Here’s a truth bomb that Youtube sensation turned reality star Whitney Thore recently dropped live on national TV: “Even if you’re not fat, you’ll probably never be thin enough to fit the societal ideal.”
Yikes! That was the response she gave when Today show host Natalie Morales asked her what advice she would give to other women looking to find confidence in their bodies.
If you are struggling to recall who Whitney Thore is, she’s the woman who shot to viral fame after her video “Fat Girl Dancing” became everyone’s fave video to watch during work. It showed a confident, overweight woman dancing like nobody’s business to Jason Derulo’s “Talk Dirty To Me” and it really challenged society’s perceptions of how we view people of a certain weight or shape.
The fact that she was dancing up a storm with the greatest of ease was a little shocking to some, as we often get told fat equals unfit.
In Whitney’s case, a dancer teacher by trade, she became overweight in her freshman year of college due to a medical condition, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Fast forward to 2015, she is now part of a reality show on TLC called ‘My Big Fat Fabulous Life’. The network, known for it’s somewhat controversial shows, couldn’t have picked a more awesome person especially because she has some boss things to say about body image which totally break down preconceived notions that unfortunately we all grew up with.
She said that gaining weight made her realize where her worth really came from.
“It was really difficult for me for such a long time because fat is such a dirty word in our society. But after I started dancing again, I got really angry because I wanted to say ‘I’m fat but I’m also fabulous, I’m intelligent, I have talents and contributions.’ My whole self worth is not dependent on whether I’m fat or not.”
There are many conversations about whether promoting the whole “healthy at every size” notion is a good thing, with many critics (and of course trolls!) saying promoting self-love in some people is also akin to promoting obesity. Whitney has a well-balanced outlook when it comes to this.
“I think wanting to lose weight and also loving your body are not mutually exclusive. I love my body, I’m not embarrassed about myself, I’m not ashamed, it doesn’t affect my self-worth, but I’m not naive to the health risks that I will probably face if I stay this way, because I’m almost 400 lbs,” she admits.
“I know that I need to lose some weight, but I have no desire to be thin again, I just want to be fit, healthy and happy.”
As for her advice to other men and women in her situation, facing the dilemma of loving themselves while also trying to reach a healthy goal, aside from the notion she shared above where she said you will never be thin enough for society’s standards, she has some very realistic goals.
“The first thing you need to do is realize that confidence is the product of action, it’s not something you either have inside you or don’t. You have to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Once you do that, it feels so good you will want more and more of it and you realize that you ARE awesome!”
For more amazing and inspiring truth bombs from the divine Whitney Thore watch the interview in full below:
