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.
Rapper Chika promoted Calvin Klein’s underwear, however…
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…she and the fashion brand came under fire for promoting ‘unhealthy living’
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Some Twitter users thought the advertisement was doing more harm than good
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The rapper hit back at her critics
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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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Unpopular opinion: this is just as unhealthy as the super skinny models.
not "just as" unhealthy..............obesity kills millions annually compared to thousands for anorexia
She has PCOS. And even obese people need underwear
Um... it's still just as unhealthy. You're just presenting the death rates. I'll say this: I don't know this for sure, but based off of what I know, more anorexic people are SAVED annually compared to obese people.
Skinniness causes immediate consequences FOR SURE while obesity kills you after a while (or never). Also you don't KNOW obesity killed the people.
This isn't just about anorexia. Skinny doesn't always = anorexia. However, being skinny can = Osteoporosis (Brittle Bones), Skin problems and hair loss, Anemia, Irregular menstruation cycles and infertility, getting sick more frequently and for longer as the body doesn't have enough nutrients to fight off infections, general malnutrition, elevated blood pressure (just as common in skinny people as it is in overweight people) and risks of heart failure/disease just as much as fat people are. Furthermore, it's advertisements like all of those photoshopped skinny models that really don't help the problem of so many young people being anorexic these days, because they believe that they're not attractive unless they look unrealistically skinny, and it's something they can't realistically achieve without ending up so ill. You're clearly desperate for any excuse to be a b*tch about someones weight, without having any knowledge whatsoever on the risks of being either overweight or not.
anorexia is not the only thing for example skinny models die from. also several varieties of bulimia, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, suicide ect. people die regardless of weight. you just don't like that fat people exist. which you know is whatever, but at least call it what it is. it's a stupid argument.
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So i would say they both are as bad.
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WHAT DO YOU CARE? WHY DO YOU THINK IT'S YOUR BUSINESS WHETHER I DIE OR NOT.
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But anorexia is less common. A lot of people are overweight and don’t die from it, but a comparatively large proportion of anorexics die from the illness. I’m 29 and have osteopenia, tachycardia, anemia, memory loss, etc. I can’t walk up or down the stairs without being completely winded and out of breath with palpitations and dry heaves. There’s no way that’s healthier than someone who’s obese.
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Agree, you can be skinny healthy, but it's hard to be super obese like this and be healthy. There's one girl who's super popular and her wrists are bigger than my upper arms, she's insisting she's healthy. Nope.
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Yes but those anorexic modelw promote that living and young women and girls thinks its cool or sexy to be so fuckinh skinny that their ribs poke thru!
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Wait, this isn't heavy vs. anorexic -- this is heavy vs. skinny and how many die each year -- and please don't pull made up facts out of your *** -- they reek of desperation. Many people who are super thin, or can eat anything without gaining weight (I used to be one of them) actually have a disease called Graves Disease -- overactive thyroid. If left untreated, it will eventually destroy pretty much all your organs, starting with your heart. Other people are heavy but their stats are all good and they can live healthy lives. But you're worried about all the people dying of "fat"? How much are you concern trolling the ballet dancers and gymnasts and ice skaters, and models who are so underweight that their bones essentially snap by the time they're in their 30s or 40s? Do you concern troll about them? How about all those super healthy looking athletes who are actually a mass of internal damage and broken bones? Are you complaining about their life choices? You get the idea.
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NightOwl, PCOS, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, can lead to diabetes and heart problems on its own, just as can obesity. Obesity is causing people to have shorter lifespans and is affecting more and more people. It is not healthy. The obese without health problems are the exceptions, not the rule.
Yet the super skinny will somehow end up living much longer as their organs aren’t stressed. Unless they’re anorexic which I don’t know why everyone thinks they are.
@rose that would be the anorexia I was talking about. Being skinny and starving to famine levels are two very different things
Why do you care how long someone you don't even know lives? It does not effect you. We still need underwear. We still pay money for clothes.
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I dont know man, personally I'm what you call skinny, I'm 5'5 and weigh 122 pounds but honestly I dont excercise and I eat like shit. Skinny really doesnt mean healthy either, not just anorexic people that are considered unhealthy. I really dont think you can determine somebody's health through their body weight butttt 🤷♀️
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Incorrect, a skinny persons organs can be under just as much (if not more) stress than an overweight person in some cases. When the body doesn't have enough fat on it, or enough nutrients, what do you think it has to feed from? It's called autophagy. When a person is starving, the body will begin to devour its own proteins as there is no other "fuel" available.
