Our big stars are getting bigger. Half of the women who performed on last night's American Music Awards don't have bodies that live up to the perfection we supposedly want in our pop stars and what's more, they put these imperfect bodies on display: it's one thing to show up, but it's a far more brazen thing to emphasize said curves. Last night, Kelly Clarkson, Ke$ha, Nicki Minaj and Christina Aguilera all did just that, to varying degrees.

Granted, it would be a stretch to call any of these women "fat" (although that didn't stop people in my timeline from ragging on Aguilera in particular). They still probably worry and diet and exercise a lot, but they haven't quite worked their asses off yet. Their frames may be more ample, but they still don't accurately reflect average body types - but we're getting closer. I don't know if I've ever seen a music awards show stage with more body diversity (balancing out the scales, by the way, were their fellow performers: Carly Rae Jepsen, Gwen Stefani, Taylor Swift and P!nk, who's the least waif-like but also seems to be the most sculpted).

This is particularly brave at a time of incessant feedback and especially because two big stories this year involved commentary on Adele's and Lady Gaga's weight. Our standards stay entrenched in the unlikely-to-impossible, and yet we are seeing more and more pop stars quietly rejecting eating-disorder chic. And that's a thing of beauty.

[Images via Getty]