Irish singer-songwriter CMAT has spoken out about the relentless abuse she faces over her appearance, saying online scrutiny of her body has become increasingly difficult to endure as her profile grows.
The musician, whose real name is Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, took to Instagram on Thursday after seeing a wave of comments directed at photos from her performance at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Sunderland last week.
Sharing a lengthy statement, the Euro-Country star, who last week won her first Ivor Novello, said she felt “compelled to wade in and speak for myself”.
“It is literally so boring for me, a gorgeous genius, to keep having to yap on about how horribly I am treated because of my body,” she wrote.
“I would love to stop but I cannot because it keeps happening, at an accelerating and worsening pace as I become more famous.”
CMAT also shared excerpts from a Substack essay written by a music fan under the name Front Row Feels, which examined the stark difference in how female artists are discussed online.
The writer argued that fellow Big Weekend performers Zara Larsson and Olivia Dean were afforded a level of “grace and basic humanity” that was routinely denied to CMAT.
“What struck me most while scrolling through those toxic comment sections was the glaring disparity in how different women on that same lineup were treated,” the essay read.
Addressing “well-meaning” supporters who had encouraged her to ignore the criticism, CMAT said that her body size was not a choice.
“I am not being defiant. I am not choosing to look like this or weigh this much as some kind of punk rock act of liberty,” she wrote.
“I simply have a body, one that I would of course like to change in order to fit in and avoid all of this abuse, but I have had extreme difficulty in doing so.”
“I don’t get a say in whether or not I want to be brave, I simply have to sit here and take it.”
The singer went on to admit that while she is grateful for her growing success, it is increasingly overshadowed by the treatment she receives online.
“There is no relief from this – nobody can protect me or save me from this,” she wrote, adding that she often feels she would be allowed to enjoy her achievements more if she were thinner.
The comments echo themes explored in her 2024 single Take a Sexy Picture of Me, which tackled the scrutiny women face over their bodies and appearance.
She also suffered similar abuse online after performing at the event in 2024. The harassment escalated to such an extent that BBC had to disable comments on the footage across social media platforms.
CMAT is currently touring her acclaimed third album, Euro-Country, and will play a sold-out headline show in Dublin this weekend.
CMAT's statement in full
“Hi everybody
This isn’t going to be a nice post so i decided to cushion the blow by leading with a picture where i look literally amazing.
I have had insta/tiktok/twitter deleted from my phone for some time now for the preservation of my mental health, but the discourse this week appears to be so large that it has still gotten back to me.
As such i felt compelled to wade in and speak for myself !!!it’s been very hard to try and describe how difficult the last few days since the bbcr1 big weekend have been, but I came across an essay on substack by a blog called Front Row Feels which really has summed up a lot of what is causing my deep sadness, so I decided to add it into my post (swipe right to read, I’m also gonna link in stories) it is literally so boring for me, a gorgeous genius, to keep having to yap on about how horribly I am treated because of my body.
I would love to stop but I cannot because it keeps happening , at an accelerating and worsening pace as I become more famous. There is no relief from this- nobody can protect me or save me from this, and all that is demanded of me is more and more work as every environment I am placed in becomes more hostile.
I also want to point out, to some very well-meaning people, that I am not being defiant. I am not choosing to look like this or weigh this much as some kind of punk rock act of liberty. I simply have a body, one that I would of course like to change in order to fit in and avoid all of this abuse, but I have had extreme difficulty in doing so.
I don’t get a say in whether or not i want to be brave, I simply have to sit here and take it. With all that being said, I am at the same time very very happy and grateful every day to have the job that I have.
The feeling of seeing all your dreams come true after so many years of constant grinding towards them….. chefs kiss. But the success is increasingly becoming tarnished by the fact that I would be allowed to enjoy it so much more if I was thin.
With deep sadness
CMAT
© The Standard Ltd