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Unless there's a cataclysm. Then the skinny will die first lol.
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Damn it, RoseTheMad, naturally skinny people do not starve! They eat! People who suffer from anorexia are starving themselves and often die from this terrible disease. Lay off it, will you. It is not the same same thing! Being severely overweight brings health problems and early death. It is the scourge of the century in many countries, often also associated with poverty and limited local availability of healthy food options .
the skinny model in the comparison wasnt "super skinny" she was someone whos just skinny and in shape
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I wasn't talking about the model in the example. She looks indeed skinny. I was talking about the super skinny models in general.
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No -- that's super skinny and not healthy. That you think that's normal or healthy shows how skewed society's images are.
Agreed. Plus, who the h3ll wants to look at that? I'm just being brutally honest here. If people would stop virtue signaling for two minutes and be real, they don't want to look at that either. I'm speaking as a fellow Prego fat chick. I don't expect anyone to adore my nasty rolls, don't expect me to adore yours.
Why you're afraid of speaking up? Unpopular opinion? Not an opinion, it's a fucking fact -- she's morbidly obese. In other words, fat. Way too fat.
The super skinny models get body shamed too. There's no pleasing everyone.
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Because it's somehow okay to body shame thin women. Jealousy makes it that way.
Why does that seem like an unpopular opinion... like every post about a women who is not a size 6 includes a comment that her weight makes her unhealthy.
100%
Super skinny is gaunt and rib cage showing, as well as the spinal cord
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This is in no way unpopular, the downvotes on this comment prove it. Not to mention the massive amounts of upvotes on the original comment.
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No. Maybe wishful thinking.
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
Definitely that second thing.
Everyone buys underwear, skinny and fat. CK is trying to sell more underwear. I think it's smart business!
Oh for sure, businesses only get on social bandwagons because they project that its good for business. I don't remember seeing ANY brand with the rainbow flag on their packaging until AFTER the gay marriage issue was legally settled because it was now more socially accepted, then suddenly every brand was in rainbows. Thats called knowing the market...
Capitalism, yo
any publicity is good publicity.. he is getting attention. that's what he wanted.
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If they really cared they'd try to help her lose weight.
I don't think that's a brands responsibility.....
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?
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.
Isn't it the same? It is like someone tell you to shut up because they are more rich/success than you. It is the most typical kind of looking down on others.
Unpopular opinion: this is just as unhealthy as the super skinny models.
not "just as" unhealthy..............obesity kills millions annually compared to thousands for anorexia
She has PCOS. And even obese people need underwear
Um... it's still just as unhealthy. You're just presenting the death rates. I'll say this: I don't know this for sure, but based off of what I know, more anorexic people are SAVED annually compared to obese people.
Skinniness causes immediate consequences FOR SURE while obesity kills you after a while (or never). Also you don't KNOW obesity killed the people.
This isn't just about anorexia. Skinny doesn't always = anorexia. However, being skinny can = Osteoporosis (Brittle Bones), Skin problems and hair loss, Anemia, Irregular menstruation cycles and infertility, getting sick more frequently and for longer as the body doesn't have enough nutrients to fight off infections, general malnutrition, elevated blood pressure (just as common in skinny people as it is in overweight people) and risks of heart failure/disease just as much as fat people are. Furthermore, it's advertisements like all of those photoshopped skinny models that really don't help the problem of so many young people being anorexic these days, because they believe that they're not attractive unless they look unrealistically skinny, and it's something they can't realistically achieve without ending up so ill. You're clearly desperate for any excuse to be a b*tch about someones weight, without having any knowledge whatsoever on the risks of being either overweight or not.
anorexia is not the only thing for example skinny models die from. also several varieties of bulimia, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, suicide ect. people die regardless of weight. you just don't like that fat people exist. which you know is whatever, but at least call it what it is. it's a stupid argument.
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So i would say they both are as bad.
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WHAT DO YOU CARE? WHY DO YOU THINK IT'S YOUR BUSINESS WHETHER I DIE OR NOT.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
But anorexia is less common. A lot of people are overweight and don’t die from it, but a comparatively large proportion of anorexics die from the illness. I’m 29 and have osteopenia, tachycardia, anemia, memory loss, etc. I can’t walk up or down the stairs without being completely winded and out of breath with palpitations and dry heaves. There’s no way that’s healthier than someone who’s obese.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Agree, you can be skinny healthy, but it's hard to be super obese like this and be healthy. There's one girl who's super popular and her wrists are bigger than my upper arms, she's insisting she's healthy. Nope.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Yes but those anorexic modelw promote that living and young women and girls thinks its cool or sexy to be so fuckinh skinny that their ribs poke thru!
