Danelle Walker You do know she was just an idea an artist or story teller had right? Your drawing made no choices. Why do you think they made the twisted jealous witch an obese hag with no self-awareness? Does your brain even function?
Responsible Costanza You do know that stories and art have meanings that they convey to the audience? If someone creates a character that is a a shapeshifter and has that character with an unconventional body than the message relayed beyond the lines as such is that the character is that way because they chose to be. Clearly my brain does function as I am able to analyse and draw meaning from a text, something you are clearly unable to do. I can also notice and appreciate subtle character nuances, that you missed. Maybe before you attempt to insult my intelligence over an offhand admiration of a character we are supposed to view as ugly, you should reevaluate your passiveness towards gathering meaning from text.
Danelle Walker You remember the part where she skeemed to seduce prince such and such? Did she shift shape into another fat wench or a lithe young girl? I think you'll now realize that even your cartoon hero recognizes she is hideous.
My problem with Disney slimming Ursula down is that, Ursula is a shapeshifter. The way that she appears is the way SHE liked and wanted to be. The fact that they changed her is a breach on the basis of her being.
"Wasn't it enough that they made you a witch? ...You were perfect and I pity the poor, unfortunate soul that would dare paint you as anything less." I love Melissa May for this piece. I pity the unfortunate souls who can't see these bodies as beautiful and deserving of iconism.
+Michael Ibiam I never said that.... Being obese doesn't mean you can't be a heroine, or a princess and some kids just need to know that... and most obese kids in cartoons are side kicks (at least here in my country)....I agree with you that some kids may develop bad eating habits though. But still, I don't believe that parents would approve of such choice, and if they allow it, it's something they believe they want.... Later on in life, they'd either regret it and try to cut down, or love it and carry on.... It's THEIR CHOICE
Thank you for doing a body positive poem without hating on the skinny girls. You attacked the media and their idea of perfection, and that's how it SHOULD be done. Thank you thank you thank you for spreading love without hatred secretly attached to it
I don't know why people in this comment section are acting so viciously towards this women. It makes me sick. It's not because they didn't release a full figured doll, it's about the social conformity that women face. It's not to celebrate being full figured/obese. It's just the fact that Disney changed the figure of an iconic villain in order to fit beauty standards of todays market. This poem is very important! It shouldn't matter if the writer is athletic, skinny, chubby or full figured. It's about sending a message that you're beautiful no matter what size you are.
@Villet Chuckie people who feel good about themselves don't respond to a five year old comment lamenting and complaining about a slam poetry performance. Just carry on with your day lmfao.
compressed rage swelling. Denied a hero's narrative.. feeling forbidden, written as repulsive. why wouldnt she be 10 thousand feet tall on the stage. They said she was a lot there. So she (melissa may) cast a spell here
I believe if she was thin, people would not be bashing her as much as they are right now. I actually enjoyed it and did not think she was hating on skinny people, this was from her experience, poetry is about self expression. I don't understand why you have to bring up shit like let's see if she lives to be 80 with that body. STFU, what does that have to do with her poem. If she was a size 5 NOBODY would be commenting on her weight. This is my opinion, everyone's entitled to one. You can hate it or love it, and I personally loved this poem.
THANK YOU. I'm more than a little amazed at the fat-hate comments on this one. She has the stones to stand up there and express something people like her live with every single day, and people are hating. It's sad.
I'm gonna have to agree with her, slimming down Ursula ruins the "image" of her being a villain. She DID have a swagger, she WAS clever, SHE almost won, she was an epic villain and I liked her song (as much as Scar's). Slimming Ursula down is like taking away the voice of Scar, the viciously mean stare of Maleficent, even the smoothness of Dr. Facilier. Disney is weird sometimes
I see a lot of comments about how she should lose weight or how she would be thin if she would put as much effort in exercise as in writing this poem. I have been big all my life. I have been on several diets, done loads of exercise, stopped eating sugar and it didn't help. Nothing helped. I barely lost weight. After about 6 years I am now completely done with trying to lose weight. My point is, for some people it is very very hard to lose weight for unexplainable reasons. No matter how hard you work, results might not be there in the end.
They should show this in every english class, this is how a poem can be moving, and real, and just touch your soul. This is real- and cuts deep. I loved it.
+Dino Moorman Yeah, ranting about a fat ass imaginary character who dropped weight isn't weird or cringe worthy at all. This chick needs to hang out with the Bronies who want to get it on with their faves. They could all commiserate about how the world is unfair and perform shitty poetry afterward.
+Kona jinx I feel like you have some problem with different body type, are you okay dude? Like commenting on a bunch of people's post about you *meanly* disagree is a bit over the top man. Like, just dislike and move on.
This is not a poem about eating yourself to an unhealthy standard. It's a piece about accepting yourself for who you are and not being afraid to do so. We don't know this woman's history, obesity can run down your family bloodline. Depression plays a part of that, being bullied and harassed is also a common factor. Open your minds, people.
Most people in this comment section make me want to throw up everywhere. This poem is important. It is showing how the media only glorifies one type of body and shames the others, which y'all are doing a great job of. Just because someone is bigger does not mean they are unhealthy. The media is teaching people of all ages that the only way to be beautiful is by being a size zero skinny, and that my friends is unhealthy.
This poem is exceptionally beautiful. Some may argue that it's promoting an unhealthy body type, but I disagree. While a certain amount of body fat can be unhealthy, there are many factors that contribute to a person's weight. Likewise, skinny does not always mean healthy either. This poem is all about the media portraying bigger girls as unattractive, and this person did an astounding and spectacular job of proving them wrong.
+San Antonio it's not that their unhealthy it's just their body type. Many 'larger people' are athletes, it just depends on your sport. Also, sweat? Really, come on man everybody does that! What are you gonna saying going to the bathroom is gross now too? And everyone also some fat on their body! For you don't you had a serious problem and its probably anorexia. And heavy breathing again, it's a pretty normal thing depending on the circumstance. And if you reply, 'yeah but I mean he at breathing when you do -blank-', like do you know every individual person who is ever, saying, walking up stairs, I'm pretty fit and even I breath heavy while climbing them. They are fundamentally hard to climb. Finally, even if someone is overweight, are you saying they are unattractive and that no one will love them. Come on man, that's just superficial.
