These Plus-sized People of Color Use Their Strong Voices and Timeless Fashion to Create Change by Chanelle Taylor Translated by Jordan Riviere
Cover Photo by @artsylamour on Instagram and Etsy: (https://ArtsyLamourPrints.etsy.com)
Abisola Omole (@abimarvel on Instagram)
Image taken from Abisola's instagram: (@abimarvel)
Abisola is a UK Based creative with many different areas of expertise, which is evident in her Instagram bio. Not only does she have her own brand, Arvastories, an online shop with beautiful vintage home décor, she also has another company called “Studio Arva” where people hire her to decorate a space for events and photoshoots. The photos on these Instagram accounts are proof that Abisola has an eye for beauty. Her personal Instagram is filled with fashion posts displaying her classic and timeless style. The clothes she wears are the same clothes you would see on thin Instagram models, and she kills it by adding more originality to her outfits. Instead of taking herself too seriously, Abisola sometimes uses humorous captions to contrast beautiful and stylish images. It’s inspiring to see a woman of color attending important fashion and beauty events like Abisola does because it’s important for there to be representation in such a Eurocentric industry.
Stephanie Yeboah (@stephanieyeboah on Instagram)
Image taken from www.stephanieyeboah.com
Another inspiring plus-sized black woman living in London is Stephanie Yeboah, a “plus-size style blogger, freelance journalist, public speaker, & fat acceptance advocate” (www.stephanieyeboah.com/about) according to her website. Stephanie is also a writer whose new book Fattily Ever After will be available September 3rd. The book discusses Stephanie’s experience as a black plus-sized woman, her experiences with bullying, being objectified, and how they shaped her as a person. Her Instagram account is full of pictures of her stunningly posing in beautiful, vibrant outfits, owning her curves. It’s clear that Stephanie is confident and happy in her body, making other women feel inspired to be the same way. Stephanie is proud to be a plus-sized black woman, and her captions incorporate both humor and activism when discussing topics of race and body sizes.
@Sassy_Latte on Instagram
Image taken from https://www.revelist.com/wellness/topless-model-mastectomy-scars/7193
Sassy is a black non-binary activist, feminist, and political creative who discusses sometimes difficult topics with confidence and intelligence. They are vocal about their issues with the body positive movement leaving out marginalized bodies, an issue that isn’t talked about enough in the body positive community. Sassy’s vibrant makeup and clothing is captivating and adds to their artistic style and creativity. They utilize their platform to inform their followers on the experience of POC, emphasizing the importance of looking at political issues through a different perspective instead of the white, cisgender, heteronormative one that is presented to us daily.
Ericka Hart (@ihartericka on Instagram)
Image taken from https://medicine.yale.edu/lgbtqi/events/schedule/
Ericka Hart is a breast cancer survivor who uses their platform to encourage others to be comfortable in their bodies, despite the hardships or changes they might have faced. They are a plant lover and dog-owner of a cute pup named Baguette. Ericka is also a sex educator who goes to different schools teaching the basics of sex education, something most children and young adults in America are unaware of due to a failed education system that is uncomfortable with discussing these topics. Ericka’s Instagram posts are more informative and direct with less images of themselves and more of the issues they are passionate about. They utilize their platform to educate others on their own privilege, ignorance, and much more.
Jess (@thefatfunnyone on Instagram)
Image taken from Jess's twitter account: @thefatfunnyone
Jessica Jones is a YouTuber, award winning blogger, and public speaker who is passionate about self-love. Jess is another plus-sized black woman who encourages confidence and body acceptance. A mother to three, she posts a lot about her children and how to balance motherhood and being self-employed. Most of her posts are her making funny TikTok videos, discussing body positivity, or her three beautiful children. It’s clear that Jess is comfortable in her skin, but she also is honest when she struggles as well. Jess’s transparency is important in the body positive community because it allows others to keep trying even when they feel insecure or inadequate.
All of these people of color are positively contributing to feminism and the self-love movement, encouraging others to be confident and comfortable in the skin they were born in. I find all of these people of color admirable because of their courage to speak out against injustice and their determination to continuously love themselves while existing in a society that constantly tells them they are unlovable.
