How Kelly Clarkson Is An American Idol In More Ways Than One

Like Chris Crocker said about Britney, let's all leave Kelly alone. Kelly is the original American Idol, an icon in her own right, and one who has not one care to give about public opinion.

She's already won America's vote (1-888-IDOLS-01, anyone?); she doesn't need America's opinion on her own life, especially on her body.

With the onslaught of stories of bullied kids in this world, and the numerous strides major organizations have made to prevent and educate about why bullying is not okay, we have grown adults going out of their way to shame other adults.

Kelly Clarkson has been in the public eye since the summer of 2002, since she captivated all of our hearts every week with her outstanding performances and personality.

She was bubbly, strong and confident, and she was the one to root for. Thirteen years later, she's still around and as relevant as ever.

Clarkson has never looked quite like the typical "pop star" we are accustomed to seeing.

She's not Britney, Jessica or Christina -- she's Kelly.

Her outspoken nature and her vocal chords are what have gotten her through everything, including her very public battle with her label in 2007.

A few weeks ago, a British reporter sent out a vitriolic set of tweets about Kelly Clarkson, asking about her weight and making jokes saying Kelly looked like she had eaten a person.

Those kinds of remarks were unwarranted and unnecessary, and certainly make a "journalist" lose his or her integrity and credibility.

There are so many other more important, more tragic events going on in the world -- why are reporters so focused on Kelly Clarkson's body image?

She's the only artist I can think of who owns her body, owns her image and makes people say it's okay to look how you want to look.

Recently, Kelly has been "fat-shamed" by a news reporter on Fox News (who, by the way, doesn't exactly have the most credibility). Why Fox News is "reporting" on Kelly's weight is beyond me.

Shouldn't they be focusing on her career, her new record, even her new addition to her family?

Kelly stands resilient in the face of so much criticism. I happened to catch her appearance on "Ellen" recently, and as she was being interviewed, Ellen mentioned of all the recent criticism and said how bad she felt, and Kelly had the perfect response.

She said she was more upset for those who feel upset for her.

She went on to say that girls who come up to her at meet-and-greets who are even bigger than her must feel even worse, and Kelly seemed so pained by that.

In an age with instant access and freedom to say what's on your mind, people are not thinking before posting, They're not thinking about the message they're sending out, and they're certainly not thinking about who is going to be reading it.

"Fat-shaming" in the public eye is just horrendous because that "fat-shaming" becomes very real to someone sitting at home who is going through a difficult time and harboring a negative body image.

No one is perfect, not even Queen B (Beyoncé for you plebeians), as she has been caught Photoshopping her Instagram photos to "improve" her appearance.

The idea that women have to look a certain way is incredibly sexist still in the 21st century, when so many women are in positions of power and influence.

Instead of focusing on their accomplishments and accolades, we're still focused on the materialistic and shallow aspects of their lives.

What separates Kelly Clarkson from the rest of her musical peers is that she doesn't let anything stand in her way.

She continues to put out new music, to tour and give her fans what they're paying for: her music. Kelly is a rare treasure in today's music scene.

Like her infamous song, "Since U Been Gone," she's continuously moving on from her haters. She can finally breathe, and thanks to them, she's getting what she wants: her happiness.