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Woman gets dragged for calling plus-sized mannequin 'gargantuan.' Even Jameela Jamil jumped in.

Woman gets dragged for calling plus-sized mannequin 'gargantuan.' Even Jameela Jamil jumped in.
Bronwyn Isaac
Jun 11, 2019@2:32 PM
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In case you missed it, Nike recently revealed a new plus-size mannequin in their flagship Oxford Street store and people have a LOT of feelings about it, both good and bad.

The feelings on all ends were stoked when Telegraph writer Tanya Gold wrote a reaction piece where she made her distaste for the mannequin known in strong words that might be best discussed with her therapist.

At one point in the article, Gold's fat-phobia comes out in full force when she describes the mannequin: "An immense, gargantuan, vast. She heaves with fat. She is, in every measure, obese, and she is not readying herself for a run on her shiny Nike gear. She cannot run. She is, more likely, pre-diabetic and on her way to a hip replacement."

Needless to say, Gold's flagrant display of disgust for larger bodies received a lot of critique from exhausted consumers, plus-size influencers, and of course, actress Jameela Jamil.

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People were quick to point out the irony of Gold claiming it's "unhealthy" to show a plus-size mannequin, when the mannequin is literally wearing workout clothes.

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The Welsh model Callie Thorpe made an Instagram post about the exhausting and hypocritical feedback loop of fatphobia, and how in one moment people will claim to be worried about the health of plus-size people, only to quickly contradict themselves by freaking out over there being accessible work out clothes for larger bodies.

it’s so disheartening working in an industry where you think great strides are being made, only to be starkly reminded that fatphobia is rampant and no matter what we do we will never be respected Just last week we saw something incredible happen. @nike put a plus size mannequin in Nike Town. A representation of a body we never see in the fitness industry. It was powerful But yet again another think piece comes out. Another dehumanising, awful set of words to remind us fat people that we are despised by society. Tanya Gold the writer of the piece in the Telegraph describes the mannequin as “An 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. She is, more likely, pre-diabetic and on her way to a hip replacement.” I usually would write a response to this with a point to prove. something defending my point of view and those of my peers saying how outdated and disgusting these views are but quite honestly what’s the point? I’m that heaving with fat woman she is talking about. It’s ludicrous that fat people are mocked, bullied and told to get to the gym and lose weight yet we are also told, we don’t deserve the access to active wear. Do you see how ridiculous that is? Which goes to show It’s got nothing to do with health concern and everything to do with prejudice Prejudice and discrimination isn’t just harassment, or discriminatory behaviour. It’s living every day life watching as people stare at you whilst you eat. Move away from you when they think you will sit next to them, listening to countless jokes being made about your body shape on TV any film. It’s doctors not offering you care because of your weight or not getting jobs because of the size dress you wear. It’s no wonder people are turning to extreme weight loss measures like surgery because it feels like the only way out. If you are following this page and you aren’t plus size please use your platform to stand up against this especially and even more so for plus size people of colour. Hashtagging #bodypositivity isn’t enough. Please Speak out

A post shared by Callie Thorpe (@calliethorpe) on

She wrote:

"I usually would write a response to this [Gold’s article] with a point to prove. something defending my point of view and those of my peers saying how outdated and disgusting these views are but quite honestly what’s the point? I’m that heaving with [sic] fat woman she is talking about."

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"It’s no wonder people are turning to extreme weight loss measures like surgery because it feels like the only way out."

"It’s ludicrous that fat people are mocked, bullied and told to get to the gym and lose weight yet we are also told, we don’t deserve the access to active wear. Do you see how ridiculous that is? Which goes to show It’s got nothing to do with health concern and everything to do with prejudice"

The author and activist Megan Jayne Crabbe decided to respond to the trolling article with a bit of trolling herself, so she went to the store, snapped a photo with the mannequin and wrote a post about how she was shocked the "babe responsible for thousands of fatphobes on the internet" was indeed a peaceful, plastic, non-threatening mannequin.

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I thought I'd go and visit the babe responsible for thousands of fatphobes on the internet losing their shit this week. Apparently a fitness brand using mannequins above a UK size 8 is the most outrageously offensive thing that's ever happened! Or to quote some of the comments I've seen - "dangerous", "disgusting", and "promoting death". Imagine my surprise when I entered @nikelondon and the mannequin did not, in fact, try to kill me! We actually got along great and fully rocked this impromptu photoshoot. • And do you know what I noticed during my death defying encounter with a plus size piece of plastic? People of all shapes and sizes were in the store. Some bigger than the mannequin, some smaller, and every single one deserves to see themselves represented and be catered for. Regardless of their fitness level. Whether they work out or not. Whatever fatphobic wankers want to say about who can and cannot wear a pair of fucking leggings. Every one of us is worthy of being represented, celebrated, and seen. This is a very small step in the right direction, and the reaction to it has shown exactly how necessary it is. • P.s. the mannequin is called Avril and she would like to remind you to drink some water and say something nice to yourself today. 💜💙💚🌈☀️ • [image description: Megan is standing in a Nike store next to a plus size mannequin in black sportswear. She's wearing a white crop top, pastel patterned trousers and pink trainers while smiling and leaning on the mannequin as if they're besties] #bodypositivity #bodypositive #bodyconfidence #justdoit #nike #allbodiesaregoodbodies #fitnessmodel #plusisequal #bodyposi

A post shared by Megan Jayne Crabbe 🐼 (@bodyposipanda) on

She wrote:

"Apparently a fitness brand using mannequins above a UK size 8 is the most outrageously offensive thing that's ever happened! Or to quote some of the comments I've seen - "dangerous", "disgusting", and "promoting death". Imagine my surprise when I entered @nikelondon and the mannequin did not, in fact, try to kill me! We actually got along great and fully rocked this impromptu photoshoot."

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The comedian Sofie Hagen joined in to drag Gold's article.

Jameela Jamil really went hard in her responses, urging Gold to find a nearby bin to jump in.

She also called for an official apology from Telegraph, and went on to point out how hypocritical it is to claim fat people are unhealthy while freaking out about them being sold exercise clothes.

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Needless to say, a lot of people weren't happy with Gold's take, and the ones who were flocked to the comments section of the Telegraph to air their grievances with a woman-shaped piece of plastic.

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