Beauty Vlogger Wants Body-Shamers To Know She Doesn't Need You To Tell Her She's Fat
Body-shamers and their negative comments are, unfortunately, nothing new. But I think we can all agree that, at this point, their behavior is getting old. Every body is beautiful, and beauty vlogger Nabela Noor's “Yes I'm Fat” video slams body-shamers on her channel because, even though haters are going to hate, that doesn't mean she or anyone else has to take it.
The YouTuber launched her beauty channel in Nov. 2013, regularly uploading makeup tutorials, product reviews, and the like. In the clip, Noor is quick to address that, while she appreciates the outpour of love and support from her near 360,000 followers, it was high time the amount of negative comments and level of bullying she's dealt with over the years be addressed.
“I can't even post content without being told, or reminded, of my body,” Noor said, “and I think that I need to share what I'm feeling so that if you are also feeling this way, you could use this video as a point of reference.”
It's unfortunate to see that someone like Noor, who is so beautiful and so passionate about her work, has to deal with viewers clicking on her content (clearly overlooking her message) only to comment on her body. For some reason, people still feel the need, or that they have the right, to voice their opinion on another person's physique when, in reality, it's just unnecessary.
How much a person weighs is neither your business, nor place to comment on.
Noor opens the discussion stating,
Yes, I'm fat. Yes, I'm big. Yes, I'm overweight. And this is something I do not need people to tell me because I have a mirror, and I know. I have a scale, I have a doctor, and I am completely aware of my body. I've found that people felt that it is their obligation, it is their duty to let me know that I am fat.
Unless it's coming from a place of genuine concern for another person's health, commenting on someone's weight when they didn't ask for an opinion on the subject in the first place is, more often than not, an act of judgement that can be harmful to a person's mental health and their sense of self.
When all is said and done, Noor knows she's fat, and she doesn't need anyone to tell her so.
And, for the record, "fat" doesn't automatically translate to "unhealthy."
In a world where we continuously strive for inclusivity and a general acceptance of all shapes and sizes, the degree of fat-shaming we so often see is nothing short of disheartening.
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for someone to look at an overweight person and assume they must be either unhealthy or lazy, but not everyone who is overweight is a careless eater or a couch potato. Some bodies are bigger than others, and that diversity is a beautiful thing.
Co-author of Lessons From the Fat-o-Sphere Ms. Kirby told The New York Times,
The fundamental message we're putting into the world is that fat people deserve shame for their own health. We've been pushing this message for a long time. I don't think anyone is immune to it.
It's time we challenge the stigma around the word "fat."
It doesn't matter how or when this stigma began, but what does matter is how and when we'll finally refute these ideas once and for all.
It's as though it's wrong for me to be posting online while being fat with a smile on my face, telling people about beauty and fashion. It's as though I should be in a closet, hiding away until I'm thin, or society's definition of beauty. And then it hits me: That's exactly why I should posting. That's exactly why I should be making videos and should be sharing outfit inspiration and should be doing what I'm doing here on Youtube and Instagram. I need to challenge that idea that we can't love ourselves in the journey.
It cannot be stressed enough that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, and should not be solely defined by fashion magazines and supermodels who fit into an arbitrarily exclusive mold.
Influencers like Noor are attempting to end the stigma, and it's time we all get on board.
