I Run, Therefore I am a Runner.

The Telegraph recently published an article written by an obviously fat phobic writer, Tanya Gold. Haven’t heard? A briefing: In an amazing display of inclusivity, @nike placed a plus-sized mannequin in Nike town recently, & we cheered – finally! The world is starting to see that plus-sized athletes exist & here is a huge brand ready to outfit us with gear that fits & looks great. But a bully emerged. Ms. Gold’s presumptive article is full of hate and myth. She describes the mannequin as such: “She is immense, gargantuan, vast. She heaves with fat…she is, in every measure, obese, and she is not readying herself for a run in her shiny Nike gear…She cannot run.” Way to put that mannequin down, lady. Oh wait, you were just using your forum to bash fat people. What bravery. But hey there, hi. 🙋🏻‍♀️I am (& even at my smallest was) larger than that mannequin & I RUN. And not just short distances – nice, long distances that take me 3 hours or more. Not only do I run, I love to lift heavy things. In fact, I could probably deadlift YOU.
The asinine opinions & acceptance of articles like this only fuel what many believe is the last acceptable form of discrimination. It would not be okay to speak ill of a religion, race or culture and yet the Telegraph published the article publicly shaming larger bodies. Shame on you, Telegraph. Articles like this are harmful. They don’t just affect people in larger bodies. No one should think this is okay regardless of your size. If you are straight-sized, be an ally, speak up or don’t participate in fat shaming; it’s that easy.

I’m angry. But mostly I’m extremely sad for ANY person who reads articles like this & BELIEVES them. How many people are afraid to show up for life because of people & hateful rhetoric like this? If you are someone in a larger body & are interested in working out, or *gasp* RUNNING, please don’t let idiots like this stop you. It might seem scary, but I SEE you and there are a lot of supportive women of all sizes in the running community. Please show up. Your body size is not a measure of your worth & the hate of a few should never stop you from setting goals & kicking ass. Bad-ass women come in ALL bodies.