Women Are Fighting Back As Nike’s Plus-Size Mannequin Is Called ‘Dangerous’ By Telegraph

Women on social media are fighting back after Tanya Gold of The Telegraph published a fat-shaming article in response to Nike’s plus-size mannequin. Nike is at the forefront of making sportswear inclusive as it seems most sportswear brands can’t acknowledge that women above a size 8 do actually work out. The brands London flagship store was revamped earlier this month with plus-sized mannequins as well as parasport models as an addition to their expanding size range. 

I work out six days a week. I am fat. I wear workout clothes while working out. The world continues to turn. Shut up.

— roxane gay (@rgay) June 10, 2019

Sadly, this positive step in the direction of inclusivity has been faced with criticism, particularly by Tanya Gold of The Telegraph. In the article, she states the mannequin is ‘immense, gargantuan, vast. She heaves with fat’. Firstly- the mannequin can hardly be described as ‘gargantuan’, the model represents the size of real women. Secondly, the negative words used to criticize the mannequins reproduces the narrative that being fat equates to being unhealthy or bad. This is simply not true and the idea that this mannequin is a ‘dangerous lie’ shows ignorance and a lack of understanding about what real women look like. 

Shaming those who are plus-size for wanting to work out or claiming that ‘she cannot run’ maintains fitness as a restrictive sphere designed for white, slim, middle-class women. Thank God women are fighting back. 

THE @Telegraph OWE EVERYONE AN APOLOGY FOR THEIR WRITER USING THEIR PLATFORM TO INCITE HATRED. This is bullying and bigotry. This level of a hateful rhetoric would never be allowed towards another race/religion/culture. Why are fat bodies fair game for explicit, harmful abuse? https://t.co/tNbfjDUWQs

— Jameela Jamil 🌈 (@jameelajamil) June 9, 2019

Through using social media as a positive force, women of all shapes and sizes are sharing photos of them working out to show that Gold’s claims are bullshit. Jameela Jamil is one of many celebrities using their platform to speak out about how the article, not the mannequin is ‘dangerous’. Jamil has praised Nike for promoting inclusivity and heavily criticized Gold for her ‘archaic’ standpoint and expressed sadness that the fat-shaming came from a woman herself. Women will not stand for other women tearing them down. All women can work out, simple as that.

Next up, US Sephora Closes Stores For Diversity Training