meaning of Life, which came out at the end of last month. Her single Love So Soft is number one on the dance charts and #19 on iTunes and her album is #13 on iTunes so it’s doing very well. In Redbook, Kelly talks about body image and her relationship with her husband, two topics she’s touched on recently in other interviews. She said that she does get body shamed but that when she’s larger she’s happy and that she’s fine with that. It’s a good message and she’s just trying to reassure people and sharing her experience. I kind of wish she would phrase it differently though as she got some backlash for it the last time she said it.
On being a positive body image hero to so many women—and how fans might react if she lost weight: “That’s already happened to me. They shame you for it. Same thing happened with Miranda Lambert—I had dinner with her and we were talking about that. She was like, “Should I gain? Should I lose?” But no one actually cares about your health. They just care about aesthetics. It’s when I’m fat that I’m happy. People think, Oh, there’s something wrong with her. She’s putting on weight. I’m like, “Oh, no! I’m sorry, but that represents happiness in my emotional world.” For me, when I’m skinny is usually when I’m not doing well. If you gauge your life on what other people think, you’re going to be in a constant state of panic trying to please everyone. People should just concentrate on their own lives and their own health and their own happiness, and whatever that looks like for you, be happy with it.”
On how being a mom changed her: “Literally, having children has brought fear to my life. That sounds horrible, I know, but before kids I was fearless. Now I go to bed and I have nightmares of someone just grabbing my little girl and running. It’s always about me not being able to protect my kids somehow. I’m a mama bear. Just recently our nanny told me that an older kid was mean to my daughter at the park and that she just crumbled. I’m glad I wasn’t there, because I wouldn’t have handled that well. I totally went off on that 6-year-old in my head!”
On keeping things spontaneous with her husband, Brandon: “Any time we’re in a discussion about sex with a bunch of couples, Brandon and I stay pretty quiet. To keep it family appropriate, let’s say we’re just a lot more active than other couples. I’m a person who loves change. He loves spontaneity. Having a set time or place [to have sex] would be boring to us. When I met Brandon, I wasn’t looking for a friend. I have a lot of great friends! I was looking for a lover. I had never found someone I was truly passionate about, who I wanted to stay in bed with all day. The fact that I did, well…I was going to latch on and take advantage of that.”
On her upcoming gig as a judge on The Voice with Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, and Alicia Keys: “I’ve already warned both Adam and Blake that winning is not my biggest concern. I want to find someone who has incredible talent and really work with that person. It would be amazing to look back in a decade and see this artist have a huge, successful career that I was a part of.”
I can’t really relate to my weight reflecting my emotional state because I’m just about as mildly depressed and anxious as I always am no matter my size. Don’t get me wrong I’m not miserable or anything it’s just my problems are usually the same. (Exercise does help my mood though.) Kelly is saying that she associates being happy with being heavier because she was only thin at stressful times in her life. She clarified that well enough, she’s said it before and made it clear that it only applies to her. It does seem like a strange message but it reflects her reality. As long as she’s not getting down on herself for her body shape now or in the past I guess that makes sense.
Also, I understand how having kids made her worry more. I’ve heard that expression that when you have kids your heart is outside of your body and it’s true.
Photos credit: James White for Redbook, received via email
