Even tots understand being called 'fat' is no joke

My daughter, the littlest of my monsters, and Lady Gaga have both been called "fat" in the last few weeks.

Lady Gaga appeared on stage during a recent tour looking heavier than when cameras last captured her. Critics pigged out on her "piling on the pounds", criticising a woman who has been suffering from bulimia and anorexia since she was 15. Nice.

The joint in her hand, if we have to be adult about it, was probably not okay. But her weight gain? Well, what was her music like at that concert in Amsterdam? Did her performance suffer because of the extra 14kg? Apparently not.

My daughter came out of a fight with her friend at nursery school being told she was fat. What really upset me was she seemed to understand this was meant as an insult. She is four, dammit.

Clearly Lady Gaga, who is older than that, was insulted too. She initially explained the weight gain somewhat defensively by saying she's been eating at her father's Italian restaurant: "I love eating pizza and pasta. I'm a New York girl."

This is the restaurant the New York Daily News called "worse than herpes".

But then she took control of the situation.

In Paris, she appeared in an inflated pink and blue suit-style dress, clearly making fun of her body size. But the Daily Mail couldn't resist another stab when she wore a fur outfit in the same week.

"For someone who's looking to cover up some curves, piling on some more pounds of fur might not be the most flattering option," reported the British tabloid.

But by posting pictures of herself wearing underwear on her social networking site, LittleMonsters.com, Lady Gaga has turned this site into a body image support group.

She captioned her pictures: "Bulimia and anorexia since I was 15". And she wrote: "Today I join the Body Revolution. To Inspire bravery. And breed some m$therf**king compassion."

She also said: "Hey Guys it's Gaga. Now that the body revolution has begun, be brave and post a photo of you that celebrates your triumph over insecurities."

Her site, in a very short while, has become a public forum for youngsters suffering from eating disorders, cutting and other types of body hating. Her "little monsters" are delighted to be part of the Body Revolution.

These young men and women are brave, and clearly need the outlet. My child, while too young to be Lady Gaga's little monster, will be repeatedly told that her body is perfectly beautiful. Then, hopefully by the time she's old enough to join Lady's Gaga's Body Revolution, the revolution will be over.