Amber Rose is currently competing on this season of Dancing with the Stars. Apparently, she’s not doing very well, but I believe that the point of this exercise is the extension of Amber’s brand, the “mainstreaming” of Amber’s message about body-positivity, sex-positivity, etc. It’s likely not a coincidence that Amber hosted another SlutWalk – aimed at reclaiming the pejoratives aimed at women and their sexuality – in the middle of DWTS run this weekend. I’m including some photos of Amber from the SlutWalk in this post.
Anyway, last week, Amber said that she felt body shamed by DWTS judge Julianne Hough. Hough had said, on air, that she felt “uncomfortable” watching Amber’s dance, and Amber felt that Hough was possibly “uncomfortable” watching a curvier girl attempt to dance. Hough later said she didn’t mean it that way, and I defended Amber a little bit, saying that she’s entitled to her feelings and if she felt body shamed, she probably was. But on last night’s episode, Amber apologized to Julianne and they sort of worked through their sh-t on air.
Amber Rose publicly apologized to Julianne Hough on Monday evening’s episode of Dancing with the Stars for claiming that the judge “body shamed” her. On week three’s Sept. 26 performance, Rose performed a salsa to the tunes of Jennifer Lopez’s “Booty.” During the number, Rose wrapped her leg around pro partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy and he dipped her towards the ground. As Hough watched during the live performance, she remarked to fellow judge Bruno Tonioli, “I actually feel a little uncomfortable.”
After performing her week four Argentine Tango on Monday night, Rose addressed the drama during the live show – and apologized to Hough.
“Like I said in the package, when you said that I felt very embarrassed and I felt like you weren’t talking about the dance. But if I misunderstood, then I apologize. I’m a very positive person, I don’t like to argue or bicker or make things weird,” Rose, 32, said to Hough.
Hough, 28, then stood up, clapped for the model and clarified her week three commentary.
“I would like to say one thing also. The thing that I love so much about dance is that dance is a universal platform for people to express themselves – any person. Whether that is age or height, body shape, ethnicity, sexual orientation. It is something that people can express themselves to do,” Hough began. “And for me, I am a huge supporter of that and that alone. As a judge on this show, I am here to solely judge you and everyone else in this competition for only the dancing. So I want you to know that.”
After Rose received her scores (24/30), she and Hough could be seen chatting and hugging after the show went to commercial break. Backstage, Rose spoke to reporters about clearing the air.
“Last week was really hard for me,” she said. “When she said that … I was just like, ‘How did my salsa make you that uncomfortable?’ But she said that it wasn’t like that and it was just pertaining to my dance and I believe her. So, I love that it’s just all positivity now and just moving forward. People react to things differently. I wouldn’t have reacted that way, but everyone does,” she continued. “It’s cool. I’m glad that it’s over and done and we’re just moving forward.”
I think Amber was perhaps being oversensitive, although Julianne’s “uncomfortable” statement really could be taken in different ways. It was good that Amber was the bigger person and offered an apology to Julianne, and that both women got to talk about their perspectives. It’s not like Julianne said that Amber has no business dancing, and it’s not like Amber said Julianne is a terrible person. It was a misunderstanding based on a vague statement that could be left up to interpretation. I’m glad both women worked it out.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.
Julianne always comes off b*tchy on the show, and she is a cruel judge at some moments. I wish Amber didn’t go back on what she said.
I can’t stand Julianne. During Amber’s apology, Julianne sat there like a martyr and she didn’t return the apology, or even say I’m sorry we had a misunderstanding. She’s so arrogant for someone with a failed acting career and failed singing career. She’s just so condescending. I’m expecting her to pat Terra Jole’s head and tell her how cute she is.
Why should she apologize for something she didn’t do?
+1 Dominique — and @mayamae, I’m honestly upset to hear that. Didn’t see the show. But I suspect Julianne pushed her weight around (in the name of pride) and had producers or someone else on that level communicate to Amber that an apology was mandatory….
She did return the apology. They didn’t show it on last night’s airing, but did on tonight’s.
Completely agree, Mayamae.
Why did she have to brand ‘slutwalks’?
Anywho. Good for them both.
The slut brand was imposed on her and so many women. Why not turn it around and say, you know what, you’re uncomfortable with sluttiness but that doesn’t mean I have to be. The word is going to be around whether we approve of it or not. Why not take it and make it a synonym for sexiness? Why not deprive it if it’s power? I kinda dig it.
