Kacey Musgraves performs on stage at the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 17, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo: Rich Polk, Getty Images. .
It's June 26, 2019, and I'm sitting in my seat at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado, attending Kacey Musgraves' Oh, What a World Tour concert—my first concert in over a decade. My husband and I have never been to a concert together before, and I'm thrilled because we both love her music.
I spent over an hour on my makeup, and I'm incredibly happy with the result. There's a song called "Rainbow" on Musgraves' latest album, "Golden Hour." Given that I'm queer, and it's Pride, and this song will definitely be performed tonight, I heavily incorporated rainbow themes into my makeup. I bought a rainbow scarf and even added a headband made of faux rainbow flowers. It's an uplifting, beautiful song about helping someone struggling with depression, and I really connect with the lyrics. I can't wait for her to perform it.
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Despite all this exciting anticipation, I'm incredibly nervous inside. This concert was a gift from my husband, Thomas, for our wedding anniversary back in April, and I've been, to use one of his expressions, "dreading it" for months now.
I have generalized anxiety disorder, and new situations are always scary. But I'm also overweight, and living in this world as a fat person comes with a lot of challenges. On top of that, I have fibromyalgia, and I've been in pain every day of my life for almost two decades. Red Rocks Park, while breathtaking, Not is an easy place to get around for people with limited mobility.
I have a handicapped parking sign, so I can take the bus to the part of the amphitheater where we're sitting, and that was a relief. But I'm also nervous because those are benches, and I'm afraid the person sitting next to me will be unhappy. They're great seats, and the show is sold out.
I'm thinking about how much I'd love to be able to buy a T-shirt to commemorate the concert, but I know for a fact that they won't be in my size. Eventually, I'll order a concert poster online, but the sadness still lingers, and I know that if I say anything publicly about it, some internet troll will come and tell me to "just lose weight" because... , Well , Why have I never thought about this?
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She opens the concert with "Slow Burn," and soon after, my seatmate and her friend appear. When she sits down, I say hello and smile. She ignores me, and I know exactly what that means. I try to ignore her, but she tries her best to stay away from me.
It's so overdone—and completely unnecessary, because there's no one else around her friend. There are a few empty seats left. She's not really in danger of touching me. I force myself to ignore her, not letting her ruin my evening. And she doesn't. Every time I hear one of the songs from that show, I'm instantly transported back to that beautiful summer night, transported by that magical feeling that only music seems to conjure.
The author in her concert attire. Photo courtesy of Juliet James.
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Musgraves' new album, Middle of Nowhere, was released in May 2026. The first single, Dry Spell, has already become a huge hit, and I've been thinking about it for days. I think it's her best work since Golden Hour, and I'm even considering going to see her in Denver when she comes in October.
My mobility issues have worsened, and I now use a motorized wheelchair when I need to walk a lot. Accepting that I need this to continue living a full life has been difficult, firstly because I knew people would judge me as simply "lazy," when in reality, I'm in much more pain than they could possibly imagine, and secondly because I'm notoriously clumsy. I'm terrified of breaking my leg.
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But after a few outings with it, I'm starting to feel more confident. And the advantage of having it at a concert is that I don't have to worry about the seat being too small.
One morning, I saw a post on Threads from Latina blogger and influencer Megan Ixim (@msgigggles) about how a world-famous pop star basically told her to go fuck herself, and I immediately thought, "» Wait, whaaat?»
I've been following Megan for years and really respect her activism and perspective, so I immediately try to figure out what I've missed. And then I realize Megan is talking about Kacey Musgraves.
Megan recently criticized the Kacey Lee collaboration between Musgraves, Lee Jeans, and Walmart for not offering more sizes in stores and for only offering those sizes on a few items in the collection. Musgraves quickly responded to Ixim's post, and I'm incredibly disappointed to see this backlash. .
«"Hi! That's completely out of my control. Sorry you're disappointed. Hope this helps!" Musgraves replied, adding a heart emoji.
When I contacted Megan, she pointed out that the collection, which boasts over 100 items, has more pieces for dogs than for plus-size people. I remember that concert where I knew I wouldn't be able to find a shirt in my size, and I was disappointed for all the Musgraves fans who heard about the launch only to soon discover they weren't actually there. However, I was even more disappointed because they would undoubtedly see how little the singer cared about the issue.
She could have simply ignored the Instagram post. Instead, she received this response:« Well, I'm sorry you're disappointed."» , and then stated that it was completely out of her control, and rather condescendingly concluded with the words: «I hope this helps.».
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Actually, Casey, it doesn't help at all. But since the phrase "I hope this helps" is rarely said sincerely, I'm pretty sure she knows it.
The story was soon picked up by other publications, from People magazine to the Daily Mail. While many people—myself included—deeply appreciate Meghan's perspective on the issue, unfortunately, whenever a plus-size woman with a powerful figure gains popularity, it's accompanied by a tremendous amount of hate. A couple of days after the initial scandal, Meghan shared some of the nasty and fatphobic comments she'd received in a post in which she pointed out that "it's all connected." Because it is. Fashion, morals, fat-hatred, living in a fascist era, the incredibly diminishing trend toward women... It's all connected. To be clear, I'm not suggesting "cancelling" the Musgraves (and Meghan tells me she's not suggesting that either!). In fact, as I write this, I have her music playing in my headphones. I will always enjoy her music, but will I still want to go to her concert? I don't know.
What I do know is that it's important to hold people accountable. It's disappointing, though not entirely surprising, to learn that a skinny celebrity doesn't care at all about her plus-size fans. After all, Musgraves' name is on this collaboration, and she could easily have insisted that all the pieces, or at least most of them, be available in plus sizes.
Someone who's always been thin has no idea what it's like to go to a store or even online and find their size out of stock. It's not only demoralizing but also infuriating, especially at a store like Walmart, where plus-size shoppers typically have an easier time finding clothes.
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Casey could have simply ignored Megan's post and not responded at all—and frankly, that would have been better than what she said. But what would have been truly amazing in this situation would have been at least a little compassion. Something like:« You know, you're right, and next time I collaborate, I'll make sure it's more inclusive. »" She had the opportunity to show her skinny fans that her plus-size fans were important to her too.
I still long for the day when a famous figure is called out for their lack of inclusivity and responds with compassion, demonstrates a willingness to learn, and gives their plus-size fans some sense of importance. Until then, I'll continue to speak out about these issues and celebrate people like Megan who use their platforms to promote genuine inclusivity.
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Natural and real
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I had one of the biggest hits of 1992. Then I came out as omnisexual.
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I love Kacey Musgraves, but I'm just really disappointed with her reaction to her overweight fans.
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The latest version of celebrity thinness isn't just annoying, it's dangerous. I know this firsthand.
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