Celebrities trend on social media all the time, but for most artists, at least, it generally has something to do with their music. This time, though, Rick Ross started trending for a weird and slightly uncomfortable reason: his body size. Or, more specifically, the fact that people don't seem to focus on his body when his music speaks for itself.It's an uncomfortable reason for anyone to be trending, but the conversation that arose had some interesting points.In short, Twitter users on both sides of an argument over Rick Ross' business moves and thoughts on snack foods turned into a full-blown debate, and it was all because of a "debate" between Rick and DJ Khaled, courtesy of GQ.
Rick Ross And DJ Khaled "Debated" Snack Foods For GQ
Rick Ross seemed to begin trending after GQ posted a video of him and DJ Khaled having a "GQ Hype Debate" over "the best snack of all time."
The rappers talked about snack foods, with Ross "repping his very own Rap Snacks Rozay Cheddar potato chips" and DJ Khaled in the corner for Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
It doesn't seem like a topic for significant debate, but given that both rappers were talking about junk food, and their "debate" involved talking more about their dietary habits, controversy seemed to emerge.
Namely, social media users picked up on the fact that neither rapper was shamed or made to feel insecure about their bodies or dietary habits, while many women in the industry are constantly criticized.
The conversation spilled over onto Twitter, where some good points were made, even as fans disagreed.
Twitter Had A Specific Thought About Rick Ross
More than 14,000 tweets named Ross and dragged "the media" for zeroing in on bigger female celebrities while letting the men do whatever they want (like, just live their lives).
Specifically, one user advertised their opinion that "nobody is ever in the media shaming that man weight" (regarding Ross) while Black women can't "exist" without people hounding them.
The tweet had nearly 4,000 retweets and almost 21K likes, and there were people who disagreed. Some replies countered with the fact that Ross was dragged for his size (at some point) and was heavily criticized for some unhealthy habits.
One user shared a meme that body-shamed Ross, suggesting he would die of heart issues after eating too much fast food.
Another tweet pointed out that Rick shared his "heart and body issues" with his fans, then got "40x more healthier," suggesting that's what sets him apart from more highly-criticized public figures that are plus-sized.
Still, many supporters of the original argument — that men in the media are given a pass where women aren't — chimed in with their thoughts.
Body Shaming Is A Recurring Conversation On Social Media
In what seemed to become a self-realizing prophecy, commenters started talking about how women are more often targeted by the media (and fans) about their body size, regardless of their personal habits (like owning a fast food chain or loving junk food snacks).
Some pointed out that, for example, Lizzo is often brought into conversations when health and body size are mentioned. That is, in itself is, they note, pretty messed up — especially when comedians bring her up just to mock her.
But many tweets brought up Lizzo to make a point; Rick Ross, DJ Khaled, and other men in the industry might be "made fun of," but not to the same extent as women (specifically Lizzo being the most recent example).
There were people on both sides of the argument, with some tweets maintaining that Lizzo essentially deserves the criticism because she "eats and moons 5-year-olds at basketball games," and goes "out of her way to make sure everybody sees her naked body and then cries when someone has something to say about it."
Whether she's simply existing or actively embracing her body, Lizzo can't catch a break, even as more musicians are working to promote body positivity.
The bottom line though? As one Twitter user wrote, "In all the rap groups on fb I ain’t never seen [sic] folks go out of their way to randomly bring up Rick Ross appearance just to degrade him when the page is supposed to be about music."
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