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Wait, this isn't heavy vs. anorexic -- this is heavy vs. skinny and how many die each year -- and please don't pull made up facts out of your *** -- they reek of desperation. Many people who are super thin, or can eat anything without gaining weight (I used to be one of them) actually have a disease called Graves Disease -- overactive thyroid. If left untreated, it will eventually destroy pretty much all your organs, starting with your heart. Other people are heavy but their stats are all good and they can live healthy lives. But you're worried about all the people dying of "fat"? How much are you concern trolling the ballet dancers and gymnasts and ice skaters, and models who are so underweight that their bones essentially snap by the time they're in their 30s or 40s? Do you concern troll about them? How about all those super healthy looking athletes who are actually a mass of internal damage and broken bones? Are you complaining about their life choices? You get the idea.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
NightOwl, PCOS, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, can lead to diabetes and heart problems on its own, just as can obesity. Obesity is causing people to have shorter lifespans and is affecting more and more people. It is not healthy. The obese without health problems are the exceptions, not the rule.
Yet the super skinny will somehow end up living much longer as their organs aren’t stressed. Unless they’re anorexic which I don’t know why everyone thinks they are.
@rose that would be the anorexia I was talking about. Being skinny and starving to famine levels are two very different things
Why do you care how long someone you don't even know lives? It does not effect you. We still need underwear. We still pay money for clothes.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
I dont know man, personally I'm what you call skinny, I'm 5'5 and weigh 122 pounds but honestly I dont excercise and I eat like shit. Skinny really doesnt mean healthy either, not just anorexic people that are considered unhealthy. I really dont think you can determine somebody's health through their body weight butttt 🤷♀️
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Incorrect, a skinny persons organs can be under just as much (if not more) stress than an overweight person in some cases. When the body doesn't have enough fat on it, or enough nutrients, what do you think it has to feed from? It's called autophagy. When a person is starving, the body will begin to devour its own proteins as there is no other "fuel" available.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Unless there's a cataclysm. Then the skinny will die first lol.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Damn it, RoseTheMad, naturally skinny people do not starve! They eat! People who suffer from anorexia are starving themselves and often die from this terrible disease. Lay off it, will you. It is not the same same thing! Being severely overweight brings health problems and early death. It is the scourge of the century in many countries, often also associated with poverty and limited local availability of healthy food options .
the skinny model in the comparison wasnt "super skinny" she was someone whos just skinny and in shape
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
I wasn't talking about the model in the example. She looks indeed skinny. I was talking about the super skinny models in general.
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No -- that's super skinny and not healthy. That you think that's normal or healthy shows how skewed society's images are.
Agreed. Plus, who the h3ll wants to look at that? I'm just being brutally honest here. If people would stop virtue signaling for two minutes and be real, they don't want to look at that either. I'm speaking as a fellow Prego fat chick. I don't expect anyone to adore my nasty rolls, don't expect me to adore yours.
Why you're afraid of speaking up? Unpopular opinion? Not an opinion, it's a fucking fact -- she's morbidly obese. In other words, fat. Way too fat.
The super skinny models get body shamed too. There's no pleasing everyone.
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Because it's somehow okay to body shame thin women. Jealousy makes it that way.
Why does that seem like an unpopular opinion... like every post about a women who is not a size 6 includes a comment that her weight makes her unhealthy.
100%
Super skinny is gaunt and rib cage showing, as well as the spinal cord
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
This is in no way unpopular, the downvotes on this comment prove it. Not to mention the massive amounts of upvotes on the original comment.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
No. Maybe wishful thinking.
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
Definitely that second thing.
Everyone buys underwear, skinny and fat. CK is trying to sell more underwear. I think it's smart business!
Oh for sure, businesses only get on social bandwagons because they project that its good for business. I don't remember seeing ANY brand with the rainbow flag on their packaging until AFTER the gay marriage issue was legally settled because it was now more socially accepted, then suddenly every brand was in rainbows. Thats called knowing the market...
Capitalism, yo
any publicity is good publicity.. he is getting attention. that's what he wanted.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
If they really cared they'd try to help her lose weight.
I don't think that's a brands responsibility.....
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?
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.
Isn't it the same? It is like someone tell you to shut up because they are more rich/success than you. It is the most typical kind of looking down on others.