Meet Whitney Thore, the plus-size ballerina who breaks down prejudices

Whitney is proof that dance is for everyone
Photo: reproduction / Youtube

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Who is Whitney?

Whitney Thore is an ordinary American woman who is passionate about dancing. She’s been skinny all her life. But ten years ago, after being diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, she gained 90 kilos in a short time. This transformed what was a communicative and happy girl into a closed person, who no longer wanted to go out dancing and have fun with her friends. “I kept criticizing my body. I thought that as long as I was fat, I didn’t deserve to live like other people, “she reports. “I had to undergo therapy to overcome the trauma of gaining weight. The psychologist helped me to understand that I was not just a fat girl, but a beautiful, talented, funny and friendly girl. That I didn’t just need to think about my obesity, but to reinforce what was best in me”, completes Whitney.

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What is No Body Shame?

When he finally decided to accept his body, his life improved for good. “I understood that I wasn’t going to solve anything by being a prisoner in my own house,” says Whitney. And the first thing she did was go back to dancing. Daily workouts helped her lose her body shame and find her own style. And that’s how she started to win the internet. In the beginning with your dance videos Fat Girl Dancing, which he recorded and posted on YouTube and later, with his campaign Nobody shade (nobodyshame.com), where he motivated and continues to motivate everyone to love their body the way it is. She encourages you to live a life enhancing your talents and benefits regardless of society’s “norms”. “Yes, it is possible to do the things you love and wear the clothes you like without fear of being judged by someone. Start doing it now!”, she states. According to Whitney, more and more people identify with her principles. And this fact of helping people to feel good about themselves makes her very happy and inspired to create new dances.

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learn from her

It wasn’t easy for Whitney to gain confidence at the beginning of the journey of self-acceptance. “When I started going out with my friends again, I was ashamed to be on their side and I also thought they were ashamed of me. But today, I know that all of those were just fears created by my own head.” According to her, most of the time we are the only ones who are noticing the defects. If we reverse the situation, and only reinforce talents and qualities, the people next to us won’t even notice our imperfections. After all, as everyone knows, nobody is ideal. “The secret is to get out of your comfort zone and jump in, without thinking too much. Because while you are over-analyzing the paths you take, opportunities pass you by,” she says. “Our life is in our hands and only we determine whether it will be full of regrets or full of achievements”, concludes Whitney.

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