Woman responds to Playboy model's body shaming with epic photo
Playboy magazine's 2015 "Playmate of the Year" was ripped apart last week for fat-shaming a random woman on social media.
Dani Mathers posted an image of a naked woman getting undressed in a gym locker room with the rude caption "If I can't unsee this then you can't either" on Snapchat on Wednesday.
Amid the negative backlash spurred by Mathers' snap -- including her getting fired from her job, banned from her gym and investigated by the LAPD's sexual assault unit -- one woman used the incident to send out a body-positive message to the world.
Nicole Henry took to Facebook on July 14 to clap back at Mathers by sharing a photo of herself beaming in a two-piece bathing suit.
"This morning, I read an article about a certain Playboy model "accidentally" sending out a picture of a naked woman at the gym, with a distasteful, hateful, caption attached," Henry began. "It really got to me. I started thinking about how fat people, like me, get judged by some solely by our outward appearance, and that really bothered me."
"Now, before I continue," she clarified, "let me mention that I know I am fat and so when I use that adjective I am doing it in a matter-of-fact way. Anyone who looks at me can tell I'm not hiding a six pack under my shirt."
Henry went on to list all of the amazing accomplishments that "this body" has done, including volunteering in a school in a slum in Africa, building houses with Habitat for Humanity, running two 5Ks, becoming a certified foster parent, earning 2 undergraduate degrees and teaching kindergarten for 6 years.
"This body may be fat," she continued, "but it has volunteered at the local children's hospital and worked in many daycare centers taking care of kids of all ages. I've snuggled sick babies, helped kids deal with the loss of family members, gotten kids clothing who haven't had enough, and spent countless hours ensuring those children felt loved and cared for."
Since it was posted, Henry's photo and story have been shared 226 times and racked up over 100 comments.
She ends her message with a callout to people like Mathers who find it okay to judge books by their covers.
"My body is strong, it's powerful, and it's mine," she wrote. "I'm not asking you to think I'm beautiful, or to admire the things I have done. I am asking you to realize that there is more to a person than what their body looks like."
More on the charges Mathers could face for her snap:
