Meghan Trainor, whose “body-positive” new single is currently No 1 in the US, says she doesn’t “consider [herself] a feminist”. The singer seems to have borne out the claims of her critics, who argued that for a song ostensibly about self-acceptance, All About That Bass could be perceived as judgmental about certain female bodies.
“I don’t consider myself a feminist, but I’m down for my first opportunity to say something to the world to be so meaningful,” Trainor told Billboard. “If you asked me, ‘What do you want to say?’ it would be, ‘Love yourself more.’”
Although All About That Bass has won many fans by telling women “not to worry about [their] size”, it also offers its own guidelines for what sizes are OK. The song refers to “skinny bitches”, claiming that men “like a little more booty to hold at night”.
For many listeners, this is its own kind of body shaming, and reinforces the idea that a woman’s beauty rests on male validation. “Loving yourself because dudes like what you’ve got going on is a pretty flimsy form of self-acceptance,” wrote Chloe Angyal. “The point of loving yourself no matter what is that you love yourself no matter what boys, or anyone else, thinks about your booty.”
For Trainor, these criticisms “make no sense”. “I would never shame a skinny person! I don’t know who would want to,” she told Pop Justice. Asked about the way the song elevates the importance of male acceptance, Trainor replied: “I don’t know, man! I just wrote a fun song about loving your booty and loving your body! I never had a problem getting boys.”
More controversy awaits Trainor’s latest single, Title. “You gotta treat me like a trophy / Put me on the shelf,” she sings to a prospective boyfriend. “You gotta show me off.”
All About That Bass is currently No 52 on the UK singles chart.
