# Re Mandisa on Idol. Why is it OK for black entertainers to be huge but not white ones **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 8, 2006, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-mandisa-on-idol-why-is-it-ok-for-black-entertainers-to-be-huge-but-not-white-ones/351885 "2006-04-08T20:56:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-mandisa-on-idol-why-is-it-ok-for-black-entertainers-to-be-huge-but-not-white-ones/351885/21 "2006-04-09T04:54:04Z")
> [@the only bunny](#): > > Cass Elliott. MAMA CASS :mad: ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-mandisa-on-idol-why-is-it-ok-for-black-entertainers-to-be-huge-but-not-white-ones/351885/22 "2006-04-09T05:42:44Z")
A little, applicable anecdote: I have a friend who is about 5’5 and 105 lbs, smallish chest (B), not much hip, not much butt (but she does have a shape), has a beautiful face, and black. One day, we were talking and she said how beautiful she thinks I am (we were discussing different ideas of what’s “beautiful,” so it wasn’t just totally random). I, like a typical female, said I would kill for her stomach. She replied that she hates her stomach. In fact, she told me that she wishes she could be more like me (I’m 5’4ish and ~200). Her saying this totally surprised me. I mean, in the white community, you almost NEVER hear a girl say, “Man, I wish I was fatter!” As someone mentioned above, it certainly seems that white women have many more body issues than other races and I think it has a lot to do with the ideal that is presented. My friend, you see, has two older sisters and a mother who weigh about 300 lbs; she thinks they are beautiful (I’ve seen pictures, they are). My friend grew up around other “big” women, not just those in her family. She told me that in the black community, men prefer fat women (which I can say, from my experience, is true: I get hit on by a lot of black men and so do my fat friends). In fact, my friend went on to tell me that she almost never gets hit on by black men (who she is most attracted to), but rather is always asked out by white guys. At the same time, I have a friend who is in adult entertainment, is fat, and is black. Almost ALL of her viewers? fans? clients? are white guys. According to her, her fan demographics seem to be 90% white, 5% black, 4% hispanic, and then a bit “other”. Anyway, all of that is purely anecdotal of course. From my experience, I would say that it seems that the black community is much more welcoming of fat women than the white community. Frankly though, I’d say the biggest disparity is between men and women: why are there so many more fat guys out there than fat women (black or white)? I imagine it has a lot to do with whatever the same reason is that we have movies where 19 year old girls are dating 60 year old men (and 40 year old women can’t get work). ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-mandisa-on-idol-why-is-it-ok-for-black-entertainers-to-be-huge-but-not-white-ones/351885/23 "2006-04-09T06:06:06Z")
Just from personal observance I would say that more young black women are getting way bigger, many of them obese, I see black women in their twenties weighing easily over 300, even closer to 500, and that doesnt look good on anyone. I’m not saying I don’t see any young white women lie this, but it seems like it is more common to see young black women that are very obese. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-mandisa-on-idol-why-is-it-ok-for-black-entertainers-to-be-huge-but-not-white-ones/351885/24 "2006-04-09T08:25:17Z")
> [@Batsinma Belfry](#): > > Black people generally don’t freak out over extra weight. When a black woman is big, she still considers herself beautiful. And most importantly, so do black men. I’ve been reading studies and comments that say that for years, and I haven’t found that to be even remotely true. The black women I’ve known have been just as obsessed about their weight and size as the white and asian women I’ve known. The black guys have been just as critical about overweight women as white guys are and they have also found larger women generally unattractive. ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-mandisa-on-idol-why-is-it-ok-for-black-entertainers-to-be-huge-but-not-white-ones/351885/25 "2006-04-09T12:07:11Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > There’s a lot less of him these days. I think he’s lost about 200 pounds. True - he had a successful gastric bypass surgery. VCNJ~ ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-mandisa-on-idol-why-is-it-ok-for-black-entertainers-to-be-huge-but-not-white-ones/351885/26 "2006-04-09T13:31:58Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > I’ve been reading studies and comments that say that for years, and I haven’t found that to be even remotely true. > > The black women I’ve known have been just as obsessed about their weight and size as the white and asian women I’ve known. The black guys have been just as critical about overweight women as white guys are and they have also found larger women generally unattractive. It may also be a class related issue. Most of the black men I know that come from middle or upper middle (economic) class families that are dating black women, are not dating black women who are significantly over weight. They may have some curves but they are not butterballs. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-mandisa-on-idol-why-is-it-ok-for-black-entertainers-to-be-huge-but-not-white-ones/351885/27 "2006-04-09T14:29:07Z")
