“I think if you look uncomfortable, you don’t look good. And that’s something you see in a lot of people, like running down the street in these awful shoes. And I’m just like, ‘You know, you don’t have any swagger! You look crazy! Just wear flats!’”

—Singer Beth Ditto talks about her unique style, growing up in Arkansas, and why she wants to look like a clown

Beth Ditto: lead singer of The Gossip, naked Love cover girl and Karl Lagerfeld bestie is coming out with a new fashion line. And not just any old line, but a plus-sized line! Evens, a British plus size store, disagreed with our own Lily and British GQ and let Ditto inject her pop-punk aesthetic into the line, due out July 9. It’s heavy on the sequins, sparkle and 80’s feel—much like Ditto’s personal style. Check it out the full collection here—and FYI, kids: Evans ships to the little ole U.S.A.

I think we all agree that magazines have gone a little overboard with Photoshopping photos in a quest for perfection on their beautiful, glossy pages. It can be detrimental to women’s attitudes about our own bodies when we see models with pencil-like legs and whittled-down waists. But what about when photo retouching makes women larger than they are in real life? Is that also bad for us “real” women?

In many ways, the Gossip lead singer Beth Ditto is simply the s**t. She’s a big, bad ass lesbian who’s got to be more comfortable with her body than pretty much anyone I know. That said, I’ve got to agree with British GQ features editor, Alex Blimes, in his incredulity at Ditto’s fashion “icon” status. Blimes was a complete ass about it, calling my favorite plus-sized and proud singer a “porker,” but I’m with him on the main point: Ditto’s style is none-too-special.

The fashion forward frontwoman of The Gossip must not have gotten our memo. This leg-baring look might fly at night or on stage, but it’s no way to go around London midday, let alone show up to perform at the esteemed Royal Academy. [London, 6/3/09]

The Gossip’s chanteuse Beth Ditto let Superdoll Collectibles give her the Barbie treatment to promote her line for Evans, a plus-sized clothing chain in the UK—and here she is!

We’re psyched the Beth doll will be stage-diving at a rock show while Barbie’s back at the Dream House, doing her nails and mooning over Ken. But it’s rather annoying that Beth-the-Doll is a slimmed-down version of Beth-the-Singer. Real life Beth has belly rolls and wears wackadoo kabuki makeup; she doesn’t have pristine skin or sexy Barbie doe eyes.

As Big Fat Deal put it, “Beth Ditto’s supposed dolly doppelganger has all of her thigh dimples lipo’d away. So close and yet, so far.” We’re not saying the doll’s got to have cellulite—although that would make us feel better about ours. It’s just that the doll Beth looks, well. plastic. [Vogue UK via Big Fat Deal]

Pinch me…am I dreaming?  A magazine is launching in this financial climate?  And it’s a magazine with a plus-size woman on the cover?

Blink, blink.

The cover of Love magazine — a Conde Nast U.K. fashion mag edited by former Pop magazine editor, Katie Grand — is freakin’ awesome. The Gossip’s Beth Ditto is buck naked, her naughty bits covered up by giant purple, frothy, flowery thing.  She looks so serene and totally gorgeous. Heidi Klum and Aubrey O’Day might have some competition…

Fashionologie reports Katie Grand promised Love would be “very curvy” and sample-size-less….so far, mission accomplished!Love hits newsstands February 19.

Last night, The Frisky’s Emily and I celebrated 15 years of Bust magazine in a circus tent packed with crafty, sassy, stylish babes and their gay boyfriends. Performances by booty beat internet icon Leslie Hall (who autographed the concert t-shirt her mom sold me), burlesque style strippers like Peekaboo Pointe, Amy Sedaris, DJ JD Samson from Le Tigre, and drag king lounge act lover Murray Hill are how these girls like to get down! The ladies of Bust are a good time—and not just because they gave away 500 vibrators to the crowd. Since 1993, they’ve also given women’s mags an irresistible edge. In a market flooded with stupid self-help tips and fashion for stick figures, they showcase women who are hip, hot, and, above all, their outrageous selves.  The mag is not afraid to support the freaks and geeks that are flying in the face of traditional pre-packaged celebs.  They put revolutionary people in print, without discriminating based on looks and marketing machines. They go for vigilantes with vaginas who are shaping our generation of bad ass bitches.  Like their favorite women, Bust does what it wants and it really has an eye—they’ve featured cover girls like Amy Poehler, Beth Ditto, Bjork and Charlotte Gainsbourg.  So, congratulations Bust! You keep the magazine rack well-rounded.