Pride movement for plus-size women

’MAPALO NKHELOANE

MASERU – A group of plus-size women have formed a Big Beautiful Woman movement they says aims to help them embrace their body shapes and figures with all confidence. Two plus-size women – Neo Maleka and Rets’elisitsoe Lefoka, founded the Movement.

Speaking to Public Eye Lefoka, said the women meet up once every month to hold a social time where they share challenges of being exquisitely ‘a big and beautiful woman’. Big or plus size women are arguably the biggest victims of body-shaming. They usually fall prey of cyber bulling and are often called by discriminating names such as ‘big mama’ irrespective of how old they are.

“We established the movement because we realised how much body shaming has taken its toll. We are being bullied by society as if being big is an illness. We established the movement to link individuals to recognize us as other people. Above all we want to instill confidence in big women and assure them that they are beautiful just the way they are,” Lefoka says. One aspect that Lefoka points out as their greatest achievement is having to collect and group beautiful strangers to make them one big family that is supportive of each other. She says a woman on her own is a powerful creature in her nature so the strength multiplies when they are united.

“We have achieved feeling sexy in our own skin, and we have also built self- confidence that pretty much allows us to stand tall and proud even when the society throws all sorts of shade and discrimination our way. We no longer carry guilt or shame and we are definitely unapologetic about how we are,” Lefoka says. Among the topics they tackle when they get together is how to be successful.

Lefoka says they discuss ways they as women could earn a living and put food on their tables. She says they are not all talk and no action as they go as far as support those who own businesses by buying their goods or getting the services they offer. She says they even promote each other’s work by marketing it on social media.

They also help those without jobs find one. She says the group consists of women professional fields and among them are doctors and nurses who provide them with health and wellness tips and advise them on eating well and exercising to avoid unnecessary illnesses. Another topic they touch is relationships. She says they advise each other on how to keep a healthy and loving relationship with their partners.

She emphasises that they say no to women abuse and discuss issues about coming out of social pressure. Lefoka notes the mind is a powerful tool that can either build or destroy a person. For this matter, she urges fellow big women to accept themselves for who they are and the rest of the world will follow suit. She also advises them to eat healthy, exercise and pay no attention to perpetrators of body shaming as they “clearly have nothing to do with their lives”.