> [@Indygrrl](#): > > I think your other points are legit, but I don’t know about this one. It might be true in a larger sense, but I’ve never heard that sentiment. Personally, I think what you said about different expectations makes more sense than lower expectations. I mean, Beyonce is considered a sex symbol to just about everyone, and she’s not skin and bones. She wears her curves proudly and definitely gets the acclaim she deserves for her talent and her, ahem, other assets. I’m also thinking of Taye Diggs, Mekhi Pfeiffer, and several other yummy black men that I know most women think are sexy. I’d say **monstro** is historically correct about blacks in entertainment (singers in particular) not needing much sex appeal in order to be successful, but times have definitely changed. More and more black directors, producers and writers of movies, Tv shows and music videos craft images of black people, and as competition has gotten tighter, images of hefty jovial fat men and chuncky sassy “Mammy” types have no longer been as much in demand. As **monstro** noted, fat black celebrities have gotten slimmer (American Idol judge Randy Jackson, anyone?) There’s not as many pleasantly plump black entertainers around as there were, say, ten years ago (back when Biggie, Heavy D, the Fat Boys, Big Pun and Fat Joe were all headliners), there’s still lots of contemporary fat black actors and fat black singers out there. Countess Vaughn. Aretha Franklin is, I’m sorry to say, unhealthily huge. David Mann and Tamela J Mann (who you may remember as L.B. Brown and Cora from Tyler Perry’s gospel plays.) Cedric the Entertainer. Raven Symone has gotten THICK. Jill Scott. Ruben Studdard. Anthony Anderson. Agree that to a large extent this is a class issue. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-mandisa-on-idol-why-is-it-ok-for-black-entertainers-to-be-huge-but-not-white-ones/351885/28 "2006-04-09T14:48:27Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Frankly though, I’d say the biggest disparity is between men and women: why are there so many more fat guys out there than fat women (black or white)? I imagine it has a lot to do with whatever the same reason is that we have movies where 19 year old girls are dating 60 year old men (and 40 year old women can’t get work). Because, be they Black, White, or Glenuquhart plaid with a teal overlay, _men make the rules_. And they do because they always did, and because quite a few women find it a turn-on. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2006, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-mandisa-on-idol-why-is-it-ok-for-black-entertainers-to-be-huge-but-not-white-ones/351885/29 "2006-04-09T15:00:07Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Frankly though, I’d say the biggest disparity is between men and women: why are there so many more fat guys out there than fat women (black or white)? I imagine it has a lot to do with whatever the same reason is that we have movies where 19 year old girls are dating 60 year old men (and 40 year old women can’t get work). Maybe it’s different in different areas but just based on personal observation male / female obesity ratios are about equal in Maryland, and nationwide more women are obese than men. [Obesity Rates in Adults](http://www.annecollins.com/diet_news/obesity-adults.htm) > [@](#): > > Using the definition of obesity as a BMI of 30+, 26 percent of all adult women are obese, while 20.6 percent of adult men are obese. > > Among women, obesity rates are higher among minority women. > 39 percent of black women and 36.1 percent of Hispanic women are obese. > > Adults aged 55-64 years have the greatest percentage of obesity, for both men (27.2 percent) and women (33.7 percent). ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2006, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-mandisa-on-idol-why-is-it-ok-for-black-entertainers-to-be-huge-but-not-white-ones/351885/30 "2006-04-11T17:56:25Z")
[QUOTE=astro] It may also be a class related issue. Most of the black men I know that come from middle or upper middle (economic) class families that are dating black women, are not dating black women who are significantly over weight. They may have some curves but they are not butterballs. [/QUOTE] There aren’t as many “butterballs” black or white, in the higher economic classes. And It’s not even acceptable for white women to have curves. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-mandisa-on-idol-why-is-it-ok-for-black-entertainers-to-be-huge-but-not-white-ones/351885.md?page=1)