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Britney Spears, once hailed as a princess of bubble gum pop music, has fallen off of her thrown. She has of late been accused of mental illness, drug addiction, alcohol abuse, and most recently, of being an unfit mother. The former media darling has now become nothing but celebrity magazine cannon fodder. Every week there is a new headline portraying Britney's fall from grace. It is hard to defend her on most occasions. After all, even the most exaggerated stories often stem from truth.

The media loves to degrade and demoralize, to criticize, and magnify flaws. This is especially true when it comes to a person's weight. In this case, Britney Spears' weight and appearance has been targeted ferociously, particularly since the birth of her two children and her appearance on the VMA's. It is on this point that Britney needs to be defended.

Society, let alone the entertainment industry, puts way too much pressure on women to be thin. The number of teenage girls and young women resorting to bulimia, anorexia, and extreme dieting continues to climb as they strive for the often unattainable goal of the "perfect" size 2 frame. Yet, you cannot open up a magazine today without seeing a model or celebrity's razor sharp hipbones and clavicle jutting out from the page. In a world where unhealthy body images flood the media, shouldn't it be refreshing to see a celebrity of Britney's status with a normal body?

The average American women is a size 14. Britney's size is an estimated size 10. Despite the fact that she is indeed larger than the Britney of years past, she is still an approximate 4 sizes smaller than the majority of women in the US. Leading to the rather obvious conclusion that an overwhelming majority of women would love to have Britney's figure.

So why all of the criticism both in the media and from the public? The answer, it seems, comes down to simply a matter of styling. Britney is no longer a teenager with a size 2 frame. She is the mother of two children with a not so toned mid-section and therefore needs to dress accordingly. No more belly-baring tops, no more ultra low cut jeans. The outfit she donned at her VMA performance is the perfect example. The vast majority those who saw her seem to agree, she did not look her best. Not because she is grotesquely over-weight, but because she chose an outfit that was unflattering.

Wearing a sparkling bikini when you are not in perfect shape will undoubtedly draw unwanted criticism. There are millions of women around the world who have children and then find it hard to get their body back. Many of these women wouldn't wear a sparkling bikini in the privacy of their own homes, let alone on stage, on television, with an audience of millions watching. Britney is not fat, she is a woman who made a poor fashion choice in a very public forum. Criticizing her for her fashion sense is understandable. Criticizing her for soft and curvy, beautiful but not so perfect body is just wrong.

Do we really want to send the message to the young girls of America that true beauty can only be found in the ultra thin? That happiness and success is only attainable for those with visible rib cages and gaunt faces? Or do we want our children to grow into strong, healthy women, whose focus is on being the best that they can be and loving who they are and what they see in the mirror, no matter what size that reflection may be. To achieve the goal of a society filled with women who can embrace the bodies they were given and love themselves no matter what the scale says, we need to stop picking on those in the public eye who are less than perfect, like Britney Spears. To quote the now famous, over exuberant, Britney uber-fan, Chris Crooker, "Leave Britney alone"!

Learn more about this author, Nikki D.
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