Why are many opera singers overweight or obese?
To generalize about opera singers is probably a mistake. There are quite a few overweight opera singers, but there are also many overweight people in the general population. Overweight people are often screened out of T.V. and the movies, because looks are considered very important. In opera, looks aren’t unimportant, but the most important thing is their singing ability. Thus a fat person who sings well can still succeed. There are some theories that being fat helps amplify the voice, but there are also thin singers with very big voices. There are some opera singers who look like supermodels, like Anna Netrebko, but there are also opera singers who are quite fat, like Ben Heppner, for instance. Deborah Voigt was very overweight, but had stomach surgery to help her lose weight. Ultimately, you’ll find all kinds of physiques in the opera world, just like in real life.
