A few harsh words were all it took to spark a wave of empowerment. Faced with everyday fatphobia, a plus-size content creator chose self-deprecation and self-love. The result: a radiant, committed, and deeply inspiring message.
A common insult, an unexpected reaction
It all started with a sadly typical, brutal comment posted under a video of her in a bikini. Two words were enough to sum up years of casual contempt. Rather than block or delete, influencer and author Tova Leigh decided to respond differently: by exposing herself, literally. She posted photos of herself at the beach, in a swimsuit, looking straight ahead, striking a confident pose.
This choice is far from insignificant. Where one might expect discretion or shame, she opposes visibility and pride. She shows her body as it is: alive, changing, real. Not to justify herself, but to exist fully.
The real body as a political response
In her photographs, Tova Leigh openly displays her curves, her rolls, the folds of her stomach—that infamous "side spill" that so much discourse still seeks to erase. Accompanying these images with powerful text, she denounces the ease with which fatphobia is expressed online, protected by anonymity and the distance of screens.
She explains that she consulted the profile of the person who made the comment and discovered the presence of a little girl. This raises a crucial question: what emotional legacy do we pass on when we normalize the humiliation of women's bodies? This simple question acts as a mirror held up to an entire society.
"Your opinion has no power over my life."
In her caption, the influencer reiterates a key truth of the body positivity movement: the opinions of complete strangers are worthless when based on hate. She affirms that she loves her body as it is today, unconditionally, without any plans for transformation to earn respect.
It also reverses the emotional charge of the insult. According to her, cruelty never reveals a flaw in the person targeted, but rather a deep unease in the one who inflicts it. This shift in perspective offers a valuable tool for emotional protection to all fat people (spoiler alert: it's not a dirty word) who face daily judgments about their appearance.
When body positivity becomes an act of activism
Posing in a bikini on the beach is not a trivial act for a plus-size woman. This space, often experienced as hostile, becomes here a stage for activism. By wearing a standard swimsuit, without retouching or staging, Tova Leigh participates in the normalization of fat bodies, which are already, by definition, normal bodies.
Her posts function like visual slogans. They give courage to those who don't yet dare to occupy space, to show themselves, to enjoy life. They remind us that the right to leisure, visibility, and joy is not conditional on size.
Systemic fatphobia is still far too prevalent.
The designer also points out that fatphobia isn't limited to online comments. It permeates professional, medical, and social spheres. Difficulties accessing healthcare, discrimination in hiring, inadequate infrastructure: the problem isn't the fat body itself, but the system that refuses to include it. For years, committed authors and collectives have denounced this structural violence, calling for a collective and lasting shift in perspective.
An essential counter-narrative to the return of ultra-thinness
This statement comes at a time when extreme thinness is making a strong comeback in fashion and pop culture, driven by new trends and solutions presented as miraculous. Faced with these pressures, the body-positive and uninhibited content from plus-size creators becomes a much-needed breath of fresh air.
With a touch of irony, Tova Leigh concludes by pointing out that hate also feeds algorithms. The more criticism she receives, the more visible her content becomes, and the more her message circulates. A brilliant way to turn violence into leverage, and to remind us that self-love can be a powerful form of resistance.
