I think it's idiotic, and I agree that the folk scene is more accepting than a lot of others, especially at the utterly amateur level at which I participate. I went to a folk/rock/Americana festival last fall that included a full range of "fame", from strictly local to international stars, and all of the well-known women looked alike. Young, thin, and blonde. Half of them couldn't even sing that well. By far the best acts all weekend were comparatively odd-looking, unsexy, local talents. These were performers who were extremely talented, hard-working (I've seen their tour schedules), and appreciative, so it's not as though they don't deserve to be famous. Of course, there are other factors that contribute to fame (such as willingness to turn to pop music, but that's another set of complaints), but it does raise your eyebrows.

Personally, I don't care. I have a longstanding crush on a rockabilly musician from Austin who's built like Santa's grandson and has the voice of an angel.   

I've never been fat (I used to be "a little round", but my mother thankfully didn't tell me that until I'd lost 25 pounds), but Simon on "American Idol" would probably still tell me to lose weight if I wanted to be famous. On the other hand, I work for a veterinarian and I'd *love* to see Britney Spears try to lift an anaesthetized 80-pound golden retriever and carry it across the room to the surgery table.