Frances Cobain hurt by blog gossip about her weight

While on Good Morning America on Tuesday to promote her new book Dirty Blonde, Courtney Love was asked about her daughter Frances Bean, 14. Courtney said, "She’s fantastic…She’s top of her class, very popular. She hates when I say this, as a matter of fact, she corrects me. I was saying she never kissed a boy. She did kiss a boy, but it was a little kiss. And she’s a great sportswoman, and just a great kid all around."

However, Courtney then told The View ladies that Frances is just as affected by what other people think as other teenage girls her age are. After paparazzi pictures of her and Courtney horseback riding on Mother’s Day surfaced, Frances spotted them while blog surfing. The insulting comments which followed the postings implied that she was overweight (obviously not the case – the accompanying photo in this post is the one that was being ripped apart on other sites).

This heavily affected Frances – Courtney told The View that she then found all the food from the fridge in the trash. However, Courtney says, "I said, Frances, they say that stuff about Julia Roberts, they say that stuff about Heidi Klum, you can’t take it seriously. That’s part of what’s added to her life, extra [being a celebrity kid]."

Sources: People, ONTD and YouTube

Thanks to CBB reader Linda.

Comments

Lizzy on November 2nd, 2006

Isn’t that so Hollywood to see one bad picture and have everyone taking the knock out of it and making up stories just for something interesting to say or talk about. From that one picture that is up, Frances actually looks good. I really feel bad for her and having people try to say she’s too fat – she’s not, there are so many people out there who are heavy and it’s not healthy for them but they don’t care at all. She looks like she’s a good size for her age to me.

PSB on November 2nd, 2006

I saw Courtney Love on The View talking about this and she handled it very well IMO. She told Frances that people on blogs call Julia Roberts fat, and if they can call Julia fat then Frances should not take this personally, because people are hateful for no reason. As crazy as Courtney seems sometimes, she is definitely a devoted and loving mother.

Jess on November 2nd, 2006

Oh my gosh, she is more than a hundred pounds! She must be fat! People are cruel. She doesn’t look heavy to me at all. In fact she looks very healthy and happy. It seems that Courtney is a pretty good mom, despite everything else.

sara on November 2nd, 2006

aww omg! Frances Bean was my 1st favorite celeb baby! I remember when she was a tiny little girl! She was so cute! These remarks are obivously made by someone who forgot what happens to the body when it goes through puberty!

Frances, if by some reason you are reading this, just remember that you are so beautiful!

jaQ on November 2nd, 2006

oh, tsk. that poor girl. i think she looks just fine! this is about the only blog i post on (and read regularly, for that matter), because of the “no insult” policy. it disgusts me, reading through some of the things people write, on other blogs. there’s a lot of hate in the world, and there is just no reason for it.
hugs to frances, should she stumble across this!

Kim on November 2nd, 2006

I think people need to leave her alone. Its cruel thing to say specially to a young girl who is so selfsconscience all young girls are at that age they take everything you say to them to heart…

Chiara on November 2nd, 2006

All the comments leading to “but she’s not even fat!” are well-intentioned, but play into the same mentality: that skinny is the ideal, that skinny is better than fat. The ultimate point is that it shouldn’t matter. If Frances weighed 300 pounds, that wouldn’t make the comments about her ok.

Jen on November 2nd, 2006

Frances isn’t even close to being fat! She’s beautiful! I think it’s so great to see a “hollywood kid” that has a healthy body (not all angles, bones sticking out everywhere) and is not out partying all the time.
I’m so glad that Courtney is defending her in public; it helps you feel better when mom is on your side! =)

Izzy on November 2nd, 2006

Chiara:

I understand what you mean, however it is totally NOT okay to be 300 lbs! Not healthy at all!

I remember being that age and all the awkwardness your body and looks go through.
Having said that, I think she is absolutely adorable and should enjoy being a kid! It goes by way too fast!

Heavenly_Hibiscus on November 3rd, 2006

It’s interesting people are bashed over being a healthy weight! With the Hollywood trend at the moment being stick thin it’s refreshing to see a healthy body.

Carrie Jo on November 3rd, 2006

It breaks my heart that people make such mean comments. Why can’t they just be happy for her that she’s healthy? I also love the no insult policy here. That’s why this is the only celebrity type blog that I read.

