The fierce self-acceptance vibe emanating from Beyonce’s song “Flawless” has inspired one fan to make a version of the video that sends an equally powerful message about positive body image.
GabiFresh fashion blogger Gabi Gregg, a self-described “curvy girl,” said she fell in love with the song after hearing Beyonce tell haters to “bow down” — and realizing she often felt like doing the same thing.
“As a fat woman of color, I'm often treated differently than my thin, white peers. By brands, by fellow bloggers, by the media,” she writes in a post Wednesday introducing the video #everyBODYisflawless.
She said she often gets passed over, stared at and whispered about.
“I get hate mail and trolling comments from people who call me disgusting and say I shouldn't be allowed in public. Like Bey, I usually just brush these people off, and I never give them power by addressing them here or anywhere else,” she said. “But it gets tiring, and sometimes I'm really tempted to drop the ladylike thing and just kind of ... go off.”
So Gregg recruited two friends, fellow style bloggers Nadia Aboulhosn and Tess Munster, to star in their own video of the Beyonce song. The result is full of attitude and self acceptance.
Gregg said a goal for the video was to show the support her cohorts have for each other.
"We are not competing to be the top dog in our niche," she said. Instead, they all strive for the same target: "Body positivity and inclusivity."
She also wanted to prove that "flawlessness" is not dependent on size.
“Fat is not a flaw," she writes. "This video is dedicated to the mainstream media, to the fashion industry, to internet bullies, and to anyone else who thinks it's their right to try to make us feel less than because of their insecurities."