OK, she has a great voice, but how does she look?

NEW YORK
She was an "amazing talent," a young singer with a wonderful voice who wrote beautiful songs, but she was no beauty. Plus, she was flat-chested and overweight.
Remembering the aspiring star, music executive Jody Gerson still feels terrible about thinking, "She's never going to get signed, even though she's fabulous."
Miss Gerson might feel even worse after Wednesday night's exit of the matronly Melinda Doolittle from "American Idol." In today's music industry, Plain Janes need not apply. Sex appeal once was considered a bonus for a woman; now it's practically a requirement.
Miss Doolittle and the heavyset, gap-toothed LaKisha Jones were widely considered this season's most talented "Idol" contestants. Yet both were eliminated from the final four in favor of Blake Lewis, who makes the teen girls swoon, and the long-locked 17-year-old looker Jordin Sparks.
A quick check of the Billboard Top 40 turns up a list of candidates for "America's Top Model": Avril Lavigne, blond stunner Carrie Underwood, tomboyish but sexy Ciara, fashionista Gwen Stefani and hip-swiveling Shakira (on a song featuring bootylicious Beyonce).
The only two in the Top 40 who might not be considered perfect 10s are Pink, who is still svelte and appealing, and multiplatinum Grammy winner Kelly Clarkson, who got her break only by winning the democratically elected "American Idol."
When asked whether a female with so-so looks and sex appeal could get a record deal, Gretchen Wilson quickly replies: "They can't.
"I believe that very few will get through, and they better be amazing," Miss Wilson says. "The music is not about just music anymore, it's about the look, the 'it' factor if you will ... it's marketing."
True, looks have always been part of the music business: Diana Ross played a model in the movie "Mahogany," Marianne Faithfull was considered a beauty, Tina Turner's legs were part of her sex appeal, Olivia Newton-John was the lovely girl next door, and Stevie Nicks rocked teenage boys with more than just her guitar.
Nevertheless, there also were stars such as wild-haired, pudgy Janis Joplin and Barbra Streisand, who challenged beauty standards with her protruding nose. Even curvy Aretha Franklin was known mainly for her one-of-a-kind voice.
Today, it's hard to find a singer larger than a size 6 and without a sexy look -- all of which are played up with sensuous videos, modeling spreads and provocative magazine covers.