TheBookGoddess No, there are no morbidly obese athletes (except the e sports ones?) and if you practise sports it makes it even easier to lose weight since you'll consume more calories among other things. About sweat it doesn't get trapped in rolls of fat, normal people don't sweat as much and they can say two sentences without catching their breeath.
A lot of people on here are talking about how being fat or overweight or obese is unhealthy. That this poem is a load of garbage and how this is wrong and shouldn't be promoting obesity, but I suppose I just took it from a different stand point. I took it from the view of all the girls in the world who are naturally bigger than other girls. All people are created equally and built differently. It is not healthy to be over the healthy amount of body fat you should have, but even then there are still people who are naturally built larger than others, they exist too. Crazy, I know, but there are people out there who are "big girls" and are in tip-top shape. I would let this poem empower them. Those people who are constantly told they're fat and encouraged to lose weight when they're really as healthy as they should be. She's not fat, she's just built that way. So yeah, unhealthy is bad, but big isn't. Big girl, you are beautiful.
SoScary I'm not saying she's healthy. I was simply saying that the girls who are naturally built to be bigger could be more empowered or inspired by this video. It's just my take on things, no need to call me a moron. That's a little harsh, don't you think?
Symone Reid This poem is directly relating to obesity. This woman has this whole "I'm overweight & perfect attitude". Sure she might be be born with a curvy frame but she is still overweight. Having a naturally bigger frame is not being fat and most mature girls know this. There's a big difference. Issue 1: A lot of young girls think they are fat when they're not because of social media. Issue 2: You can not counter it with "It's okay you're overweight" attitude. Two wrongs don't make a right. There needs to be a bigger focus on health education in schools. I apologize for calling you a moron but you need to see both sides of the argument. People like her are making the situation worse. 600,000 views of wasted potential. People should be made proud to be healthy and only that.
SoScary hm, I see what you mean and I agree ^^ you have good views and a reasonable mind. Hopefully you can come to influence more people to become healthier beyond youtube comments. Have a nice life ^^ (I don't know if it's day or night for you so I supposed life would work)
Wow. It's amazing how angry people get when a heavy person feels good about themselves. You all just can't take it. All she's doing is feeling empowered, and suddenly all of you (mostly hiding behind cartoon avatars, I notice) are health and diet specialists. This was amazing, and she is amazing.
What the fuck does cartoon avatars have ANYTHING to do with this? ***(I'm not even going to comment//ing on the raging discussing/topic at hand around me)*** People have been using Avatars for years. I hate it when people assume people are dip-shits for using an image they like to represent themselves.
narutoman876 What I don't quite get is why overweight people aren't allowed to feel good about themselves? I personally find it quite amazing that a person who weighs the same amount as three healthy-weight people can even get out of the bed in the morning. Considering that just climbing a staircase can be an enormous feat for them, they deserve better than the criticism they're getting. You try carrying around your two/three best buddies on your back for a day and see how well you manage.
Everyone should feel great about themselves, but not about things that are harmful for you. She should feel great about herself as a human being, but no reason to feel good about your dangerously excessive fat. That's just silly.
I'm sorry, but this is a bunch of crap. As someone who lost 63 lbs., let me just say that if you're fat, you're not trapped in that body. It's the hardest thing you'll ever have to do but you can lose the weight if you're mentally strong enough. Fat is unhealthy. That's why I lost my weight. To promote acceptance and love for fat is to promote and condone a series of dangerous habits. You only get one life. There's no point in spending your one life on earth as a fat, self-conscious, hurt, hurting, and vulnerable person who's body is under constant, self-inflicted stress.
Just for the record, a proven disease, just like anorexia nervosa, but the opposite is possible or even people who suffer from a slow metabolism or other things such as momo. Keep an open mind people! It's not all just black & white, most of it is grey!
The point is even if you are lazy and eat terribly, you're no less of a human being. You are not your weight. And your weight is no one else's business.
TheLoDown Nobody is saying that you are less of a human being. But don't celebrate it. I don't want my kids to think being obese is alright because it's unhealthy.
Or you could just not focus on size at all and simply on a healthy lifestyle. The point is we place way too much emphasis on the external. And yeah when you say fat is unhealthy, I think that I'm not as a good as other people even though compared to many a skinny person, I practice generally better healthier habits. And I have a good heart and a good mind. But no one seems to care, because well I'm fat and gross? You eat taco bell and doritos and mountain dew and don't excercise but your skinny? No problem. You try to eat healthy and excercise a couple of times a week but your fat - you must be lazy.
TheLoDown Well typically those who are OBESE do not have a healthy lifestyle. If you are obese, I guarantee that your heart is under more pressure than someone who is skinny. Being overweight is normal but obese is a different thing. I'm glad that you're happy and that's fine. But, please don't justify obesity because of a disorder. Those are serious problems that doctors address.
This is so beautiful, so moving and so powerful. I've watched at least five times. I can't get it out of my head. Thank you for defending our beloved Sea Goddess and thank you for being so beautiful while doing it.
The point isn't that being fat is a goal. The point is that some people ARE fat. That's how it is. That's how it's always going to be, and it is not your place to force feed them your skinny propaganda. There is no perfect size, no perfect beauty. No matter how hard they try, some people will never look the way you want them to. SO LEAVE US THE FUCK ALONE. I am beautiful whether I am a size 2 or a size 25, as long as I feel that way. Society makes "fat" out to be bad, makes anyone who doesn't fit into the size 0 mold of Disney out to be evil, wrong, lazy, etc. Can I get a fat Disney princess? Can I get a gay princess? Can I get someone who will show me that beauty is not the way you look; it's the way you feel? I'm tired of being told that I have to look a certain way to be acceptable. I am tired of being worried that the way people see me is based on what they SEE. "Don't you give me raw meat and tell me it is nourishment. I know a slaughterhouse when I see one". Don't give me stipulations on my own well-being. Ursula is beautiful because she's honest. 'Skinny' Ursula is a lie.
I really liked this. I can understand some of the other comments as in she is just a character, but sometimes to some people, they are more than just characters. if something makes you angry/upset/happy enough to write about it, it means something to you. she had some guts to get up there and read that poem.
