Here we go again….body shaming beautiful women. First it was #teacherbae, Patrice “Tricey” Brown, and now it’s television personality, Demetria Obilor. I promise you, without even having to research it, body image is a leading trigger for depressive behavior. Now, with social media, it’s so easy to bully people for the way they look. Recently, Obilor received a hateful comment about her body via twitter. But, this isn’t the only time Obilor has faced criticism about her appearance. She’s also been bullied about her natural hair as well. Her professional and respectful response to the hate received national media coverage and garnered her lots of public support including support from Hollywood. Unfortunately, it’s safe to say that this won’t be the last time a person will be dragged through dirty comments within social media because of appearance.
When will the haters learn to keep their negative comments to themselves? If anything, these negative comments only fuel the charge for people to love themselves more. And while African-Americans can’t respond to every negative comment, some have found a way to let anyone who’s looking know just how they feel about themselves. For example, entrepreneur Kim Rice-Cofield has created a walking billboard of self-love. The “I Love My HAIRitage” t-shirt (purchase here) celebrates the beautiful way God made every woman. And, she is not alone. Artistic creations celebrating African-American culture is becoming more and more common, especially in the form of t-shirts. I own a few of these t-shirts. I enjoy the comments I receive (verbal and non-verbal, positive and negative) when I wear my them. Self-expression is an excellent way to promote a positive self-image.
