HIGH POINT, N.C., March 5, 2015 – High Point University hosted Whitney Thore of TLC’s hit show, “My Big Fat Fabulous Life,” to speak about her No Body Shame Campaign on March 4. It was her first public speaking engagement since she rose to fame from her “fat girl dancing” viral video. She entertained the audience with her one-of-a-kind dance moves and inspirational speech about embracing your body and loving who you are. She even danced with a student on stage.
“There is no wrong way to have a body; we are more than the sum of our parts, and we are more than someone else’s expectations of us,” said Thore. “Don’t let them tell you what you can’t do. You are limitless.”
“Whitney touched upon many important subjects that we face every day,” said Errin Soares, junior at HPU. “Her inspiration was something many people need to hear in order to take the next step toward loving themselves.”
Thore was once a slender dancer, but over the course of just one year at college gained 200 pounds due to a condition called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). It took her a long time to deal with the change, but now she is happy with her body, and through her active social life and love of dancing, she lives vivaciously and holds nothing back.
“The message that I am sending spreads to everyone,” said Thore. “It’s not just for fat people. I do this for people that have been shamed for being too skinny, people who have been shamed for having disabilities, people who have chronic illnesses, anything that someone feels ashamed about is something that I want to make them feel better about so they can be happy.”
“My Big Fat Fabulous Life” focuses on Thore’s life, her one-of-a-kind family and friends. Now 380 pounds, she has a fresh outlook on life. She has learned to embrace her body and love herself again and urges others to do the same. Following the success of her “fat girl dancing” videos, Thore launched the #NoBodyShameCampaign, a movement that works to fight the devastating effects of body shame and promotes self-love and acceptance. The campaign encourages people to rise above the negativity that society imposes on anyone who is “different,” and to live their lives to the fullest no matter what the scale says. The movement lives by the motto, “Love yourself. Live fully. No excuses. No shame.”
“It’s easy for us to advertise exercise as a way to be happy and healthy, but we forget that a significant part of wellness is being happy with who we are,” says Amy Reynal, coordinator of campus fitness programs, who brought Thore to HPU. “It often ends up that being able to love ourselves is the first step to positive change, whether it be improving our own health or improving the lives of others. Whitney’s message encouraged and inspired that desire in our students.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbBwValW0nY&feature=youtu.be