Everyone on here saying "I lost such and such pounds and being fat is unhealthy you shouldn't glorify it" THE MEDIA GLORIFIES BEING THIN. TO A POINT WHERE PEOPLE ARE SKELETONS IN A COUNTRY WHERE FOOD IS ABUNDANT. Fat people are demonized by being made the villains in children's cartoons, "only the skinny pretty girls are nice." Nobody Should be made to feel like shit because of the way they look. Everyone deserves to feel beautiful, and their health is their own fucking business, not yours. This poem wasn't meant to glorify obesity it was meant to say fuck you to the media for ignoring all body types but one and to Disney for "beautifying" Ursula because God forbid they turn their backs on the media's perverse glorification of a size 0. You're all missing the point and that is that it's not okay to act as though one body type is the best any more than it's okay to say one race or gender or religion or sexual orientation is the best because WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT. Now do not get me wrong, being overweight can absolutely be bad for your health, but how can censoring everything other than SKINNY=PRETTY SKINNY=PRETTY SKINNY=PRETTY and throwing thousands of people into eating disorders and depression be any better? Celebrate all body types instead of shoving this singular idea of beauty relentlessly down young people's throats.
Now do not get me wrong, being overweight can absolutely be bad for your health, but how can censoring everything other than SKINNY=PRETTY SKINNY=PRETTY SKINNY=PRETTY and throwing thousands of people into eating disorders and depression be any better? Celebrate all body types instead of shoving this singular idea of beauty relentlessly down young people's throats.
Omg yes! I've been readin these comments and they all just say shit like "you don't have to be fat, just loose weight" like yeah if it was that easy, like if the years of feeling like shit by society hasn't already taken its toll, it's rude, and it's pretty much like saying to depressed people, "oh yeah just stop being sad, and be happy it's not that hard" people are so ignorant
Healthy = Beautiful. Simple as that. I celebrate healthiness and self control. I suffer from depression. I eat junk sometimes. Unlike the fat fool in the video I keep an eye on my weight. I keep it average. There really is no excuse to be fat and lazy. If a girl is skinny or fat because of some mental illness don't treat them like they are complete fucking retards. They still have self control. I'm beautiful in their language means "I'm failing to take care of myself and everyone else is to blame."
Boy I'm tired of people glorifying "fat" people. Before I go on I'm going to say that no I'm not trying to fat shame, love the body you're in and don't change because someone tells you you're "too fat" or "too skinny". However I think people seem to have forgotten that being obese, especially how bad ursula was, IS REALLY UNHEALTHY! Yes i also know that being too skinny is also really unhealthy but I'm here to talk about the unnecessary need to glorify overweight people. Its the same reason Disney will never have a "fat" princess, because it would send the wrong message that its okay to be overweight, and in the realm of health no it really is not. I myself am not a healthy sized person, that's something I'm working on with diet and exercise, but I can tell you from experience, my knees and back killing me, being out of breath after any strenuous activity, or just being ashamed to look at myself and how I've let myself go, being overweight is no picnic and I want to change it before permanent health issues rear their ugly heads. But if you find people with more on them to love I dont blame you, I like em thick too, just like I like skinny and curvy. but to say its okay to be overweight? NO!
that was definitely one of the more moving and powerful poems ive heard. the way she rapped it up was fantastic. im not even heavily overweight and this made me feel good about myself.
@ all of those wittering on about how Mellisa is fat and therefore has no right to write and perform p0oetry on that, try reading a little about your subject. She was considered a plus size since she was 4 months old. Do you think 4 month old melissa was cramming cakes into her face and that said baby should have exercised more self control? Idiots. try thinking about the poetry before denouncing it because a fat person wrote it.
for people saying nobody is born fat, I was born fat. I was fat by the age of 2. I also have just started finding, at the age of 22 that there are serious health issues I was also born with, that make me fat and make it harder for me to lose weight. So while I was not fucking unhealthy, lazy, and gluttonous, I was fat. I am fat. My fat did not cause these health issues and these health issues did not help me be thin. Think before you judge fat people.
I understand that you are relating to ursula and that youre against body shaming and I can not agree more that body shaming is disgusting but when you are trying to romanticize and glorify obesity, now that is a shame all its own. Its not like youre siting here saying that someone who has curves and breast and isnt extremely skinny is ok. Youre siting here trying to justify obesity. Obesity isnt beautiful, im not telling you that youre not beautiful, but whats beautiul about diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure? Whats beautiful about being so heavy that your knees are weak from holding uo so much body weight? Nothing. Obesity isnt beautiul. Its unhealthy. If you think obesity is beautiful, do you also think anorexia and bulimia are beautiful? Do you think cancer is beautiful? Heart disease? Strokes? No. You don't. You dont because those are all terrible unhealthy things that cause deaths and serious illnesa. Obesity isnt beautiful.
to the people who are all offended because they can only talk about the unhealthy aspects of being fat: who are Disney movies directed towards? little kids, little girls in particular. if a little girl is overweight, do you think it is her fault? should we blame her for the food her parents feed her or the groceries they buy? for the lack of healthy eating education she has been given? no! are you sick people seriously saying that kids at the young age that these movies are targeted towards should be shamed for their dietary habits?? what six year old reads the nutritional value on a label or opts for organic over factory produced?? you think right from the second a kid is born it's ok to insult them for something completely out of their control? like, seriously, should we start putting the infants with baby fat on diets????? you guys are messed up:/
I have seen so much sadness today, but this poem brought tears of happiness to my eyes, it was powerful and heartfelt and i loved it, the deliverance was thought provoking and absolutely beautiful.
This poem means so much to me, and it puts into words what I never thought to try and explain. And I want the line "Ursula, Queen of the Ocean. You were never just a witch to me" tattooed all over my body.
Since somehow I can not reply to their comment; "As someone who has had multiple people in my life die from diabetes and other illnesses related to obesity, I find nothing about this admirable. The U.S. has gone too far in celebrating fat acceptance. You are killing people." -Ianhoulihan I am deeply sorry for your loss, but not everyone is at risk for such things (not to mention I've met more skinny people with diabetes than larger ones), and even if they were some people despite all of their efforts CAN NOT drop the weight. Some people has something that keeps their weight on them even if they eat right and exercise. Some people are the same weight as others but because their fat falls in different places they look "Unhealthy" That's something that can't be changed, and someone shouldn't be shamed or be scolded for being "unhealthy" when they do everything right but they can't control how their body looks. I am all for telling people to try and live healthier, I am NOT for using someone's waistline as an indicator that they are unhealthy.
