Anonymous sources have told PopEater that Gabourey Sidibe is “too big” to be in Vogue. We are all for calling out the haters, but the obsession with Sidibe’s body is getting out of control. Time for a timeout.
Per PopEater’s Rob Shuter (who, incidentally, used to flack for Jessica Simpson):
She’s a joke in the fashion community. What she wore on the red carpet at the Academy Awards wasn’t a dress, it was a tent,” one nasty little fashion queen (who I shall not be talking with again) told me.
“Vogue is venue where designers debut their best new pieces. All are of which are one of a kind and sample size. It would be impossible to get a regular-sized girl in those clothes, let alone Gabby,” a less acid-tongued fashion source explained.
No word on whether that “nasty little fashion queen” or his or her milder counterpart actually has anything to do with Vogue, or whether this is just an excuse to publish cruel blind quotes for sport, pitting Team Gabby against the evil, knobby fashionistas.
The report was dutifully republished in The Daily News, amping up the stakes to say that she’ll never appear on the cover.
It’s not that all this isn’t intuitively true. Is it likely that fellow young best-actress nominee Carey Mulligan is higher on Anna Wintour’s priority list? Yeah, she already did a Vogue shoot. That’s how Vogue works. Wintour has a type — Sienna Miller owns her entire non-Jude Law-related career to Wintour’s affections — and for more than one reason Sidibe is not that type. We have obviously wished aloud often enough that it weren’t so. But who said Sidibe even wants to be in Vogue?
While such items purport to be on Sidibe’s side, their persistence reduces Sidibe merely to “that fat girl Hollywood can’t deal with.” By all means, let’s talk about Hollywood and fashion’s fucked-up standards. But there comes a point where the conversation is overtaking Sidibe’s actual career — let alone her as an individual.
By the way, Vogue included Sidibe in a pre-Golden Globes web feature in which they suggested outfits for all the actress nominees, and managed to come up with something for Sidibe (with, of course, a delicate reference to her size).
And she did a Q&A with Vogue.com in the lead-up to the Oscars, during which they asked her about her dress and managed to refrain from talking about her weight. It included this gem:
Is there anything else you want Vogue readers to know about you and your preparation for the big night?
No! Mind your business, Vogue readers. Go ask Sandra Bullock what she’s doing.
Prescient!
Gabby Sidibe Reportedly Too Big For Vogue [Popeater]
Precious Star Gabourey Sidibe Has No Chance Of Ever Appearing On The Cover Of Vogue [NYDN]
Q&A With Gabourey Sidibe [Vogue.com]
The Red Carpet Revolution Stars Here [Vogue.com]