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By Lily Rose

Journalist


K Naomi to ThickLeeyonce: Skinny people have problems too

Skinny women have struggles too, just like bigger women, says K Naomi.


TV personality K Naomi has come under fire for seemingly dismissing a tweet ThickLeeyonce shared about being a fashionable big girl.

The drama started when ThickLeeyonce took to Twitter to tell her followers how difficult it was for plus-size women to find stylish outfits.

“It’s so easy for skinny women to come across as fashionable cos they have limitless options. As a fat woman, I can’t do last minute shopping for an event, I have to shop months in advance cos I have to go through many channels before getting decent clothes,” she tweeted.

K Naomi hit back, saying skinny girls also have problems.

“This skinny/fat topic is getting tiring … Skinny women have struggles too just like bigger women. A confident women will wear whatever she wants and make it look as good as she wants. Can we drop such conversations?”

Some Twitter users slammed the TV personality, saying she had “missed the whole point”.

https://twitter.com/babymk/status/978763007437295616

K Naomi’s tweet resulted in some Twitter users criticising ThickLeeyonce for constantly talking about the “fat girl struggle”.

The body positive activist says while she understands that skinny girls have their own struggles, she will never stop addressing issues that affect women like her.

“KNaomi’s tweet got a lot of people feeling it’s okay to attack me even more for being pro ALL BODIES and addressing fatphobia. I am abused online every single day & I can’t address it because ppl are tired of me talking about being body shamed. Whenever I speak about fat women’s struggle, I am told that it is getting old & I need to stop talking abt it bcz ppl are tired of hearing abt it (sic),” she wrote on Instagram.

ThickLeeyonce also shared a screenshot from a Twitter user who noted that Bonang Matheba’s new Autumn/Winter lingerie line does not cater for big girls.

“The sad part is that these only stop at cup C. ThickLeeyonce please pull through with a lingerie line for team big boobs,” the woman posted.

https://twitter.com/MaphuthaBonolo/status/978502794465464321

“A woman with big breasts will go to 12 different shops and still not get a bra that fits her, and when she does get it costs 3 million and not even cute.

“A woman with small breasts, will walk into any store and find a bra for less than R200 in her size. I will never stop preaching about the importance of body positivity and representation until fat women, “ugly” women have the same freedom as mainstream women, so get tired all you want.”

‪KNaomi’s tweet got a lot of people feeling it’s okay to attack me even more for being pro ALL BODIES and addressing fatphobia. I am abused online every single day & I can’t address it because ppl are tired of me talking about being body shamed. Whenever I speak about fat women’s struggle, I am told that it is getting old & I need to stop talking abt it bcz ppl are tired of hearing abt it. These “tired”ppl are the same ppl that are represented in everything. A woman with big breasts will go to 12 different shops and still not get a bra that fits her, and when she does get it costs 3 million and not even cute. A woman with small breasts, will walk into any store and find a bra for less than R200 in her size. A fat woman will settle for a pair of jeans dat aren’t stylish coz there’s nothing else. A smaller woman will walk into a store & find different types of jeans in her size. This is what we call “Thin privilege”, u are spoiled for choice, ur not told “Lose weight so that u can dress how uv always wanted to dress”. No one is disputing that smaller women have struggle, but we cannot place them on the same pedestal as fat women’s struggles. Smaller people are quick to dismiss fat peoples struggles the same way heterosexual people dismiss issues that affect gay & trans people. ‬ ‪The same way white people dismiss racial issues.‬ ‪The same way light skinned black people dismiss colorism. ‬ ‪The same way able people dismiss people with disabilities issues.‬ ‪The same way local people dismiss xenophobic issues. ‬ ‪The same way rich people dismiss poor peoples issues. ‬ ‪When it doesn’t affect you, it is “tiring” & u don’t want to hear about it for a long time because you see things from a privileged perspective. ‬ ‪I will never stop preaching about the importance of body positivity and representation until fat women, “ugly” women have the same freedom as mainstream women, so get tired all you want, I have a big following and I am going to use it to make a difference and to fight for the rights of those that are continuously discriminated against.‬

A post shared by fat gal yoncé (@thickleeyonce) on

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