Melissa May- you're my new hero. And I love you. Your words are strong and powerful, and like you, they are so so beautiful. Never stop using your incredible voice, the world needs to hear what you have to say. Thank you thank you thank you. You'd make Ursula proud and smile so damn big, you're my queen :-)
I see all of these comments saying that obsesity is unhealthy, and yes, that is entirely correct. But I think the point trying to be made is about how important it is to portray more than one body type. The line "you were the only Disney character who looked like me," is a really important one. I have nothing against slim waists and a narrow frame, but it isn't fair to represent only one body type just because that's what sells best. Cutting Ursula down to fit consumerism is just wrong.
They fat shaming in the comments is unbelievable. Y'all are ignorant and hateful and I feel sorry for you. I really hope this isn't an indication of the present and future of body image and body issues for our society. A person's body is their own and none of your fucking business. Bless this woman for standing up for herself and for others. And screw Disney for their continuous lack of positive body images for children and adults alike. Keep being proud and beautiful!!
People come in all shapes and sizes. There is nothing wrong with anyone feeling comfortable in their own skin whether they are Ariel sized, Ursula sized, or something in between. And Yes... Ursula's confidence, her evil swagger, her sashaying and shimmying was something to behold and was a memorable and beautiful part of my childhood. Rolls and all Ursula was perfect and so was this poem. It depicts the fact that people demand that we should look a certain way and that people who don't fit into that mold are unhealthy and ugly. For a lot of people that isn't the case. I know people who are bigger than me and healthier than I am. Not a big deal. And they are beautiful they way they are.
If anorexia and bulimia are disorders, then overeating and being morbidly obese is too. It's unhealthy and shouldn't be glorified in any case. How come some people think that it's ok for your health to be fat?
I love how you're all debating whether or not her lifestyle is healthy rather than anyone mentioning that she is a PERSON, who deserves to feel great about herself no matter what her body looks like or how it got that way. Maybe she's healthy, maybe it isn't. But that has absolutely no relevance to how deserving she and every other fat girl getting shit on by society's standards every single day are of proper representation and the ability to see characters who look like them rocking it out and loving their lives and bodies. Also, for the record, I have personally walked to hell and back in the form of eating disorders, and I don't care what you say - Eating 10 chocolate bars every day is healthier than being scared to death of eating even an ounce of chocolate. Mental health > Physical health.
I agree that a lot of people are missing the point, and just using her showing of passion as a platform to take a jab at her size. I do not think 'fat' should be glorified, nor do I think 'skinny' or 'size 0' should be glorified. Our society is so consumed with size, when health is the real priority. Being obese (in the medical sense, not just someone with a few extra pounds) is not healthy, period. But we should not shame people who are obese because that accomplishes nothing but making people feel bad. I think her message that society holds individuals to an almost impossible standard sometimes is true, but I would be very hesitant to have "every little girl see a heroine in a size 24". I'm not saying they shouldn't see it, but health wise I do not think it is a good message to send necessarily. I could be wrong, it's a very difficult issue with a lot of strong feelings involved.
It is more socially acceptable to be extremely underweight than even a little overweight. My 5ft 7, 100lb best friend is told how beautiful, and perfect her body is almost every day, and none of those people know, or would even care, that she has been struggling with anorexia, and bulimia her entire life. While I, a 200lb 5ft 5 full figured woman, am almost never referred to as anything other than fat. Even when my boyfriend calls me beautiful, I can't believe it, because the rest of the world doesn't see me that way.
If this is not pure beauty I don't know what is. This poem is perfect-- a beautiful example of the skewed silhouette of perfection. Keep writing Melissa I love you so much!
Shes a good poet and great at public speaker (two things im bad at haha). I felt her raw emotion for this topic and it made my throat close up a little. She very talented. Personally, I don't identify with the character Ursula, but I could empathize with what its like if some tried to take away the one thing I like about my favorite characters uniqueness, just so they could look or be like everyone else.
This makes me insanely happy. I have watched this many times over and shown it to everyone I know. I think you, Melissa May, did a fantastic job capturing the emotion behind this wretched change in Ursula. Thank you for expressing what I am sure many young woman feel (perhaps people in other demographics of which I am uncertain).
People talk about the importance of racial representation in film but there is very little talk about representation for different body types. And it is just as important. When we are shown characters that look like ourselves and we love them, it makes it easier for us to love ourselves. This poem brought tears to my eyes. To everyone saying "boo-hoo, go on a diet": You are ignorant as shit, and completely missed the point of this piece. You don't make yourself look good by tearing her down. You only make yourself look callous and, well, ignorant. Educate yourself.
I've never felt as comfortable in my skin as I do now that I've watched this video. The passion in your voice was so demanding of my attention that I had to watch it twice. I sincerely appreciate your words. You should know how much you have positively changed my view of myself. I will be sharing this video with my other "fat" friends. Thank you.
A body positive poem without slamming thin people. A body positive poem focused only on our fucked society standards. A body positive poem without shaming a soul. Also, that delivery was beyond perfection.
Ursula is free to go on a diet if she so desires. I won't knock Melissa for what she's saying, but I do not believe many people are seeing the hypocrisy in her words. "You're fine how you are...just don't change, because your looks define you." We're speaking of Ursula in a real way here, and I feel that if we are to do that, we need to treat her change as we would in reality as well. She lost her weight, so good for her....she 'chose' it. I don't believe a fan should dictate how heavy their idol is. I realize that this is poetry, but It's rare for a passionate poem like this to be made from something the poet does not actually believe. I think what she's wishing upon those responsible is far worse. Again, yes, this is simply poetry, but words have power; these people should know it best.
What you're forgetting here is that Disney is fiction. Ursula didn't "go on a diet", she became whatever marketing executives wanted her to be. The problem is that even though there are plenty of heftier women in real life, there are few positive representations of women with bigger bodies (or even realistic bodies) in the Disney universe. The impossible standard they've created contributes to young women everywhere having mental health issues and low self-esteem. Every girl deserves to feel beautiful.
