A North Carolina woman has proven once and for all that size does not matter when it comes to busting a move.
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Radio producer Whitney Way Thore's series of pulse pumping YouTube videos A Fat Girl Dancing has gone viral in recent months thanks to her impressive skills on the dance floor.
Now Thore is using her newfound popularity to take her plus-size prosthelytizing to the masses.
The videos were in part the idea of her co-worker at 1075 KZL show Jared and Katie in the Morning, Jared Pike.
"I had the idea for No Body Shame Campaign after I posted
While many responses were positive, there was a whoooole lotta fat-shaming going on! I started blogging really just for therapy."
But Pike knew of her awesome moves and suggested she make a
Over several months, the videos--which feature Thore dancing to songs by Robin Thicke, Pussy Cat Dolls and others--gained a solid following and recieved tens of thousands of views.
And when she decided to put a recent dance video on Facebook, her popularity skyrocketed.
"Instead of posting a link to YouTube, I embedded the video directly into Facebook.
This allowed it to become more visible and reach more people through the 150k+ shares!"
Now Thore is getting compliments left and right and giving plenty of visibility to her No Body Shame Campaign, but things didn't always feel so bright.
The lifelong dancer was teaching others the skill as early as 16, but weight gain too a serious toll on her confidence.
"Unable to face my reflection, I failed out of dance class my first semester.
By the time I had graduated college, been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, moved to Korea, and gained 200 pounds, I was finally able to dance socially, at a club or party, but never dreamed I would take a class or perform publicly ever again."
But thanks to some soul searching and the redemptive powers of dance and viral internet fame, Thore is back and better than ever.
"I am learning to practice aggressive self-love. I have lived my life as a 130-pound woman and as a 350-pound woman in North America, in Europe, and in Asia.
Cultural norms, societal pressures, and the whims of the fashion industry do not define my worth as woman or a human being."
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