As the real world tries to become a more kind, equal and loving space, our weight and body shapes are continually targeted, policed and ridiculed by the online world. One social media user was trolled after Primark shared a picture of her outfit of the day.
A fan of the Primark range, Emma, a stylist and presenter from Manchester, wore a Prince inspired Purple Rain t-shirt and shared it on her social media which resulted in Primark sharing it with their 6.2 million followers.
After Primark shared Emma’s outfit of the day on their Instagram page the photo was liked over 78,000 times and currently has over 2,350 comments. It has become one of their Instagram’s most engaged posts as thousands swarmed to celebrate or ridicule Emma’s choice of clothing.
Comments about Emma’s clothes and body included “too tight”, “looks like she’s hiding a basketball in (her) pants”, “what is wrong with people nowadays…think its ok to go out in clothes that are not right for their shape” while another referred to Emma as having an “unhealthy lifestyle”.
Emma noticed her follower count increasing and saw Primark had shared her photo. Although initially thankful, the stylist awaited the backlash and correctly predicted her body would be under the microscope, a trend anyone who experiences fatphobia knows all too well. On her Instagram story, Emma sarcastically:
I also can’t wait for all the fake concerns for my health that are going to ensue after this post…I mean if you all wanna be my doctor, fine. Do you want me to send you my medical records?… Also, can’t wait for everyone to tell me my clothes aren’t flattering… I only just got a degree in styling?… A big shout out to all the middle-aged women who are going to tell me that it doesn’t look good on me.
Some might say why would Emma share her style and body with the online world if she didn’t want the attention? Like in Emma’s case, fat people are constantly reminded that space is valuable and they’re not valuable enough to exist within it.
While the average clothes size of a woman in the UK and Ireland is a size 16, fat bodies are constantly under attack from social media. When did the material on our backs become more important than how we treat one another? Thankfully, mixed with the comments of shame, supporters encouraged Primark to depict more real women on their social media accounts:
Instagram User: Finally a brand that supports all type of women, the real women that actually, buy and wear this outfits! ??♀️ Finally people that think beyond the stupidity and superficial minds!
Instagram User: THIS is what is wrong with the world! This beautiful woman is wearing what makes her feel confident and comfortable but there’s people like this that think they have the right to shame women by the size they are! THIS IS WRONG. It needs to stop and you need start being KINDER to one another. WOMAN CAN BE CONFIDENT ANY SIZE THEY WANT TO BE. THE WOMEN PUTTING THIS GORGEOUS GIRL DOWN NEEDS TO FEEL ASHAMED.
Instagram User: whether people agree or disagree, people of all sizes need clothes, so just close your pieholes you negative nancies! just because a bunch of you are miserable doesn’t mean that lady needs to be. way to rock that shirt.
Back in July, Primark was celebrated for introducing up to a size 24 in the women’s range.