Matthew Richards I don't feel like girls should be getting their confidence and/or self esteem from any sort of media... I think we need to trace insecurity and low self-esteem to their roots, which is feeling unwanted. One girl feels unwanted (by her parents or whatnot), so she might put another girl down to feel better. Other girls might join in on the shaming for the same or different reasons. Now, what do girls make fun of? At an age where looks start to matter, and that's all that DOES matter, that's pretty obvious, no? At this point, It's easy to blame parents for not being aware of their child's insecurities..but wait, those parents were raised in a similar world, in which adults didn't care for the troubles of kids, because by comparison, they were insignificant. You still see it today, where a parent/adult will say "I don't need to explain myself to that/my child." They see it as weakness, because they think that hearing out the problems of a child, is like joining in with their dog when they bark at the mailman. Before I lose you in metaphors, I'd like to get to the main point: generation after generation, children's problems are not seen as worthwhile by adults, and the trend continues. Why? Not only because it's what happened to them, but the stresses of an adult life get in the way of their empathy. Empathizing with a child takes effort, and with so many requirements of being an adult and having your own worries, it is very seldom for a child to have an adult to rely on for a solid perspective on what's important. Large role-models are the tip of the iceberg. I don't know what we can do to change the world for those growing up in it, but I believe we should start working towards making it a good thing to take the words of a child seriously. This does not mean you obey their ignorance; you're the adult, so it only makes sense that you would give them advice, and show them different ways of seeing things, yes? Listening is not weakness; advising is not a waste of time; encouragement does not need to be hollow praise. Kids are human too, and deserve to be treated as such. Sorry for the long post.
You can feel good about yourself when you are large, I don't think she isn't saying she doesn't want to change, or that she hasn't tried or isn't trying her voice cracks her eyes sparkle with tears, she would give anything to lose the physical pain and agony her weight gives her. I am certain of one thing in life, EVERYONE is doing their best in that moment!, with the information they have. I think it is good to have fat happy role models, and every other size. Chubby Buddha isn't given the same hate you people seem to give this woman who is taking something she has been "cursed" with and turning it into a motivation and inspiration to others. To me that is the definition of BEAUTY! She is AWESOME!
first this spoken word is amazing and im sharing it everywhere, second its so sad to see the many people in the comments that speak from a place of ignorance and hurt and perpetuate that same ignorance and hurt out to the world. peace and blessings to you all
Theres a lot of hate on here..... But if shes reading this... She is fucking amazing. This is definitely one of the best slam poenmd ive heard. YOU GO GIRL!
I scrolled down a whole page of comments and they were all negatives but this poem was fantastic and powerful....it's interesting how the world works. Dear Mellisa, Amazing job.
This isn't about health and all that technical crap, its simply. "You look fine, love yourself, don't let these people get to you" Let the person Be. Why are your worried about their health? you should be more concerned about the fact that they are persecuted for something as SMALL as appearance. Maybe they'd care about their health if they weren't treated Like less than a person. I, for one, would. But I don't, From the bullying, isolation, social segregation and mockery, you tend to not give two shits about whether or not you 'are healthy". You can be the strongest of the strong but if you are told by peers about how 'ugly' you are, even if you 'shrug it off', you are still being beaten down. So in short, don't rant about health, about appearance, any of that bull. Its about being a fellow human being by definition, not a monster in the eyes of rational minds.
The thing is if you keep telling someone that is unhealthily overweight they are beautiful and don't need to change you're in the long run actually hurting them more. I'm not saying we should tear anyone down, but sometimes too much "acceptance" can actually be a bad thing.
beanwithbacon Body self-acceptance is the key to losing weight. You have to want it for you, not for anyone else. It's hard to not want it for anyone else when people won't accept you as you are.
Widow Twonky The majority do care about their health... the difference is that they also realize that there is A LOT more to being healthy than how much you weigh. Obviously, you don't get that. Also, just FYI, saying shit like that ("fat sacks of shit" "disgusting sweaty spheres" and saying they're not people in general) is what keeps many overweight/obese PEOPLE (human=person) from wanting to go to the gym or go for a walk or do ANY kind of exercise out in public.
They eat food. The same food you eat, I reckon (unless, of course you're magical and don't need food). They just eat too much of it because the chemical that tells them they're full doesn't work properly. How the fuck does that mean they are not human?
Bullshit, this sort of stuff convinces people that its okay to not seek a better body. There is no fucking persecution, overweight people have the same rights as anyone else.
She isn't skinny shaming in this poem, this poem is about embracing your body and not letting the media alter it. It is not telling people to be overweight, it is not saying it is bad to be skinny, it is telling you to love yourself and shame those who tell you that you as an individual has to change how you look. There is no skinny shaming at all in this. There is merely the statement that there is nothing wrong with being larger, what's wrong is making you feel like you have to be skinny to fit in.
It's not about feeling cursed, it's about feeling god damn good about your body. YOU SHOULDNT NEED TO CHANGE TO MAKE THE OPINION OF YOU AS WELL. I love my body, and I'm not going to lose weight. I'm going to learn to love my big body.
Drew Caswell If you're fat, you shouldn't feel good about it. Being fat hurts you and those around you. This idea that modern feminists seem to have, that they can weight in excess of 200lb, and start having kids at 40, is nothing but degenerate self-indulgence. It's not beautiful, it's not brave.
***** Actually, you should. I don't want you to fucking comment on my body if it has nothing to pertain to you. You worry about your body, I worry about mine. I don't care if my body offends you. If you don't like it, get the fuck out of my face. uwu I don't give a shit about your offensive jabs, because I love my body and that's all that really matters. I don't need to listen to annoying, idiotic assholes who have nothing better to do than try to inflate their ego more than it already is. Byeee.
I just really love this and for many reasons, but one of them being that Ursula is a shape shifter. She can be whatever size she wants to be, and we see that when she makes prince Eric fall for her, but she chooses to have her curves and aged skin. And she owns it. I love Ursula and this poem.
I've been binge watching these slams and this is the first one to get a comment from me. Not that the other ones weren't amazing but that I resonated with this one far too well. This was impeccable!!!
Ursula was the villain, not created by Disney but by Hans Christian Anderson. Again, VILLAIN. She was evil! She wasn't a queen but a woman who nearly killed for power! How could anyone look up to that and call her perfect? You obviously missed the entire message of that Disney movie.
