Are Cheryl Burke & Lacey Schwimmer too fat for DWTS?

A few weeks ago Dancing with the Stars professional Cheryl Burke randomly told People magazine about how anorexia wasn't beautiful, and then went on to talk about how she's totally okay with her body. It seemed a little unnecessary but was a good point nonetheless. Now it looks like Cheryl must have been taking some serious heat for her weight on the set, because not one but two of her male costars have criticized the female dancers' bodies.

The professional dancers on DWTS are not pleased that Cheryl Burke and Lacey Schwimmer packed on a few pounds this season.

'If you want to gain weight, it's your prerogative,' dancer Louis van Amstel says in the newest issue of TV Guide. 'We all put on weight because there was no summer tour,' he adds. 'But you have to deal with the consequences.'

Pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy is also complaining.

'When I first saw these women this season, I said, ‘Guys, you know the camera adds 10 pounds,'' he says. '‘You have to do something about this.' Burke and Schwimmer have gotten slimmer since the season's premiere, but van Amstel says the damage is done.

'[People] look at this show to be inspired and think, ‘If I just work hard enough, I can look like that,'' he says. 'If they watch someone who's dancing her butt off and she's still heavy, they can be discouraged.

'You have to take responsibility,' he adds.

[From Us Weekly]

This is so unnecessary and mean spirited. There really is no winning. If a person slims down or focuses too much on what they eat they're obsessed. If they put on any weight they're unhealthy. Either way, average bodies are going to be called fat if they dare to be average. Yes Cheryl and Lacey are dancers, which means that they're already highly aware of how their bodies look. They probably spend more than half their days in front of full-length mirrors. Whatever the reason for their weight gain, I'm sure they're painfully aware of it.

They don't need some insensitive jerks making comments about it. Especially after they've both worked hard to lose weight. This show is supposed to be about fun, which is why people like it. Criticizing women's bodies for being less-than-perfect (dancers or otherwise) isn't necessary.

Here's Lacey Schwimmer with Lance Bass at the EA Sports Freestyle presents Facebreaker launch party on September 3rd. Photographer: Rachel Worth. Cheryl Burke is shown with Maksim Chmerkovskiy on September 4th. Header of Lacey at Planet Funk's Fashion Week Kick-off on October 10th and Cheryl at the Love Sees No Color' even on September 19th. Images thanks to WENN.