You see them every time you buy groceries: tabloids aka gossip magazines declaring the latest news about any and every star with a hint of a story. One of the more popular topics commonly found on the cover is weight—who’s gained it, who’s lost it, and who needs more of it—predominantly focusing on women. The public is constantly scrutinizing the weight of celebrities.

Recently, Kelly Clarkson was the centre of this attention after making her first public appearance since having a baby to promote her new album. The singer had gained weight from the pregnancy and the media took notice. It was quickly the focus of many tabloids and Internet gossip sites, and gained further attention when a British columnist tweeted that Clarkson looked as if she had eaten her back-up dancers. Her body was publicly dissected and shamed, and the common question was “Why hasn’t she lost the weight yet?”

On the other hand, Kevin Bacon recently tweeted a photo where he appeared to have gained significant weight and the public response was much different. Inevitably some jokes about bacon consumption were made but coverage about the weight did not criticize the pounds nor imply that he needed to lose them. They described him as bloated and fuller, and one article speculated it may be for a movie but said “either way, no judgment.” This is quite a contrast from Clarkson; she was likely instructed to gain weight for the health of her baby while he may have just overdosed on bacon. Why is there such a large discrepancy in the way and amount men’s and women’s bodies are talked about?

Well, psychological research suggests that we associate smallness with femaleness, and this has been furthered by the structures of our society. Throughout history men, have been the superior sex, labeling women the “gentler sex”, in need of male protection. This has driven the idea that men need to be larger so they can protect women. So a man being big, whether with muscle or fat, is just more acceptable to this patriarchal system. But the reason we talk more about women’s bodies may also be imbedded in patriarchy. Until the mid-19th century, men legally owned their wives; women were actually their physical property. This history of objectification and entitlement has influenced the social outlook on women, as objects that we are entitled to, in this case, comment on.

This way of thinking has had detrimental effects on women. For example, out of the population with eating disorders, women make up 90 percent. When asked about their motivation to exercise, women listed losing weight above muscle tone or even general health. Studies show that body dissatisfaction is far higher in women and increases the more they acknowledge it, meaning that any comment on their body may have damaging effects because the conversation around it is so often a negative one.

Women have gained many rights over the last century and proven themselves capable but the battle for equality and power is ongoing. Something with this much control over us cannot be allowed to continue. We need to take over the conversation on women’s bodies and make it a positive one, or better yet make it obsolete, and it should start with tabloids. If sexism and objectification can be lessened at this highly public and high profile level, I believe that the general public will benefit and follow that example.