Actually, in the original story she wasn't a villain, but a wise witch who warned the little mermaid of what the potion would do before she gave it to her (and the potion did more harm than good, but the little mermaid drank it anyway). There was no good and evil in the story, just a lesson to be learned by the little mermaid. If anything, the little mermaid brought a demise upon herself. Disney turned Ursula into a deceitful villain. But just because Ursula was a villain in the Disney movie doesn't mean she doesn't have any redeeming qualities. Even though she used her forces for evil, she was still powerful, which to some is an admirable trait. I think what she was trying to say is that the only plus size character she looked up to (no matter what reason) was slimmed down for marketing purposes, and it shaved an essence of who she was. I don't mean to be rude, by the way, so if I come of as so, I apologize. Just some food for thought. :)
No, this was not great. Not in the least. Take all that energy you put into your poetry and devote it to living past 50. "Living in this body" is a reversible condition, not a curse.
Jules Coxie It is a real curse. Should we be blindly conforming to media's ideal, skinny body shape? Of course not. Should we be applauding this woman for making it seem like it is okay to be obese? Absolutely not! As a medical student, it's been eye opening hearing about the fact that obesity increases the risk of pretty much any disease imaginable- diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, basically any cancer imaginable, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, COPD, asthma.. the list goes on and on. if you want to live in your delusional world and think that there is no problem being the size of this ranting woman and place your own health at risk, go ahead..but when you start to convince others to think this same way, you are potentially putting their lives at risk. Now that is true ignorance. Shame on you.
Jules Coxie No, it's not ignorant. This poet is defending lifestyle choices which are going to kill her. They are NOT equally valid. The "beauty ideal" has only been the ideal since humanity figured out that those people live longer. This poet may well have some sort of medical condition which prevents her from losing weight, but whether through a medical problem or a willpower problem, it's still a problem. She can deal with the problem, or feel sorry for herself when Disney doesn't back up her self-pity with their dollars. Oh, and FYI - I'm about forty pounds overweight. I used to be seventy pounds overweight. I run thirty miles a week, see a trainer, and eat very scrupulously because I decided I wanted to live a long time. My father died of obesity related illness. Seven obesity related illnesses, in fact. So, my ignorance isn't really at issue here.
+Morgan MacArthur The entire thing is about mixed standards and a woman wrangling the duality of relating to (and her struggle with) her body vs society. It doesn't make her wrong or unworthy because she's not visibly "healthy" in your eyes, it makes her a person going through something, which may require a bit of clemency from the otherwise indifferent viewer. Be who you want to be, say what you wanna say, have your opinion, but I personally count my lucky stars I am fortunate to know the difference between judging someone and listening to them. If this is something you cannot see, life has probably yet to teach you (boy when it does), but everyone learns eventually, or dies learning. Judging people, when you have limited information, or for arbitrary reasons, is always an act of narcissism. Dehumanising overweight people seems to currently be a favourite sport of the unfortunate/misfortunate/self-loathing/emotionally- underdeveloped/apathetic/narcissistic/sociopathic/compassionless, but it's always someone, isn't it. Fat people are a particularly cheap target (must do better) because a real narcissist gets to shake their finger and spout "well if i'm thin and "healthy" then you should be too. How dare you think you can get away with this. I try! What makes you think you're exempt from trying. I'm here to tell you otherwise". It's the maniacal rantings of an illogical sociopath, ignoring the nuances of the human experience. Everyone has shit to deal with, everyone. It might be alcohol, or coming from a shitty home, or a chronic illness, or being treated like shit by everyone (lack of confidence), or drugs, or homelessness/indigence or any number of things. Some people, who are very vulnerable and can't get it together for emotional/psychological/physiological reasons, have tried and tried, more than you can imagine, and still have no results. Not everyone is made like you, not everyone has had what you have, not everyone can reach your expectations (nor should they). Be kind, grow a pair, be a person and ask about people's lives without judgement. It's such a courageous act. In a perfect world, everyone's mother and father and grandparents and teachers and friends etc, would hold each person to this standard of compassion. Alas that is not a current reality, but every person has the choice to stop pretending to be without "sin" and being an asshole and start being a loving, fallible, transparent, visibly-flawed human being. One of my favourite quotes of all time (I don't know who said it, but anyway) is..."Everyone is fighting their own battle, try not to be a cunt". Says it all really.
Melissa's performance is about embracing oneself AS YOU ARE, and not allowing society to dictate how we look, or what size we are. Many of the folks commenting on this thread should dismiss themselves now, because the clear message being sent in this performance is being overlooked, misunderstood, and completely ignored. Please take your hate and judgment elsewhere.
This is the exact same thing, but on the other side of the coin. While too skinny is unhealthy and shouldn't be idolized, it's the same for too heavy. We have an epidemic of obesity in this country and it doesn't help to accept that's ok, it's not. Just like how it's dangerous for a young child to strive to be a stick-figure, it's dangerous for a child feel that it's acceptable to be fat. Obesity leads to serious diseases and a short life, we shouldn't have that for young generations! We should be promoting health and fitness for people now and for our future generations.
Honestly being overweight should not be glorified. Because the fact of the matter is that being overweight can cause many health issues. Does it mean you can't be beautiful and still be overweight? No. But if you are overweight you should try your best to have a healthier lifestyle. We are teaching kids these days that it is ok to eat whatever you want without exercising and it's ok to be fat and we shouldn't be letting kids think like that. There are more overweight kids now more than there ever have been and some already have a lot of health issues! And the whole thing about Ursula, it was for a special doll that is supposed to be like Barbie dolls. Disney still makes a regular ursula doll and she's the size she should be. They did it for just that one doll. This doll was a limited edition and very few were made. All of the dolls in the collection had the same mold. From a budget view it was cheaper to make only one mold. If they were to keep the original size they would have to make 3 molds, 1 for the skinnier villains, 1 for the queen of hearts (which she's big too and I am hearing NOBODY complain about her being shrank down...), and 1 for Ursula. And making molds is expensive!
Yeah that's fair. That's why I don't understand the hatred towards Michelle Obama. It's not fair to your kids if you're unhealthy and you promote an unhealthy lifestyle to your child. When your kid grows up they'll have to fight against that lifestyle and people won't understand why they can't stop themselves from eating. If you're not going to help your child have a healthy future where they feel like crap every day when they hit 50 you should let the president's wife do it haha.
