Beth Ditto has been causing eyebrows to raise and brows to furrow since her arrival on the music scene in 2001. She is the ultimate Riot Grrl for the 21st century, unapologetically sexy, fiercely intelligent, well-informed and opinionated. Plus she’s too talented for the mainstream to ignore.

Born yonder in Aksansas in 1981, Beth met The Gossip’s guitarist, Brace Paine when they were both 15. He handed her a tape of punk music and a life-long friendship was born. Along with Kathy Mendonca, the trio started The Gossip in 1999, a trio of 17 year olds taking the punk world by storm.

In 2003, just as things were getting interesting, Kathy left to become a midwife and current drummer, Hannah Billie took over. The group started to make headway and, in 2006, broke through with Standing in the Way of Control.

Typically for the now-renamed Gossip, the song came from a place of political passion, the Federal Marriage Amendment banned  same-sex marriage in America. “Nobody in the States was that surprised or shocked by what Bush did, but it made everyone I know feel helpless and cheated,” Ditto commented at the time. “I wrote the chorus to try and encourage people not to give up. It’s a scary time for civil rights, but I really believe the only way to survive is to stick together and keep fighting.”

That same year, Ditto was named NME’s coolest person in rock. So far so rock star.

What makes Beth different is her size. She’s a 28, she’s got curves and she’s as proud of her body as a sportswoman. Oh yeah, she’s a lesbian too. She’s been with her partner Freddie, “forever”, and the pair are talking about getting married as soon as it’s legal.

In 2009, you haven’t arrived if you don’t have a perfume or a fashion line. In typical empower-yourself style, Beth has teamed up with large-lady store Evans to create a line of clothes for larger ladies.

According to the Guardian, though:

Oddly, in real life, even with her ample folds, Beth doesn’t seem as big as she’s been painted. She’s a size 28, but the best description for her is pocket rocket: she’s short (5ft), but drawn with Beryl Cook brushstrokes. More Boule de Suif than bucket of lard. Indeed, in Beth’s famed naked cover shot for Love magazine, the editor Katie Grand actually had the image photo-shopped to make her look bigger.

Let’s give Beth the last word:

“Aw, I don’t mind people arguing about me. Maybe because I’m older and I’ve been dissed harder in my life, but I don’t care. This stuff is completely out of your hands. You know, either I’m too fat or I’m flavour of the month. I don’t feel either, but maybe I’m both, who knows?”

Read the full Guardian interview here

Standing in the Way of Control

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