Getting dressed in the morning has historically been something that is easier said than done for women. Dressing for the weather is one thing, but we also have to worry about whether we look appropriate or are inviting criticism for our outfit choices.
No one is more vulnerable to negative comments than people like Demetria Obilor, whose job involves being on television where she's seen by thousands of viewers on a daily basis.
Demetria recently started working at Dallas TV station WFAA Channel 8 News as a traffic reporter. Unfortunately, she's been in the news ever since, and not because of her broadcast journalism skills. Rather, it's because of her outfit choices.
It isn't the first time that news reporters have been the target of body shamers. The way most of the public responded to the criticism Demetria received should serve as a much-needed reminder that most people aren't as judgmental as the internet would have you believe.
[H/T: NBS News]
Demetria Obilor had only been working as the traffic reporter at WFAA Channel 8 News in Dallas for two weeks before someone posted some very hurtful comments about her appearance online.
The comment, which has since been deleted from Facebook, said, "She's a size 16/18 woman in a size 6 dress and looks ridiculous," according to NBC News.
This isn't the first time that Demetria has been the victim of criticism for her appearance on television, but it was the first time her story made national headlines and got a lot of attention.
Demetria luckily has thick skin, but this time, her story and her response made some serious waves and garnered a lot of media attention.
Thousands of people on Twitter jumped to defend Demetria after news of her body shamer went public.
Even famous music artists like Chance the Rapper caught wind of her story and shared their support for the traffic reporter.
All of the attention surrounding this story is in part due to Demetria's unapologetic response video on Twitter.
In the video, she says:
Hey everyone, so I’m waking up from my Friday nap right? Apparently to some controversy, but a whole lot of love.
The controversy is coming from people who aren’t too happy with the way that I look on television saying, “Oh, her body is too big for that dress,” or “She’s too curvy” or “Her hair is unprofessional, it’s crazy we don’t like it.”
A quick word to those people: This is the way that I’m built, this is the way that I was born. I’m not going anywhere, so if you don’t like it you have your options.
In the video, Demetria goes on to thank all of the people who were so quick to shut down her body shamer, and to remind other women facing the same problems that they aren't alone.
Demetria makes a good point when she tells NBC: "I'm not a 16/18, but even if I was, for you to try to call out my size like that to hurt me or discriminate against me, I'm not for that."
I think we can all agree that we are not for that either, and that Demetria is absolutely beautiful just the way she is.
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