JCPenney has a defiant new campaign for Boutique+, #HereIAm, about how measurements shouldn’t be a measure of your worth. From Adweek:
JCPenney takes the stand that your measurements aren’t a measure of your worth with its defiant new campaign from mcgarrybowen, themed #HereIAm. The nearly three-minute fist-pump for JCPenney’s plus size Boutique+ puts the focus on five fabulous fat girls who are defying society’s limited perceptions of what you’re allowed to do beyond a certain size.
Popular fashion blogger GabiFresh, Project Runway-winning designer Ashley Nell Tipton, best-selling author Jes Baker, singer Mary Lambert and yoga lover Valerie Sagun give poignant and personal perspectives on their personal journey toward self-love.
It’s a journey the rest of society will have trouble with, if the comments are any indication. There’s a ridiculous idea that JCPenney is encouraging obesity just because the video suggests you shouldn’t be an asshole to fat people by telling them what they can or can’t do as a result of their weight.
A lot of the hateful commentary is disguised as a sincere concern for the health of the women in the video—that is, the comments that aren’t straight-up hate. But whether it’s rocking some yoga or rocking onstage, “fat girls can [and should] do whatever they want.” Shaming people for their shape is frankly, shameful. Health shouldn’t even enter into the discussion of whether or not it’s OK to be a jerk to other people.