TheZombieJC yes and obviously being stick thin is not healthy either. But when you are 250+ pounds that isn't by muscle but by fat, that is not healthier.
@@MaryJaneElizabeth this isn't about health. And even if it was , did you ever consider that maybe if a person thinks they're ugly and fat , they won't see the point in trying to get healthy. It'll sound like an unattainable goal, they'll be too nervous to go outside and exercise bc some think they'll be judged. No one is saying having too much fat is healthy,but the process to equilibrium is hard and long. We all need to love ourselves in the meantime.
i am in love with melissa's choice of words to describe ursula. her voice was so booming and powerful, her words made me feel happy inside. as much as i love disney with all my heart, i have seen things as a child that slimmed ursula down and honestly, it just felt weird to me. as a child i thought "wait, ursula doesn't look like that!"
Why are we not commenting on the beautiful poetry, but rather policing her body like we have some kind of right to her flesh? She's a beautiful soul with brilliant words. It's important that we focus on that.
The best part about Ursula is that she's a shapeshifter. She CHOSE the curves that she has, that's the body she wants.
Danelle Walker You do know she was just an idea an artist or story teller had right? Your drawing made no choices. Why do you think they made the twisted jealous witch an obese hag with no self-awareness? Does your brain even function?
Responsible Costanza You do know that stories and art have meanings that they convey to the audience? If someone creates a character that is a a shapeshifter and has that character with an unconventional body than the message relayed beyond the lines as such is that the character is that way because they chose to be.
Clearly my brain does function as I am able to analyse and draw meaning from a text, something you are clearly unable to do. I can also notice and appreciate subtle character nuances, that you missed. Maybe before you attempt to insult my intelligence over an offhand admiration of a character we are supposed to view as ugly, you should reevaluate your passiveness towards gathering meaning from text.
Danelle Walker You remember the part where she skeemed to seduce prince such and such? Did she shift shape into another fat wench or a lithe young girl? I think you'll now realize that even your cartoon hero recognizes she is hideous.
Responsible Costanza Knowing what other people find attractive is not the same as recognizing yourself as hideous.
I totally agree with everything you have said Danielle.
My problem with Disney slimming Ursula down is that, Ursula is a shapeshifter. The way that she appears is the way SHE liked and wanted to be. The fact that they changed her is a breach on the basis of her being.
THANK YOU! No one seems to understand that she could change herself if she wanted to!
"Wasn't it enough that they made you a witch? ...You were perfect and I pity the poor, unfortunate soul that would dare paint you as anything less."
I love Melissa May for this piece.
I pity the unfortunate souls who can't see these bodies as beautiful and deserving of iconism.
"I want every little girl to see a heroine in a size 24"
Not the strongest line in the poem, but it hit me hard . I want that too...
+Michael Ibiam I never said that.... Being obese doesn't mean you can't be a heroine, or a princess and some kids just need to know that... and most obese kids in cartoons are side kicks (at least here in my country)....I agree with you that some kids may develop bad eating habits though. But still, I don't believe that parents would approve of such choice, and if they allow it, it's something they believe they want.... Later on in life, they'd either regret it and try to cut down, or love it and carry on.... It's THEIR CHOICE
+Michael Ibiam I hope I didn't offend you in any way.... 😸
+Sara Amr I totally agree! although I would like to point out that Ursula was a villain not a heroin, but your point is right
+Callia Fried 💕💕 Thanks
Thank you for doing a body positive poem without hating on the skinny girls. You attacked the media and their idea of perfection, and that's how it SHOULD be done. Thank you thank you thank you for spreading love without hatred secretly attached to it
Amen! :)
PREACH
I pity the poor unfortunate souls who didn't love this. It made me feel 10 feet tall. She crushed it.
right? this was just fucking awesome.
Andromeda Lasso your little reference in there was beautiful
with her weight
Some of the people in this comment section make me sick. It's not about weight. It's about society's nearly impossible standards. Did you EVEN listen?
I don't know why people in this comment section are acting so viciously towards this women. It makes me sick. It's not because they didn't release a full figured doll, it's about the social conformity that women face. It's not to celebrate being full figured/obese. It's just the fact that Disney changed the figure of an iconic villain in order to fit beauty standards of todays market. This poem is very important! It shouldn't matter if the writer is athletic, skinny, chubby or full figured. It's about sending a message that you're beautiful no matter what size you are.
Even if you disagree, is it so much to ask that you articulate a response? You can argue against someone's point of view without belittling them.
Actually, I'm a clean degenerate. That's a common misconception.
Mohammad Alawadhi if you'd like to go that route, everything is subjective. i was merely responding to trollery.
ZZASCHA screw you
ZZASCHA fuck off
Shes not saying "be fat", this is her feeling good about herself, despite society's vicious image of what you should be. I love her.
@Villet Chuckie people who feel good about themselves don't respond to a five year old comment lamenting and complaining about a slam poetry performance. Just carry on with your day lmfao.
compressed rage swelling. Denied a hero's narrative.. feeling forbidden, written as repulsive. why wouldnt she be 10 thousand feet tall on the stage. They said she was a lot there. So she (melissa may) cast a spell here
I believe if she was thin, people would not be bashing her as much as they are right now. I actually enjoyed it and did not think she was hating on skinny people, this was from her experience, poetry is about self expression. I don't understand why you have to bring up shit like let's see if she lives to be 80 with that body. STFU, what does that have to do with her poem. If she was a size 5 NOBODY would be commenting on her weight. This is my opinion, everyone's entitled to one. You can hate it or love it, and I personally loved this poem.
THANK YOU. I'm more than a little amazed at the fat-hate comments on this one. She has the stones to stand up there and express something people like her live with every single day, and people are hating. It's sad.
Well said!!!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I'm gonna have to agree with her, slimming down Ursula ruins the "image" of her being a villain. She DID have a swagger, she WAS clever, SHE almost won, she was an epic villain and I liked her song (as much as Scar's).
Slimming Ursula down is like taking away the voice of Scar, the viciously mean stare of Maleficent, even the smoothness of Dr. Facilier.
Disney is weird sometimes
Or like making Frollo not be Catholic.
I guess so, LOL
I see a lot of comments about how she should lose weight or how she would be thin if she would put as much effort in exercise as in writing this poem.
