Kelsey Williams 'Too Chunky to Be a Cheerleader'? Dancer 'Devastated' at Mean Comments
Kelsey Williams, a cheerleader for the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder, was offended when a blogger criticized her frame, calling her "chunky" in an April 22 blog post. The hurtful statements questioned whether or not Williams should be a cheerleader without the same body type as the other women.
Kelsey Williams and her weight was the discussion of a blog post by writer Claire Crawford. Crawford posted to the CBS Houston website, alleging that fans of the OKC Thunder thought she was "too chunky" to be a cheerleader.
"We're not trying to be ugly. We are just discussing what men like in women, specifically NBA cheerleaders," Crawford wrote. "This pretty blonde has been criticized by some folks in OKC for having 'pudginess' around her waistline."
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Williams was "devastated" when she saw the comments, especially because she works so hard to maintain her figure- three to four hours a day of exercise allows her to stay at a "size 4," she told Us magazine.
"I got online and was reading the article and … my heart sank," she said on "Good Morning America"
Wednesday. "I was definitely embarrassed and devastated."
Although the post was deleted, Williams seemed more upset that Crawford, a woman, would criticize her in such a manner while knowing intimately the way women are judged by society.
"Shame on you. I mean, you are a woman … you know exactly what we all go through on a daily basis just being a woman," she said. "Shame on you."
Williams acknowledged that her body type may not be the same as every other cheerleader's, but that she won't let it or any criticism affect her desire to keep dancing.
"I've always had more of an athletic build, different than the slender ballerina that some people may think of as a dancer," Williams said. "What's done is done. I'm just going to keep my chin up."