Diana on November 3rd, 2006

This is the reason people get eating disorders, Oh and I’m sure all those people making those comments were in perfect shape. Celebs can’t win, they are either too fat, then they lose weight and they are too skinny, and she isn’t even a celeb!!! Its just awful how critical people are.

Autumn on November 3rd, 2006

That clip from the view is first time I’ve seen Courtney that sober and concientious in a long time.

Yeah what Frances is going through both physically and emotionally is just puberty and a bit of teenage angst. But I totally agree with Courtney’s concern for her daughter because even though Frances has been traditionally a fairly stable kid, she’s now a teenager with teen emotions and she’s also her parents’ child so she also could’ve inherited some of their qualities as well.

I’m not saying that Frances will go out and intentionally do what her father Kurt did, however she might’ve inherited a bit of his intense emotions and self deprecation, which when provoked could manifest instead into an eating disorder or something along that line.

(Hopefully she didn’t also inherit Kurt’s infamous stomach problems, which some claim was partly to blame for what he did…but can’t that be medically corrected now? Didn’t Chester Beddington have a surgery a few yrs ago for a similar condition?)

pinkorangered on November 3rd, 2006

For gods sakes, Frances had to grow up without a father (much less a father who committed suicide) and seems to have become a lovely young woman in spite of everything. I can’t believe the lowness of the people who have nothing better to do than make blog comments about how her weight. She didn’t choose to be in the celeb spotlight and it is just incredibly cruel and heartless to make negative make comments about her at all.

Jessica on November 3rd, 2006

Lets take a moment to remember everything this poor girl has been thru. I think she seems to be very well adjusted and should I dare to say normal. I think she looks very pretty and natural.

Chiara on November 3rd, 2006

Izzy: No, it isn’t healthy. But that’s still not the point. I’m not saying that if she was overweight she’d be healthier; I’m saying that wouldn’t make it right for us to talk about it. Would you approach an overweight stranger on the street to talk to her about her health and weight? Of course not. So why is it appropriate to discuss weight — under, over, healthy or not — publicly about a 14-year-old who herself never asked to be in the public eye?

If we set standards one way, they automatically go the other. People are of all shapes and sizes. My personal choice would be for the focus on ALL weight — over, under, healthy, not healthy — be lessened for public figures, and the emphasis put back on health in the home.

joy on November 3rd, 2006

This is what leads many kids to become anorexic. Frances is a beautiful young lady and despite all the stuff that child’s been through she seems to have a great head on her shoulders.

gargoylegurl on November 3rd, 2006

Chiara – I agree with all you comments, well said!

Ayla on November 3rd, 2006

I believe that what Kim is saying is true. People should not be making comments about Frances or any other children.

I am going to go against that this one time.

Frances Bean looks like a healthy, young girl. I am so glad that her mother is giving her positive comments to help her along with her fears.

It is a sad time when blogs are able to make terrible comments about children. I believe in freedom of speech, but think that propriety should prevail.

Lets not drag these children of “Stars” down.

Maira on November 3rd, 2006

Okay, the comments made about her are wrong. I totally agree with that.
What I don’t get is why it’s offensive to call someone overweight but okay to say someone is too skinny or sticks and bones. And what is a “healthy weight”…? It’s different from person to person. Some people and celebrities are just naturally very thin, does this mean they’re not healthy????

PinkRoses on November 6th, 2006

Poor Frances! It’s difficult enough just dealing with teen issues without the added stress of being placed under the media microscope as a celebrity kid. Just thinking of her throwing the food away in the fridge makes me sad and lets me know just how much these tabloid and blog comments affect these celeb kids! Poor thing, to have to deal with such scrutiny…like mean teen girls aren’t enough to deal with, adults have to go adding to the self-esteem issues. Too bad society, especially the entertainment media, puts labels on who is pretty, has a perfect body and glorifies whatever means it takes to achieve their ideas of perfection, instead of promoting good health and beauty that comes in all shapes and sizes. It’s no wonder that the worry about weight starts younger and younger each year, with third-graders going on diets and lamenting their flaws and imperfections. Sad!