#wearethethey my open letter

              


So last night something incredible happened. At 8pm 22/4/15 debzs of wannabe princess let loose the hashtag #wearethethey. The reaction was incredible and the hashtag trended and was #2 in the list of UK trends through out the night.

As I'm sure you've saw in my previous post, the loose women panelist Jamelia discussed some ignorant and ludicrous opinions on how she believes people of size should be treated.  Yesterday on Good Morning Britain she gave a half assed apology. And this is where the hashtag was thought up and created.

Still sticking to her original opinion she tried to back up her apology by suggesting  that she only meant 'extremes' in sizes and that she feels the high street should stock sizes 6 to 20 no smaller or bigger.

Not only did she offend people who don't fall in to her ideas of the 'norm,’ she then referred throughout the interview to those people as ‘they’.  Now to me ‘they’ is a rude gesture to address someone by. ‘They’ should shop in specialist shops; ‘they’ should be made to feel uncomfortable. Not only has she achieved what she wanted and made a whole bunch of beautiful and incredible people uncomfortable, she’s also tried to make us feel shameful. Shameful of our bodies, how we feel and how we live. Does she really think this will solve the problem? I mean when I feel bad about myself my outreach is to food to soften the blow. so well done Jamelia, not only have you offended us but you've added to this so called 'obesity problem' you talk of. 

Debz created the tag to outline and showcase the fact that ‘they’, meaning all the beautiful and amazing plus size and small sized women out there are in fact real people.  Mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, aunties, cousins, REAL PEOPLE who live real lives. Some struggle every day with physical problems, some mental, some emotional. But the reality of it is we’re here to stay and we are the they. 

We all have our own personal struggles and stories to why we're over a size UK20 or below a UK6. I mean please do not question my health just by looking at me. I go to the gym three times a week and more sometimes, I go to the doctors hardly ever only if I need antibiotics for tonsillitis which has nothing to do with my weight. I've only ever been in hospital when a baby and this year which again had nothing to do with my weight. I have no diabetes or high blood pressure. I mean whenever I do go to the doctors, I'm often met with surprises from the doctors at how healthy my body actually is. I have learnt to love my body through out the constant bully and taunts through out school and even college, and fashion is now not only my career but my creative outlet to be happy and confident. So who are you to deny me of that choice? Who are you to suggest it encourages women to be unhealthy. I'm at my biggest I have ever been, my healthiest and my happiest. 

Check out the hashtag on Twitter and Instagram and use it  to post your beliefs and your story, and let those out there including Jamelia know, that we should not be denied the right to dress fashionably, denied the right to shop on the high street, denied the freedom to be who we want to be, to be denied the freedom to be ourselves and happy whatever size we choose to be. 

#wearethethey

#wearethethey

#wearethethey

#wearethethey

#wearethethey and we will not be denied the right to be happy and we certainly will not be made to feel uncomfortable for doing so.

Cardifforniagurl was also featured over at the debrief today

Love

Michaela

xo