Nicole Arbour recently came under fire after she uploaded a video to YouTube that many found offensive.
Social media has been abuzz about YouTube personality Nicole Arbour, but who is Nicole Arbour? No really, who is Nicole Arbour? Nicole Arbour is a self-proclaimed comedian who recently put up a fat-shaming video on YouTube called, “Dear Fat People.”
When I watched the video I was obviously disgusted. However, I was not surprised. In our society, being overweight or “fat” is considered disgusting or ugly. Being a bigger person, I have faced this stigma and prejudice head on. We have been conditioned from an early age to believe that we all have to be pencil skinny in order for our bodies to be valued and appreciated. It is not surprising that people, even in 2015, still believe that those who do not uphold society’s standard of beauty are second-class citizens.
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In recent years, bigger people have been fighting back with a vengeance that honestly makes me want to shed a tear. Body positivity is a trend that has enraptured big and small people alike. The body positivity model encompasses five core principles that anyone can practice on a daily basis to live peacefully and healthily in our bodies. These five principles are reclaim health, practice intuitive self-care, cultivate self-love, declare your own authentic beauty and build community. The creators of the body positivity campaign believe that when we become proficient at using these skills, we are able to care for our whole selves from a place of self-love and appreciation, which allows us to act on our purpose and life goals.
In a recent study by researchers at Bradley Hospital, Butler Hospital and Brown Medical School, it has been proven that negative body image is linked to poor overall life quality. It can lead to poor self-care, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, self-harming behaviors (e.g. cutting, suicide), substance abuse, weight cycling and relationship violence. The body positivity model encourages people of all ages, genders, races and sexual orientations to embrace and love who they are despite what others have to say, despite what the media has to say. Body positivity has helped people across the world learn to not only love themselves but learn to love those around them not just for who they are on the inside but who they are on the outside as well.
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Nicole Arbour clearly does not support body positivity. It is the mindset of people like her who perpetuate hatred and ignorance that will jump on these positive trends and bring them down. Hopefully, one day she will see how the message of her video not only fostered hatred and ignorance, but also triggered self-loathing and a negative body image in young men and women. But the important thing here, what truly matters, is that people everywhere can find peace in knowing that her opinion does not have to affect their lives. There is a whole community that exists to serve the purpose of making sure everyone in our society knows that they are beautiful and valued. No one has the right to tell anyone how to live, or how he or she should feel in his or her own skin.
Haadiza Ogwude is a sophomore studying journalism. What was your reaction to Nicole Arbour’s YouTube video? Tweet Haadiza @AdoreHaadiza or email her at ho299413@ohio.edu.
