On October 8th clothing company, Universal Standard, posted this photo to their IG account with the caption:
ALL OF US. AS WE ARE. FOUNDATION. SIZES 00-40 COMING SOON.
I screamed!
This photo of revolt model La'Shaunae standing confidently posing on top of the camera angle speaks for itself. Her melanin infused skin perfectly accentuates the blanc undergarments. She stares chin to shoulder, hand on hip, with her eyes glazed in purpose. Soul baring. Game annihilating.
I screamed because I have NEVER seen my likeness modeling in mainstream media! EVER.
"Thank you Universal Standard!" I yelled so loudly at my phone that I accidentally summoned British Siri. Who responded, "No sweat." British Siri is so vain.
After staring at the ad for a bit I made the decision that I would buy something, anything, from Universal Standard. A company that takes the initiative to think of every consumer no matter race, size, age, gender, or religion deserves all the coins coming their way.
A few days later I was scrolling through Facebook and saw LaShaunae's Universal Standard ad on my timeline. This time it had been shared in a Natural Hair group I belong to. I wasn't surprised because this group rarely has posts about natural haircare anymore. I clicked on the image and saw that a member of the group posted it with the caption:
HERE WE GO GLORIFYING OBESITY AGAIN!
I screamed!
"What the #%$!?" I yelled so loudly at my phone that I accidentally summoned British Siri again. She responded, "I don't know how to respond to that." "I wasn't talking to you British Siri!"
This term "glorifying obesity" pisses me off! Society, much like British Siri, is so self absorbed that whenever you have to look difference in the face you attribute that difference to being wrong or abnormal. There are over 7 billion people on earth. Everyone doesn't look like you and they don't have to. Having a fat woman as a model in an ad disturbs the human psyche so much that people actually become offended by the audacity. When a skinny model is on the cover of every publication known to man no one says, "here we go glorifying bulimia again." Why? Because who are we to label this woman bulimic? And most importantly, a woman no matter her size, deserves has the right to exist in the world and see other women who look like her existing, loving, dreaming, striving, working, believing, and succeeding! Furthermore, the ad is promoting clothing for women sizes 00-40. The woman who reposted the ad with her moronic sentiments didn't even realize that the ad was inclusive (another one of society's buzz words) to her simple minded ass too.
See how sick people are?
No one "glorifies obesity" in this society. In fact many women no matter their weight are doing everything in their power to change their bodies. Giving a fat woman a word encouragement, hiring her to be a model in your shoot or act in your film is simply acknowledging that she is just as apart of this world as you are. I was even more flabbergasted that the negative and disrespectful comments were fueled by women experiencing their own set of discriminatory practices that women with black skin and natural hair most commonly face.
See how desperately people need healing?
We all need healing.
After staring at the ad for a bit I made the decision that I would buy something, anything, from Universal Standard. A company that takes the initiative to think of every consumer no matter race, size, age, gender, or religion deserves all the coins coming their way.
A few days later I was scrolling through Facebook and saw LaShaunae's Universal Standard ad on my timeline. This time it had been shared in a Natural Hair group I belong to. I wasn't surprised because this group rarely has posts about natural haircare anymore. I clicked on the image and saw that a member of the group posted it with the caption:
HERE WE GO GLORIFYING OBESITY AGAIN!
I screamed!
"What the #%$!?" I yelled so loudly at my phone that I accidentally summoned British Siri again. She responded, "I don't know how to respond to that." "I wasn't talking to you British Siri!"
This term "glorifying obesity" pisses me off! Society, much like British Siri, is so self absorbed that whenever you have to look difference in the face you attribute that difference to being wrong or abnormal. There are over 7 billion people on earth. Everyone doesn't look like you and they don't have to. Having a fat woman as a model in an ad disturbs the human psyche so much that people actually become offended by the audacity. When a skinny model is on the cover of every publication known to man no one says, "here we go glorifying bulimia again." Why? Because who are we to label this woman bulimic? And most importantly, a woman no matter her size, deserves has the right to exist in the world and see other women who look like her existing, loving, dreaming, striving, working, believing, and succeeding! Furthermore, the ad is promoting clothing for women sizes 00-40. The woman who reposted the ad with her moronic sentiments didn't even realize that the ad was inclusive (another one of society's buzz words) to her simple minded ass too.
See how sick people are?
No one "glorifies obesity" in this society. In fact many women no matter their weight are doing everything in their power to change their bodies. Giving a fat woman a word encouragement, hiring her to be a model in your shoot or act in your film is simply acknowledging that she is just as apart of this world as you are. I was even more flabbergasted that the negative and disrespectful comments were fueled by women experiencing their own set of discriminatory practices that women with black skin and natural hair most commonly face.
See how desperately people need healing?
We all need healing.
As a Black woman who has been labeled as "obese" and witnessing daily how much hate and disdain people have towards fat people is astonishing to me. I can't speak for all women who have been labeled obese before being labeled viable, but I will say this, whether you hate my fat body or love my fat body is your personal choice.
I am not asking for your permission to live my life.
I am not asking for your diagnosis or predictions of life expectancy.
I am not asking for your opinions or labels.
I am not asking for anything.
I am here.
I exist in the very same world you are in.
Every pound.
All of me.
So whenever you see me walking down the street, out to eat, shopping, in the gym, in ads, on screen, in the classroom or the boardroom my fatness doesn't diminish my humanity.
Stop trying to shrink me, hide me, break me, silence me.
I am only a threat to your demons.
Please get well soon.
I am not asking for your permission to live my life.
I am not asking for your diagnosis or predictions of life expectancy.
I am not asking for your opinions or labels.
I am not asking for anything.
I am here.
I exist in the very same world you are in.
Every pound.
All of me.
So whenever you see me walking down the street, out to eat, shopping, in the gym, in ads, on screen, in the classroom or the boardroom my fatness doesn't diminish my humanity.
Stop trying to shrink me, hide me, break me, silence me.
I am only a threat to your demons.
Please get well soon.
Love!
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