Plus Size Model Confronts Her Troll | KARAMO

We've all heard of the term body shaming, which is the practice of humiliating or criticizing someone for their physical appearance. And it's something that is affecting our culture for everyone, both young and old, men and women. Which brings me to my first guest, Shawntel. Breaking up with friends and taking a step back can sometimes be a hard thing to do, but it's very necessary. Shawntel is fed up with her ex-friend Christian, who she says her fat shaming Facebook rants were deal breakers for their friendship. Let's take a look.

We in a world of too much acceptance. Everything ain't accepted, sweetheart. It ain't. Spandex ain't for everybody, sweetheart. No fat shaming. You should be ashamed to be fat. Social media has these thinking that everything is accepted. Everything is not accepted. Oh, you killing them, girl. Ooh, hot girl summer. No, fat girl, you look stank. You worried about putting makeup on your face face, you need to be worried about getting that fat off your body. Y'all gonna be offended? I don't give a fuck, okay? You're lazy. I'm calling a spade a spade. You're lazy.

Well, everyone, please welcome Chantel to the show. Okay, first of all, we give it up for a queen when we see a queen, right?

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Okay, it's normally not my place to judge, but in this case, we saw that disgusting video and it's disgusting and I don't tolerate it. So please tell me a little bit more about your ex-friendship.

Well, Christian and I were friends for about 4 years. And he's been taking to social media on these rants about how women should look, big, small, if we need to be in the gym, we need to stop making excuses. And that is really torn our friendship apart, 'cause I am big into body positivity. This is what I stand for. I've been this shape.

An amazing shape. Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am.

Since 14.

Yes.

So having to have this battle constantly and then to have it with your friend, somebody you considered a friend, that's where it hurts me the most.

My gosh. So what are the type of things that he's personally said to you?

Rants on social media, what he posts, and it affects me because he comments under my things too. And I'm just trying to uplift everybody.

What does he comment under your things? I wanna know.

Ooh, we need to go to the gym. You need to stop wearing makeup, lashes. The Spanx aren't working for us. It's bad. You see, can you read that?

Body positivity is just another way of saying you lazy and would rather put on makeup and lashes, wig, weave, nails. All you try to cover up is the fact that you lazy and weak. Uh-uh, no.

So you can see why this has bothered our relationship. I can't even look at him no more, let alone talk to him.

Why confront Christian now?

Because it's not only for myself, it's for everybody. I have a daughter, I have 4 kids. I got 4 kids, so I don't want her to ever have to go through this.

How did you get this confident?

I started in plus-size era at the age of 14. 14, so I just knew I wasn't gonna look like everybody else. So I had to stand in the mirror and be accepting of what I had. All you can do is own your sexy, own your beautiful, and just give it to the world, 'cause authentically it's just you.

How did you get there?

Counseling, standing in front of the mirror saying mantras every day. Just people around me telling me how beautiful I am and finally having the oomph to believe it.

That's it, that's it. Yeah. How did you find that courage?

Well, you always wanna keep positivity around you all the time because negative anything plays on your mental.

Amen.

It brings you down and you don't wanna feel like that. So having to step away once you express to that person, look, this is what's bothering me, this is what you're doing to my self-esteem, and either you're gonna fix it or we can no longer be friends.

Amen.

And that's it.

So I wanna know, why do you think Christian says these things?

Secretly, I think he likes plus-size women. You know, usually when someone taunts something, it's a thing.

Thou who protest.

You know?

That's what they say, right?

Yeah, so deep down inside, I think he may have a fetish for plus-size women and he just can't get it out. That's what I think. You know, that's usually how it works.

And so now that Christian is outta your life, how's that been affecting you and your family? Because I know your kids used to be close to Christian, right?

Yes. Christian and his son also, our kids play together. So for them not to be a part of each other's life, that's like, we shouldn't have to live like that. Because you feel a certain type of way. You can always keep your opinions to yourself. We come in various shapes, sizes, colors, and why can't you just love me for that? Why is that not enough?

Yeah.

So.

Do you wanna repair this relationship?

If he's willing to change. If you can get through to him, Karamo. It's been hard. I couldn't get through to him.

What does change mean? Because it's one thing to say stop posting negative stuff. But what does it mean for you for him to change? What does that look like?

Just keep the negative comments to a minimum. Matter of fact, don't even say them at all. If you wanna help the community, if you wanna get more people active in fitness, be an example. It works to be an example versus putting someone or anyone down for where they are, cuz you don't know what they're dealing with in their life. You don't know what they're possibly going through, and you're just tearing us down even more. So if I have confidence now, imagine the next girl who doesn't have the confidence.

Yes.

Be a situation where it's the all in to be all for that person.

Listen, it's the truth. Before we go to break and we bring Christian out, can we show the world why you are a plus-size model making it all, hitting these runways?

Yes, everyone. Yes. Yes. Thank you.

Listen, everyone, Christian is here and he has a special message for Shawntel as well as other women. I'm gonna shake your hand. How you doing, Christian?

How you doing?

I'm good. Have a seat. You look smooth. I ain't gonna diss you.

You look smooth.

You look smooth.

Appreciate it.

I appreciate it. Okay, so I saw that video and the only words that came to my mind was disgusting. Why do you feel like you have to be this rude and put these videos out to like talk about people's weight?

Well, let me tell you something. I tried the other way and I'm gonna be honest with you. I tried the other way. I've used good vernacular. He talking to me or you? Listen, I tried though. See, that's what happens. I don't know about all. But I tried the other way. I have videos, I have posts.

He was just trying to make sure.

This is your friend.

She was there.

Yeah, but she—

I haven't seen it.

I mean, come on now.

Lead by example. Why do you have to be aggressive?

