After years of struggling with my silent body issues, I applaud Beth for getting on that cover and letting the world see her in all her glory!  Good for you! Represent sister!!!

I agree with Ditto in that gay men (at least the ones I've met) have ridiculous expectations for women's bodies. I've heard one of my queens call a size-6 girl fat. I think they figure that, since it's easy for them to maintain their 32-inch waists and six-packs, and since they're almost women, it's OK for them to judge women as they would themselves. Some of the biggest machistas I've met were gay men. Only a two men I've met in my life (1 gay 1 straight) have ever admitted they were feminists, while almost all my gay friends were somewhat to very anti-woman.

True glory consists in doing what deserves to be written and writing what deserves to be read.

Look, I'm all for loving your body and looking the way you want to look, but what about one's health? Obviously, I don't know Beth Ditto's health situation, but just looking at her, I see very little muscle and therefore can only assume that she's not in too good of health. As a girl who is right now trying to lose weight/body fat in an effort to get healthy and not to fit into a certain size (and who recognizes that "sizes" are just arbitrary numbers anyway), it actually worries me that a woman would implicitly advocate being unhealthily overweight even while she brings up the dangers of being underweight. Taking care of your body and making sure you're in healthy shape shouldn't be thought of as selling out to the establishment.

"Out of the box is where I live." -Starbuck

While I think gay men are well-represented in the fashion industry -- including being in positions of power -- I think we need to look at patriarchy (e.g., the control that all men have by the subordination and exchange of women) as the problem here. I really like what I've read about Ditto, save for this comment, which seems simplistic and stereotypical and too accepting of the cultural narrative that equality has been achieved.

Like being too thin, being too fat is likewise unhealthy. Moderation is the name of the game...Beth Ditto is right about her principles but looking at her...it just isn't right to be too fat...it means ur not taking care of urself.

Just looking at her..i could enumerate possible health problems: heart disease, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis, sleep apnea, etc...

some folks have mentioned the health issues involved with fat, and while you may have a point, there is a larger issue that beth ditto is attempting to address.

health is one thing. it's the self-hatred and body image issues that she is fighting. what if, instead of hating our bodies, we accept that our bodies are ours and we have to live with them?

what if no matter what you do...diet, exercise, the whole nine, you still end up fat? should you hate yourself and your body? or should you learn to love yourself, even if you are not perfect? these issues tie into larger issues of women's perceived self-worth, and they play out whether you are fat or thin. what beth is boldy addressing is learning how to love yourself, no matter what you look like, and to fearlessly proclaim your worth.

i do love me some beth ditto for sure!!!

I am shocked and dissapointed that there are so many women posting comments about the dangers of obesity in this context, Beth Ditto is not obese, I personally think that she has a beautiful body.

These people are just clinging to the taboo subject of the moment, rather than noticing the real issues that Beth Ditto is raising with these photos. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and we should not let the media decide for us what that is.

Before I start, she looks blooming gorgeous!!

I understand why all the points raised in comments have been raised but if anything what the article and front cover of NME shows is a step toward the media reflecting the reality of what we everyday folk find beautiful. A step a way from the fantasy that has been prescribed for us by magazines, film and fashion. It is interesting that rather than seeing this as a bold move in the ever increasing battle to represent everybody ever, the image of body still outshines any other issue raised. Just shows it doesn’t matter if you are small, medium or large, or even super-sized someone will ALWAYS have a problem with you and in turn you might have a problem with you! How can we win?

Perhaps this is the dawning of a media where all sides of the spectrum are reflected by the same medium?! The showcase of everyone from Britney to Beth! I am well excited if I am honest!!

And it’s important to remember that for years the greatest fashion magazine power houses have been putting models on covers that have suffered from many health issues that are both physical and mental. And to be perfectly honest I would rather my daughter was over-weight and happy with that rather than a cocaine user like Miss Moss, no matter how good a dress looks on her...

I am going out to buy me NME this evening :D

beth ditto rocks my world, and has done for 4 years. Her being nude on the cover just rocks it that bit harder.

she's not promoting being unhealthily overweight, she's promoting the fact that you should embrace what and who you are, no shame, no fear. Credit in the straight world is over rated, but it's about frickin time.