I kinda dig it too. : )
But how else could the comment be perceived? Just asking – no shade
When I watched the clip (I don’t watch the show) I felt that the dip and salsa moves in question were a little stiff, awkward and slow…so I would agree that the word ‘uncomfortable’ popped into my head.
I also feel like people try to make drama when it isn’t there to promote themselves and the show so maybe it was purposefully taken ‘the wrong way’ by amber and then brought the two women together in the end.
awww.
Uncomfortable is used by many including myself. Meaning the moves are stiff, not there and you feel bad. Julianne is a great judge because she doesn’t give scores based on faces,she gives great advice to get better. That’s one thing about this show,there’s no drama, its the dancing. Amber, being on this show has been able to show her true side. She has such a soft voice and quality about her. Its in her eyes, you see the warmth. Don’t get how that a-hole Kanye could shame her like that when he’s married to Kim. Good luck Amber.
That the sexualized dance was uncomfortable.
Amber, for as “own it” as she is, for as straightforward as she is, she is a very insecure dancer. She doesn’t grab the moves or complete the moves, and in the trailer videos of practice she’s always super hesitant and unsure. I find that interesting given her personality because you would think she would attack it, and she doesn’t, she holds back. In the outfit she was in and the dance club vibe the salsa dance had, showing that hesitancy was very uncomfortable for the viewers because it had all the elements to be a hot sexy number, yet the part she said she was uncomfortable was when Amber was supposed to lift her leg and grind and Maks had to kind of yank it up.
I could only imagine she must feel insecure about her own body while dancing because R she isn’t a good dancer yet and is projecting it onto the comment Julianne made. Everyone is Gaga over her body on that show.
Yeah, I think she realized that it played on her insecurities, its almost like she was expecting that from Hough, she was waiting for it.
Which sucks. It sucks that her experience in life is that, but she’s obviously grown a ton. It takes a big person to back down and apologies in regular life, let alone on national TV.
Kudos to both these ladies. Hough seems like she wants to learn and like she has a kind heart.
Its her steps, they are counted not performed.
Here’s the thing for me Detritus, when I slid down the rabbit hole of Amber Rose a couple weeks ago, when I saw that she was on the show I was interested because I only know of Amber because of this website. I had never googled her or checked her out or really known that much about her beyond the fact that she dated Kanye and she clapped back to a bunch of people. When I finally did go in the rabbit hole, I was really shocked to find that her body, similar to Kim Kardashian’s, was absolutely definitely 100% not like this back when she first came on the scene, in that first video with Ludacris. In fact her body was very very similar to Kim’s before Kim got the butt. She had a nice cute round little rush, nice curves, great breasts but nothing was amplified the way that it is now.
So I have to wonder about it a little bit. Saying she’s bein body shamed over a body she seemingly chose to have is different than being given a body where proportions are naturally out of whack and dealing with those comments all of your life.
Perhaps she was insecure because she thought the uncomfortable comment was about the sexy nature of the dance, and then I could possibly see her feeling shamed over the profession she had to keep her afloat. But that wouldn’t be body shaming either.
Just my speculation because I find it
Interesting, these women like Blac Chyna, Kim, Khloe and Amber having these HUGE asses when looking at pictures it’s plain to see they weren’t born with them (exclude blac chyna because I don’t care to google her before and after)
Sure asses can get big with weight gain etc, but to me this seems choice, then complaining about what that choice does to public perception. I could be severely misguided and I base all of this only on my own personal Inspector Gadget google image search.
@Little Darling – Amber Rose’s body dramatically changed after her pregnancy. Which… I guess can happen…??? However, it does appear that she at least gained weight all over. She is bigger than she used to be in all places, including face, waist, thighs, arms. What’s odd about Kim K and Khloe is that they have this thing where they lose weight in, let’s call them, “strategic” places.
I dunno LittleD, this is my hangup.
I have issues with plastic surgery on a massive scale, but on an individual scale – none. I have a hard time reconciling those two feelings on the same topic.
As such, I don’t want to judge Amber for tailoring her body in a way that has given her a lucrative career. Even if she complains about the negatives associated with that body type. You can simultaneously want large breasts, and dislike the connotation that big breasts make you a hussy, or stupid or whatever the stereotype of the day is.
