Meet the Influencer Shutting Down Body-Shamers

influencer 101

| LAST UPDATE 01/19/2022

By Danielle Mejia
fabletic viral tweet fatphobia
Instagram via @manlikesophia

If you're active on social media just as much as we are, chances are that you've caught lots of legendary Twitter exchanges. Look no further than Sophia Tassew: what started with a body-shamer calling her out soon turned into a larger conversation about fatphobia in fashion - all thanks to the plus-sized influencer taking a stand. So let's dive in and unpack this story from the very beginning...

What was the tweet in question that kicked this whole thing off? Well, that would be the comment from Isabel Oakeshott, a television presenter from the UK. While walking past a Fabletics window display, something caught her eye and she decided she just had to say something. "This, in a Regent St fitness store, is what obesity looks like," she wrote on Twitter. "Flabby curves highlighted in hideous lime green velour. The so-called 'body positivity' movement is not 'inclusive,' it's dangerous." It seemed as though the TV personality hadn't hopped aboard the body-positivity train - but luckily, Sophia was around to set her straight. The plus-size influencer and business owner from London decided to go right to the source and make a purchase to prove a point. "I bought the dangerous outfit!!" she replied back on Twitter.

fabletics outfit viral tweet
Twitter via @SophiaTassew
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The Twitter interaction blew up in what seemed like a minute, and publications like Buzzfeed News have since reached out to hear more from Sophia on the matter. According to the 24-year-old, it was important for people to know that she "genuinely just liked the outfit." In fact, she didn't even expect her reply to garner such a response - and perhaps that's part of the problem. "Me, just being a plus-size person, I want a new outfit, and it's caused all this commotion," she shared during her interview. "And it really shouldn't actually be that way, but it is."

In the wake of all the buzz, Fabletics has been in touch with Tassew, but even with the fame, Sophia hasn't lost sight of her message. "It's so much deeper than just taking selfies... We're affected in so many ways that people don't actually realize," she noted. And we're right there behind her as she fights for change! Stay tuned for more inspiring influencers.

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