“Fatophobia exists and in our country it is something that we have not even talked about in the slightest.”
With this phrase, the Mexican actress Michelle Rodríguez begins her message of about eight minutes, published in a video that she uploaded to her YouTube account.
In the video, the actress, who is promoting the Netflix series “On the ropes” of which she is a part, responds to the negative comments she has received for her appearance on the February cover of the renowned Marie Claire magazine.
The edition with Rodríguez on the cover was published on January 26 on the magazine’s Instagram account.
Most of the negative comments that followed the publication have referenced her body and criticized the fashion and lifestyle magazine for putting an overweight woman on the cover.
Rodríguez, who has already spoken on previous occasions on the subject of fatophobia -as the rejection and discrimination of people with excess weight is called-, and even produced a series also on the Netflix streaming platform that talks about his life and the suffering she had in adolescence due to her weight, she decided to come out against the critics with a forceful video.
“Just as there were a lot of people taking the time to make positive comments, there were a lot of people taking the time to have big discussions, to talk about me with very ugly adjectives,” says the actress.
“They say that I don’t look good, that I’m fat and that this shouldn’t happen; that we are romanticizing obesity; that’s disgusting; why am I in a magazine if I see myself as I see myself,” added the Mexican.
One of the main topics that Rodríguez touches on in the video are the comments on the state of health of an overweight person.
“It is not right to talk about someone else’s body, nor about the issue of health. If my health were bad, even so, being a sick woman, I am still worthy of the cover of a magazine,” says the actress.
And he adds: “I live in a big body and I’m not ashamed. I take care of it, I honor it, I respect it and I enjoy it. This body has led me to fulfill my dreams: it makes me sing, dance, write, drive, play, love and hug the ones I love. My body is not a battle, my body is a revolution.”
The video has been seen by more than 50,000 people on the platform and has opened a new conversation that has spread throughout this week.
For example, the Mexican actress Aislinn Derbez, who was in the comedy “The House of Flowers”, sent a message of support to his colleague.
“He left a very powerful video responding to bullying and fatphobia. Cool friend. I love you,” he wrote on his Twitter account.
“It’s not right to talk about someone else’s body, not even with the issue of health,” said the actress. GETTY IMAGES
a struggle of years
This is not the first time that Rodríguez has spoken about fatphobia in Mexico.
The actress gained recognition for her participation in the Mexican television comedy “40 y 20”, which has been broadcast since 2016, where she plays the role of Refugio Lorenza Antonia or “Toña”, a domestic employee.
This role helped her to carry out other projects such as the series based on her own life, “The Most Beautiful Flower”, in which the challenges of a teenager who dreams of being an actress are portrayed, but who must overcome the standards of beauty. and the body imposed by society.
For years he has also tried to accompany people who are affected by fatphobia in his country for different reasons.
In mid-2021, he answered several questions that his followers asked him on the subject.
Michelle Rodríguez will be in the Netflix series “On the ropes”. GETTY IMAGES
“I think recognizing yourself, respecting yourself, valuing yourself, talking (when possible), being consistent. Little by little, see how beautiful it is and treasure it. Try every day to stop comparing yourself. Love your differences, find yourself unique and listen to the comments of love,” he wrote.
With the promotion of the series “Contra las cuerdas”, where she plays the role of Josefina, a shy woman who expresses herself much better in a wrestling ring, she put the issue back on the table with the appearance on the cover of Marie Claire.
There he spoke, in addition to his character, of the “message about the importance of being ourselves and learning to be our best company.”
Rodríguez added in his YouTube video that the discussion about fatphobia in Mexico must be expanded and continued.
“To all the people who have written to me and tell me that they feel represented and that in some way it touches them because it helps them to move from the place where they are and makes them question if their body is valuable or not, here it is, this is for all of us, there we go opening doors”.
And he concludes: “Representation is important and it is happening.”
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