You are definitely right though, there is a huge difference in choosing to do that to your own body and genetically being that way, for sure. Possibly even very similar to the pressures to be thin versus those that are naturally thin?
For what it is worth, I’m pretty positive she has surgically altered, or non-surgically altered, her body to fit an ideal. An ideal that was not created in a vacuum.
I actually dunno where I’m going on this anymore, sorry. I love Amber a lot though, baggage and all. I think she’s trying really hard to be the best person she can, and there are going to be some mis steps on the way.
Amber is a bad dancer and was stiff and had low energy. I also felt uncomfortable watching that dance for those reasons. That’s why it was “uncomfortable” to watch.
These two women and this situation are better examples of the kind of person we should strive to be (humble, willing to listen, willing to be the first to apologize, interested in making connections rather than finding reasons to disconnect from others) than any other example I can think of lately.
good on them.
Yes I agree. This is how I’d like to see simple misunderstandings resolved. I like that Amber seems to know the appropriate moments to apologize if necessary.
Their reaction to and resolution of the misunderstanding was a better teaching moment than the issue itself.
Yeah I mean…I don’t know how fabricated all of this dramz was (DWTS always trying to get their ratings) but I loved the way Amber handled it.
I don’t care for Hough but that Amber…she’s a hippy at heart and for that I love her.
Damn, amber is generally a pretty class act.I’m never let down by her.
I couldn’t agree more. The more I see and learn about her the more I really respect her. She seems like she has a good head on her shoulders and genuinely doesn’t want beef simply because of misunderstandings. Also she’s cute and funny too.
I like Amber,she generally takes the high road.
As I said,when this happened,it’s how she “felt”.There have been times when I have “felt” I experienced sexism but the man insists he wasn’t being sexist.
I interpreted Hough’s comment to mean she felt uncomfortable FOR Amber because Amber appeared uncomfortable, awkward, insecure. I don’t think she meant it about her body or the sexiness of the dance because the dance, although intended to be sexy, lost it’s sexiness in Amber’s awkwardness. It was a legitimate misunderstanding. Good for them to not only work it out, but they worked it out just the two of them in person rather than resorting to social media slap downs and passive aggressive BS.
She created drama, audience sympathy, more votes for Amber!!!
Lets not kid ourselves, Amber’s “career” received a boost from the whole thing.
I don’t really care for Amber. She puts me off because I always feel like she is a perpetual victim. It’s like she says she owns something but she doesn’t really.
I think she is an attractive woman and I hear people saying she has a sensitive, sweet side to her and it makes me feel like I am harsh on her.
Part of being an adult is realizing you can’t pin your hang ups on everyone else. It goes both ways. Amber doesn’t want to be labeled in negative ways etc… But it seems like she is the one always labeling herself in her own head. I am sure that comes with years of hearing people say negative things about you. I just think she sells herself short and has a lot more to offer than she thinks.
I regularly watch DWTS (my guilty pleasure) and I would describe Amber’s dance as uncomfortable and it has nothing to do with her curvy body. It was uncomfortable because Amber didn’t seem confortable with the dance moves and it wasn’t the dance they were supposed to do. I felt the same way when Lochte “danced” because he litterlu stood there while Cheryl danced around him. Cheryle looked amazing and was a beautiful dancer while Ryan stood there with his shirt open.
So I can see why J said what she did. Now maybe she really WAS uncomfortable with Amber’s body but if she wasn’t and he comment was about the technical aspect of the dance – I can see why she said what she did. Heck, I cringe when watching some of them dance and it has nothing to do with their bodies.
I find it funny that Amber is offended by Julianne saying Amber’s salsa made Julianne “uncomfortable”, but Amber doesn’t take offense to all three judges saying that burlesque dancing is who Amber truly is and her true soul and whatever else they said. If I were Amber, I’d be more offended by that. Amber has worked hard to be more than just a former stripper, you know. So saying burlesque is her true soul would be highly offensive if I were her, because she’s more than that.
Good. I’m glad.
I see why Amber misunderstood what Julianna said, but I don’t think she should have gone public with it instead of speaking to her directly about it. But…that’s how storylines are made. Julianna’s reaction to Amber’s apology was irritating though. I’m rooting for Amber and I think her Tango was amazing! Hopefully she will continue to get better and less insecure while dancing.