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Woman Shames Calvin Klein’s Plus-Size Rapper Billboard, She Responds And Starts A Heated Discussion
Fashion can be a truly divisive subject, even among those of us who aren’t all that much into style (or like to wear sandals with white socks, yuck). Whenever you bring up the words ‘weight,’ ‘beauty,’ and ‘health,’ it suddenly becomes apparent that nearly everyone in the whole wide world has an opinion on esthetics.
When Calvin Klein featured plus-sized indie rapper Chika wearing the fashion brand’s underwear on a massive billboard in Soho, the company sparked a fierce and fiery discussion online.
Some lauded the company for being inclusive and for breaking ‘harmful’ beauty standards. Others criticized Calvin Klein for promoting an unhealthy lifestyle because of the health concerns associated with obesity. While a third group of people expressed the opinion that Calvin Klein was only pretending to accept ‘progressive’ values in order to shore up its finances. Read on for Bored Panda’s interview and be sure to express your opinion on the topic in the comments, dear Pandas. Just remember to keep the discussion civilized and well-mannered because it’s such a sensitive and delicate subject.
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Rapper Chika promoted Calvin Klein’s underwear, however…
Image credits: oranicuhh
…she and the fashion brand came under fire for promoting ‘unhealthy living’
Image credits: dominiquetaegon
Image credits: dominiquetaegon
Some Twitter users thought the advertisement was doing more harm than good
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Image credits: EstherKrakue
Image credits: dominiquetaegon
The rapper hit back at her critics
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Image credits: oranicuhh
Image credits: oranicuhh
Image credits: oranicuhh
Image credits: oranicuhh
Rapper Chika hit back at one of her critics, Dominique Samuels, who called Calvin Klein out for promoting ‘unhealthy living.’ According to Chika, Dominique was simply ‘mad’ and jealous that she didn’t get on the billboard. The rapper went on to explain how she is a real role model and a loving person, and shouldn’t be judged based on her weight.
Bored Panda talked to Dominique Samuels to discuss what happened on Twitter between her and Chika. “I think Chika’s “comeback” to my tweet purposely ignored the point I was making. The things we see on billboards and promoted in fashion are the things that will impact and influence our future generations. If she’s confident enough to be put on a billboard, she’s confident enough to take some legitimate criticism. I knew when I made the post that I would get abuse, but the amount of people who have been threatening me, abusing me for simply having an opinion is very telling.”
“I definitely think the way we view the female body at least has changed in a positive way. The average size of a woman is around 14-16 in the UK, and I encourage that to be shown in fashion, because it isn’t a life-threatening size to be, and is relatively normal. I myself am a size 12,” Dominique revealed.
“The problem I’m having is the new trend of promoting the obese and trying to normalize it when obesity is becoming a global, growing problem. It’s not only irresponsible but dangerous. Tess Holiday is another example of this, as are the obese women being put on Fashion Nova. It isn’t representing women or even empowering women, it’s encouraging bad health,” Dominique shared her opinion on the matter.
“I’m no health expert or fitness freak, but I do try and watch what I eat and exercise when I can when I notice I’m putting on weight, that I feel more uncomfortable in my clothes or that I’m getting out of breath more frequently,” she said. “I’d say everything in moderation. Too much of anything (including food!) is a bad thing.”
We completely agree that nobody should be the subject of abuse because of how they look. However, those Twitter users, who exclaim that weight has ‘nothing’ to do with health problems, should really do a little bit more studying. According to the Centers for Disease Control, being overweight or obese leads to huge health risks. Obesity can lead to high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, can also lead to Type 2 diabetes, stroke, coronary heart disease, breathing problems, and some cancers.
The CDC also adds that obesity is linked to low quality of life and mental illness “such as clinical depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders.” Can you have a good life if you’re overweight? Of course. But the quality of life increases when you do move and exercise a lot, eat and sleep well, have an active social life.
However, that’s no reason to verbally attack people for their size: be supportive, not hateful.
People had very different opinions about the advertisement, health, and beauty
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This was far from the first time that Chika had to defend herself from critics
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What do you think ?
boredhuman 6 years ago
Unpopular opinion: this is just as unhealthy as the super skinny models.
Selty 6 years ago
not "just as" unhealthy..............obesity kills millions annually compared to thousands for anorexia
Load More Replies...
Herb Eaversmells 6 years ago
To me, businesses are less interested in being inclusive, than they are their own image. Does Calvin Klein actually care about obese models, or happy everyone is talking about their underwear. A
Eva Verde 6 years ago
She lost me at: "i'm rich". If anybody uses this as an argument, I loose the respect for the person. So, being rich automatically makes you right?.. As for the ad, why don't just use people sizes 10-16 without going extreme? Not unrealistically skinny and not morbidly obese?
Chris Jones 6 years ago
I don't think her point is that rich means she's right. She is just pointing it out as it's typically viewed as a modern day indicator of success.
Load More Replies...
Sinkvenice 6 years ago
Well, I hope these companies are going to start using really overweight men to advertise their products. If a woman wants to be incredibly vast and ignore all the potential health problems associated with being so fat, then that's up to them but don't publicly glamourise or glorify it and certainly don't try and say it’s normal and completely safe and imply that women are the only ones who have unrealistic body expectations (three words I hope to never say again, I threw up in my mouth a little but just typing that). The amount of chiselled bodies men see all the time in the media, isn't the same thing? They also face unrealistic body expectations and it's insane how that's completely brushed under the rug. It's not equality these modern day feminists want, they want complete superiority. I’m from England and it’s extremely difficult to accept that America isn’t a fictional country, the things that happen over there are profoundly messed up and nobody seems to bat an eyelid.
