Dear Jamelia… I don’t know if you realise it, but there have been fat women around for very many years. As a 32 year old woman, I grew up as a chubby child and a fat teenager. Even those older than me, very many generations before me have been fat. You may or may not agree that fat people are healthy and you may assume that this ‘epidemic’ needs to be cured, but surely you have to agree that fat people are just that, people.
Let me assure you that I have been fat for a very long time – for almost as long as I can remember. Long before there were plus-size fashion blogs to read and long, long before there were options outside of Evans when it came to clothes to wear on my body. This lack of inspiration and clothing options did not make we want to be thin. Instead, it made me a fat girl stuck in a body wearing clothes that did not make my heart sing or my mind happy.
I understand if you do not want to be fat. I even understand if you are baffled by my weight and how I could possibly be happy in the skin I am in. I even get that you could feel as though something should be done about the health of our nation. What I do not understand is the call to arms to ask fashion retailers to shame us. If you feel that as a fat woman denying me the right to go shopping on the high street with my friends is going to make me thin you are mistaken. All it does is make me a fat, unhappy person rather than one that is happy and strives for better. As a fat women I work hard and I need clothes to wear to work – if you feel that I should be SHAMED when I walk into a store to buy them then I feel you must be a very narrow-minded individual. Why should I be made to feel uncomfortable when I go out to stores to spend my hard earned money on clothing for my body?
I hope that you look back on what you said and realise that the notions you are asking for are misguided. I promise you that fat people have been around for far longer than plus size fashion stores. I also promise you that throughout years of body shaming and fat bullying our nation is still overweight. Perhaps it is time to take a different approach? You are a strong, independent woman and I hope one day you find the power to bring up other women (no matter their dress size) rather than bring them down.
Debz xx
Debz Louise is a plus-size blogger based in Yorkshire. Behind many nationwide campaigns such as #WeaAreTheThey & winner of Best Blogger at the UK Plus Size Awards, she talkas about life as a plus-size 40-something woman in South Yorkshire.
Fantastic response! You're so inspiring. I really hope she takes note of this x
Fantastic response! You're so inspiring. I really hope she takes note of this x
Round of applause! You've put this far better than I could – I have far too many expletives to throw into the mix. xx
Bloody well said! I don't watch LW, but the "story" came up on my FB newsfeed, I was so infuriated that I had my rant over there. I'm pretty sure she'll find some spin on this story that her words were taken out of context. xx
Very well said……
Yes, this is incredibly eloquent. Did you Tweet this to her? I'm sure she must feel like a bit of a wazzock after saying what she said, particularly in light of her self esteem campaign (her words totally fly in the face of the campaign).
I wonder how the world would be if everybody was a exactly the same?