The headlines screamed out at me as soon as I sat down to work this morning.  Moveon.org’s full page ad in the New York Times regarding General Petraus or General Betrya-us?  Nope.  Britney Spears completely bombed her performance at last night’s VMAs.  First, she couldn’t lip synch.  Worse, she was fat.

Delighted as always to follow the Shakespearean decline of my generation’s pop princess, I click the link.

 And since 9:30 a.m., I’ve been sucking in my tummy.

 Granted, she wasn’t the Britney of yore, but to me, the descriptions did not match the image. 

If society has dubbed her as fat just because she no longer has the teeny bopper six pack and instead has an abdomen that looks more like, I don’t know, someone who works out but isn’t starving herself and, oh by the way, has had two kids, then I seriously need to start reevaluating my own body image.

 All I’m saying is that she looks better in that bikini than I would have.  And better than most American woman, I’d guess. 

And yet.

 I shouldn’t have had that chocolate cake for dessert