No matter how listeners felt about Meghan Trainor's early hit 'All About That Bass,' it turned out to be a hit. The song was everywhere, and so was Meghan—for a while. Though the singer-songwriter has been in the industry for a long time, the advent of TikTok seemed to propel her back into the spotlight.
With her newfound platform and her TikTok BFF Chris Olsen, Meghan has once again attracted plenty of buzz with a body-positivity song (this time 'Made You Look'), her former Spy Kids cast member husband, and her adorable son. But it hasn't all been positive this time around.
Meghan Trainor's Early Career Was All About Empowerment
Meghan's early songs were mostly perceived as female empowerment tracks, encouraging girls to love their bodies, stand up for themselves in relationships, and really just be themselves.
Sure, there were critics back then who didn't love Meghan's messages (especially since her audience seemed to be a lot of younger girls), but for the most part, her music helped her gain recognition in the industry.
'All About That Bass' went certified diamond—for selling 10 million copies—back in 2018, almost four years after it came out.
The song is one of just over 100 tracks with that honor, ranking Meghan's hit alongside songs like 'Despacito' (Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi), 'Poker Face' (Lady Gaga), 'Lose Yourself' (Eminem), and other songs from similarly big-name artists.
Unfortunately for Trainor, her reputation has been somewhat marred by her public comments.
Lately, Meghan Has Been Losing Fans For Her Comments
Meghan and her husband Daryl Sabara turned heads when they gave an interview and talked about their dual toilets (so they can poop together, of course) and gushed about their relationship. But sometimes, Meghan's public comments are just as cringe but also offensive, according to spectators.
Related: Is Meghan Trainor's Husband Daryl Sabara Still Close With The Cast Of Spy Kids?
In a podcast, Meghan talked about her plans to homeschool her kids (she announced she was expecting her second child in January 2023) and dragged public school teachers.
Though she later apologized, the damage seemed to have been done. This also wasn't the first time Meghan made comments that offended the public.
A Resurfaced Interview Doesn't Reflect Well On Meghan
Meghan's first big hit came out in 2014, and at the time, she was on the interview circuit and very much in the public eye. She was also 21 years old when 'All About That Bass' blew up, which might be something to keep in mind while considering comments she made during an interview around that time.
In a photo of a magazine article about Meghan, the title screams from the page "Meghan's Shocking Confession: I Tried Anorexia."
Related: Here's What Meghan Trainor Has Been Up To Since Her Hit Song 'All About That Bass'
The publication writes that Meghan "once struggled with an eating disorder," though they immediately write after that Meghan said she was never anorexic. Yet she "tried it," Meghan is quoted as saying, but she was "passing out" on days when she didn't eat.
The article wasn't very long and seemed to be quoting Meghan from another interview, but it also featured an image caption where Trainor was quoted as saying someone once told her she would be "hot" if she lost ten pounds.
It's clear that in her heyday, Meghan was praised for being a somewhat less conventional Hollywood body type (hence her song about "bass"), but many thought the publication (and Meghan) took things too far by comparing her days of 'trying' not to eat to a true eating disorder.
Meghan Was Quoted As Saying She Wasn't "Strong Enough" For An Eating Disorder
Other publications quoted Meghan's old interview too, with one publishing the apparently complete quote.
I wasn't strong enough to have an eating disorder … I tried to go anorexic for a good three hours. I ate ice and celery, but that's not even anorexic. And I quit. I was like, 'Ma, can you make me a sandwich?' Like, immediately.
Commenters on Reddit bashed Meghan for her comments, calling her "offensive" and making sarcastic quips about not being 'strong enough' for other serious health issues like cancer.
At the time, Demi Lovato also seemingly responded to Meghan's comments, tweeting about the fact that having an eating disorder doesn't indicate "strength."
Related: The Real Reason Meghan Trainor’s ‘Treat Myself’ Became Her Worst-Selling Album To Date
One person summed up many Reddit comments with the simple thought: "I'm guessing 'empathy' doesn't register in her vocabulary. There's so much ignorance in so few lines of text."
Many thought Trainor was being insensitive, and given her recent comments (which she then quickly backtracked on), it seems that the singer might be a little too open and honest with her fans and the public.
Or, it could be that she was making a joke, albeit an insensitive one, but the quotes didn't reflect a joking or sarcastic nature.
There's also the fact that Meghan was heavily criticized for her size back when she debuted in the industry, which could have spurred her to make the comments she did as a defense mechanism. After all, she's said that external criticism did factor into her weight loss journey, plus admitted she deals with anxiety.
That doesn't make it okay, but it does give insight into what Trainor has been through. Hopefully she'll continue to learn from her very public missteps.
