So, score one Nike for understanding that athletes come in ALL sizes, shapes, and everything in between! It seems Nike finally understands that you shouldn't have to be an Olympic athlete to wear those super cute leggings you saw in store.
It's a body positive forward step for the company, but some people instead of celebrating body positivity and inclusion (and cute clothing), can only see one thing: the other women's weight.
In the light of body positivity, there is one woman who tried to tear down others with her hateful comments.
Nike announced the clothing line and had a picture of their new mannequin, who is plus-sized.
Nike
Tanya Gold, a writer for The Telegraph, writes a fat-shaming, hateful, and hurtful article geared towards fat shaming plus-sized women.
Gold says in response to the mannequin, "She is immense, gargantuan, vast. She heaves with fat."
Which this statement alone is an incredibly hurtful thing to say, but she follows it up with assumptions that I can only think of one word to describe it as... it's just plain mean.
"She is, in every measure, obese, and she is not readying herself for a run in her shiny Nike gear," Gold writes. "She cannot run. She is, more likely, pre-diabetic and on her way to a hip replacement. What terrible cynicism is this on the part of Nike?"
So, let me get this straight.
You want us "fatties" to lose weight, but not let us have the proper clothing and gear to do that? How dare you criticize me or make any other assumption about me other than that I'm trying to get healthy.
You want to criticize what I wear when you're the one who said to lose weight, to begin with. Most plus size women are scared to go to the gym because of harsh judgment or ridicule from people like you, Ms. Gold.
But you can sit on a high horse that can tell us to lose weight but doesn't want us to have or wear athletic clothing. God forbid we get a properly fitted sports bra.
Wearing Nike clothing and athletic wear, in general, does not mean that you have to be an athlete. You are allowed to wear it if only, simply, because you like it or that it is comfortable.
You do not have to go to the gym the second you put on Nike shorts. You're allowed to wear them just because you feel like it. You do not need some fat shaming, hurtful, mean, journalist to tell you what you can or can't put on your body.
Nike putting out plus-sized mannequins is inspiring. It is so hard for women to go into a store and be able to actually see themselves in the mannequins displayed.
Being able to see yourself as that mannequin dressed in athletic wear subtly says, "Hey, I can do this. She is me." It's a powerful confidence booster that I think all women need at one time or another, regardless of size.
I am not in the business of tearing down other women, and I don't think Nike is either.
So Tanya Gold, if you're reading this, you can kiss my "plus sized" a$s in my new Nike shorts.