Ohio Hands 6 years ago
I don't know how familiar you are with America media but overweight, even obese men have had representation in media for years. Its a farce to compare aesthetic pressures put on women to those put on men, they are very clearly NOT done anywhere near in an equal manner. Men are often represented with a myriad of qualities that make then interesting and/or desirable with their physical looks ranking somewhere down the line. In contrast, female representations may have varied qualities, but the first and foremost that overshadows any other quality is her physical representation. Men will NEVER be judged solely on their looks, either positively or negatively, the way women are. THIS is why its considered more of a controversy to represent an obese women in an ad than a man. If this ad were highlighting a man of equal weight, the reaction wouldn't be anger, it would be humor, no one gets outraged about a fat man in underwear and there's a very specific social engineered reason for that.
Load More Replies...
Ian Smith 6 years ago
BoredPanda: People who don't believe medical research on vaccines are dumb! Also BoredPanda: Healthy at any size!
Isle_of_stressed_pilots 6 years ago
Okay i'm all for plus size models and stuff, but I hate how Calvin Klein put a literal morbidly obese person to represent them. I'm also pretty sure that Calvin Klein is doing this for more attention.
Ana B. 6 years ago
I think there's a difference - plus is over the average sizes, whereas obese is people who are over a specific BMI. The problem is that people don't know the difference any more
Load More Replies...
EvilDinosaur 6 years ago
Can't we just see things with normal sized people? Especially with clothing so we know what it will look like on 75% of us? Neither extreme is good for people to see.
Casey McAlister 6 years ago
"I don't need to defend my existence". Nobody asks you to do it though. Raising concerns about advertising of an unhealthy lifestyle isn't equal to saying you shouldn't exist, so spare this fake drama.
YupItsMe1234 6 years ago
After traveling between Europe and the US for work multiple times a year I can tell when I arrive in America because of the size of people. If it is natural or healthy to be this big, the rest of the world didn't get the memo....
boredhuman 6 years ago
Unpopular opinion: this is just as unhealthy as the super skinny models.
Selty 6 years ago
not "just as" unhealthy..............obesity kills millions annually compared to thousands for anorexia
Load More Replies... Herb Eaversmells 6 years ago
To me, businesses are less interested in being inclusive, than they are their own image. Does Calvin Klein actually care about obese models, or happy everyone is talking about their underwear. A
Eva Verde 6 years ago
She lost me at: "i'm rich". If anybody uses this as an argument, I loose the respect for the person. So, being rich automatically makes you right?.. As for the ad, why don't just use people sizes 10-16 without going extreme? Not unrealistically skinny and not morbidly obese?
Chris Jones 6 years ago
I don't think her point is that rich means she's right. She is just pointing it out as it's typically viewed as a modern day indicator of success.
Load More Replies... Sinkvenice 6 years ago
Well, I hope these companies are going to start using really overweight men to advertise their products. If a woman wants to be incredibly vast and ignore all the potential health problems associated with being so fat, then that's up to them but don't publicly glamourise or glorify it and certainly don't try and say it’s normal and completely safe and imply that women are the only ones who have unrealistic body expectations (three words I hope to never say again, I threw up in my mouth a little but just typing that). The amount of chiselled bodies men see all the time in the media, isn't the same thing? They also face unrealistic body expectations and it's insane how that's completely brushed under the rug. It's not equality these modern day feminists want, they want complete superiority. I’m from England and it’s extremely difficult to accept that America isn’t a fictional country, the things that happen over there are profoundly messed up and nobody seems to bat an eyelid.
Ohio Hands 6 years ago
I don't know how familiar you are with America media but overweight, even obese men have had representation in media for years. Its a farce to compare aesthetic pressures put on women to those put on men, they are very clearly NOT done anywhere near in an equal manner. Men are often represented with a myriad of qualities that make then interesting and/or desirable with their physical looks ranking somewhere down the line. In contrast, female representations may have varied qualities, but the first and foremost that overshadows any other quality is her physical representation. Men will NEVER be judged solely on their looks, either positively or negatively, the way women are. THIS is why its considered more of a controversy to represent an obese women in an ad than a man. If this ad were highlighting a man of equal weight, the reaction wouldn't be anger, it would be humor, no one gets outraged about a fat man in underwear and there's a very specific social engineered reason for that.
Load More Replies... Ian Smith 6 years ago
BoredPanda: People who don't believe medical research on vaccines are dumb! Also BoredPanda: Healthy at any size!
Isle_of_stressed_pilots 6 years ago
Okay i'm all for plus size models and stuff, but I hate how Calvin Klein put a literal morbidly obese person to represent them. I'm also pretty sure that Calvin Klein is doing this for more attention.
Ana B. 6 years ago
I think there's a difference - plus is over the average sizes, whereas obese is people who are over a specific BMI. The problem is that people don't know the difference any more
Load More Replies... EvilDinosaur 6 years ago
Can't we just see things with normal sized people? Especially with clothing so we know what it will look like on 75% of us? Neither extreme is good for people to see.
Casey McAlister 6 years ago
"I don't need to defend my existence". Nobody asks you to do it though. Raising concerns about advertising of an unhealthy lifestyle isn't equal to saying you shouldn't exist, so spare this fake drama.
YupItsMe1234 6 years ago
After traveling between Europe and the US for work multiple times a year I can tell when I arrive in America because of the size of people. If it is natural or healthy to be this big, the rest of the world didn't get the memo....
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