You're an offensive tackle. I'm a coach.

This is how coaches talk to tackles. I mean, y'all big. I'm just being honest with you. Just like coaches talk to tackles.

Excuse me.

No. Well, a nose guard then.

So I wanna know from you, why do you believe that women who are the size that Chantel is should be fat shamed. Why do you believe that? 'Cause that's what you're doing, you're shaming women.

I don't call it fat shaming.

What do you call it? Is it the truth?

Is she—

Truth to you?

No, no, no, it's the truth.

For who?

See, your movement has, it's almost like y'all wanna join different movements instead of joining the gym. It's the truth. Everybody can see, there's small people, there's anorexic, there's in between, and then there's obese.

But why is the obese crowd that you're attacking? Why are we the issue?

'Cause you're unhealthy. Let me tell you something. I'm—

hold, hold.

Wait, there are people who are size 10 and are unhealthy. They eat crap, they don't take care of themselves. Just because you're small frame does not mean you're healthy.

Why is it a problem for women to celebrate their curves? Why is it okay? Why is it not okay for you?

You can celebrate curves, but when it becomes unhealthy, let me tell you something. The number one killers in the community, right? Are hypertension, high blood pressure, and what else? What else?

Heart disease.

Heart disease. All of those are a direct contribution of what? Obesity, being overweight, having this much pressure on your heart. Your skeleton's not even prepared to carry that much weight.

But that's a different conversation versus saying that someone is lazy.

I'm not talking about that.

Saying that someone is like, not other way.

No, baby, it's not the other way.

And I don't care about you not being my friend because let me tell you something. If I can't listen, and I'm not saying it that way, but I'm saying it in this way right here. I gotta be your friend, I gotta tell you the truth, the honest to God truth. You got friends around, you got friends. No, okay, well what is the way? The love wins everything. There is no way to tell the truth.

Yes it is, be the example. Show people that working out is important and why it's important.

Well, I don't show people working out is important.

I don't, I don't, I don't show, I don't do that.

On top of the antics that you put out on social media.

Oh no, you do videos. You do videos on social media and for the past 3 years you've been the same size. Where is the, where is, where's, let me see the results.

What's wrong with my size?

What's wrong with my body?

Christian, I wanna know, Why do you feel like you're not being judgmental?

'Cause it's the truth. Listen, when you go to the doctor—

This is what we're gonna have to do. And honestly, we're gonna have to stop saying that that's the truth.

Thank you.

Because the thing is, is that it is unfortunately, you giving an opinion about someone's body is not the truth. That is your opinion. But you calling someone lazy, you saying that they go to the store, they're fat, they're doing, these are not truths. You can't keep calling them truths.

Why are they not true?

Because it's not true. That's not true. Because I'm looking at this queen right now who is not lazy. She has a family. She's not lazy. This is not a lazy woman.

I've known her.

And you wanna call your ex—

I don't see the results. I don't see the results.

But you're saying you don't see the results.

Yeah, yeah. Come on now, come on now, come on now, come on.

'Cause I think my family here has told you they don't agree with you.

They agree with Shawntel.

There's some people right now that do agree with me. They're sitting beside someone that's probably an upright hog and they don't really wanna say nothing. They don't wanna say nothing. They probably really—

Hold on, hold on.

Did you say upright what?

Hog.

That's how you look.

It's not acceptable for a young man, 'cause I'm gonna call you young, that knows better.

Know better.

Knows better. If you had a daughter right now and your daughter was being talked to this way, if I called your daughter an upright hog, how would you feel?

If she looked like an upright hog, she'd just be an upright hog.

No. It is what it is.

Absolutely not.

Sometimes you gotta embrace the truth.

Absolutely not.

For real. For real.

No, I have a daughter.

Why would I want anybody —body positivity, are you teaching the positivity to your daughter? Does that mean you give your daughter honey buns in the morning?

Is that body positivity, just be fat?

Body positivity is not about that. Body positivity is loving yourself where you are in life.

And what you do not like about yourself, you change it. No, it's not. Okay, well, I'm gonna cut this real quick.

What I want y'all to know, and I want everyone at home to know this as well, no woman should ever have to debate a man over her body. So what we're gonna do is we're gonna cut this conversation right now.

So I want every woman at home to understand this.

There will be men in your life that are ignorant, that want to tell you that who you are is not enough. And let myself, let Shawntel, and let my family here in the audience be the first to tell you, your body is perfectly designed as is. You keep loving who you are, and if you can't find that love in yourself, there are people like us that wanna reach out to you and send you that love. Don't ever listen to the Christians in your life. We will be right back. So obviously here's my whole take on the situation and advice. Shawntel, you did the right thing by cutting Christian out of your life. We all see that. But since you cut him outta your life, you're down one friend. Can I be your new friend? Of course.

Yes. Yes. Yay. And then secondly, can you teach me how to do that model walk? Look. 'Cause I wanna make sure that my body feels good too. Yes. Can we get a little? What I gotta do? Yes. Yeah. Come on, now we can strut it. Let me see.

We got to get—

hold on, let's move this out the way. Let's get the runway right here, love. And can we have some fans? Who want to come join me and model? You want to come join me? Come join me. Come join me and model. Come join me. Hold on. There we go. Right there. All right, cool. We got to set it up for the show. Model. Come on. 'Cause I'm doing this because I wanna show people that no matter how your body looks, you are beautiful no matter what. So can we start a little runway show? Yes, come on. Yes. I'm gonna go next, yeah. Ah, ah. Yes. Come on, show that body. Yes. Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. Yeah! Yeah! Look at that body! Yes! Give it up!

Hold on, where you going? I'll tell you where you're going. Right here to subscribe, and right here to watch more.

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