I have been big all my life. I have been on several diets, done loads of exercise, stopped eating sugar and it didn't help. Nothing helped. I barely lost weight. After about 6 years I am now completely done with trying to lose weight.
My point is, for some people it is very very hard to lose weight for unexplainable reasons. No matter how hard you work, results might not be there in the end.
They should show this in every english class, this is how a poem can be moving, and real, and just touch your soul. This is real- and cuts deep. I loved it.
+Dino Moorman Yeah, ranting about a fat ass imaginary character who dropped weight isn't weird or cringe worthy at all. This chick needs to hang out with the Bronies who want to get it on with their faves. They could all commiserate about how the world is unfair and perform shitty poetry afterward.
+Kona jinx I feel like you have some problem with different body type, are you okay dude? Like commenting on a bunch of people's post about you *meanly* disagree is a bit over the top man. Like, just dislike and move on.
+Dino Moorman I do show it in mine! It's part of our Disney and Corporate Media Ownership Exam!
I actually just performed this for my English class today!!
I use this in one of my college English classes! This is a fantastic poem.
now that u remember Ursula had a skinny sister who hated her for being perfect
I*
Damn, I forgot about that
Robert Smith being perfect doesn't mean you have to meet anyone's expectations of beauty
Yeah bc Ursula was competent and had power where Morgana didn't. She hated Ursula for being good at what she did.
This is not a poem about eating yourself to an unhealthy standard. It's a piece about accepting yourself for who you are and not being afraid to do so. We don't know this woman's history, obesity can run down your family bloodline. Depression plays a part of that, being bullied and harassed is also a common factor. Open your minds, people.
imthehulk666 Ok, I don't feed the trolls. Bye now.
if you're evil, maybe don't accept yourself for who you are
"I don't want you cut into bite size pieces, you were made hard to swallow!"
Most people in this comment section make me want to throw up everywhere. This poem is important. It is showing how the media only glorifies one type of body and shames the others, which y'all are doing a great job of. Just because someone is bigger does not mean they are unhealthy. The media is teaching people of all ages that the only way to be beautiful is by being a size zero skinny, and that my friends is unhealthy.
Some of these comments make me sick to my stomach. If you don't like her image why watch? No reason to hate on this beautiful woman!
She commanded the stage and the audience too. There's something about this poem that inspired me and steels my will I have to do something like this!
+
This poem is exceptionally beautiful. Some may argue that it's promoting an unhealthy body type, but I disagree. While a certain amount of body fat can be unhealthy, there are many factors that contribute to a person's weight. Likewise, skinny does not always mean healthy either. This poem is all about the media portraying bigger girls as unattractive, and this person did an astounding and spectacular job of proving them wrong.
+Jordan Millington What's attractive about unhealthyness, heavy breathing, sweat and rolls of fat?
+San Antonio it's not that their unhealthy it's just their body type. Many 'larger people' are athletes, it just depends on your sport. Also, sweat? Really, come on man everybody does that! What are you gonna saying going to the bathroom is gross now too? And everyone also some fat on their body! For you don't you had a serious problem and its probably anorexia. And heavy breathing again, it's a pretty normal thing depending on the circumstance. And if you reply, 'yeah but I mean he at breathing when you do -blank-', like do you know every individual person who is ever, saying, walking up stairs, I'm pretty fit and even I breath heavy while climbing them. They are fundamentally hard to climb. Finally, even if someone is overweight, are you saying they are unattractive and that no one will love them. Come on man, that's just superficial.
TheBookGoddess
No, there are no morbidly obese athletes (except the e sports ones?) and if you practise sports it makes it even easier to lose weight since you'll consume more calories among other things.
About sweat it doesn't get trapped in rolls of fat, normal people don't sweat as much and they can say two sentences without catching their breeath.
+San Antonio there are those who are bigger around her size and they compete in sport, some might be larger the her
Kitty Slender Pizza eating isn't a sport
After Maleficent, they should make an Ursula movie.
A lot of people on here are talking about how being fat or overweight or obese is unhealthy. That this poem is a load of garbage and how this is wrong and shouldn't be promoting obesity, but I suppose I just took it from a different stand point. I took it from the view of all the girls in the world who are naturally bigger than other girls. All people are created equally and built differently. It is not healthy to be over the healthy amount of body fat you should have, but even then there are still people who are naturally built larger than others, they exist too. Crazy, I know, but there are people out there who are "big girls" and are in tip-top shape. I would let this poem empower them. Those people who are constantly told they're fat and encouraged to lose weight when they're really as healthy as they should be. She's not fat, she's just built that way. So yeah, unhealthy is bad, but big isn't. Big girl, you are beautiful.
You see that flab hanging from her arms? You see that big flabby belly? It's called fat. Exercise burns it. She built herself that way moron.
SoScary I'm not saying she's healthy. I was simply saying that the girls who are naturally built to be bigger could be more empowered or inspired by this video. It's just my take on things, no need to call me a moron. That's a little harsh, don't you think?
Symone Reid This poem is directly relating to obesity. This woman has this whole "I'm overweight & perfect attitude". Sure she might be be born with a curvy frame but she is still overweight. Having a naturally bigger frame is not being fat and most mature girls know this. There's a big difference.
Issue 1: A lot of young girls think they are fat when they're not because of social media.
Issue 2: You can not counter it with "It's okay you're overweight" attitude.
Two wrongs don't make a right. There needs to be a bigger focus on health education in schools. I apologize for calling you a moron but you need to see both sides of the argument. People like her are making the situation worse. 600,000 views of wasted potential. People should be made proud to be healthy and only that.
SoScary hm, I see what you mean and I agree ^^ you have good views and a reasonable mind. Hopefully you can come to influence more people to become healthier beyond youtube comments. Have a nice life ^^ (I don't know if it's day or night for you so I supposed life would work)
HillDueceua Thank you for the kind words.
Wow. It's amazing how angry people get when a heavy person feels good about themselves. You all just can't take it. All she's doing is feeling empowered, and suddenly all of you (mostly hiding behind cartoon avatars, I notice) are health and diet specialists.
This was amazing, and she is amazing.
Welcome to the year 2014 where being severely obese is seen as being amazing.
Not really, probably not at all...
What the fuck does cartoon avatars have ANYTHING to do with this?
***(I'm not even going to comment//ing on the raging discussing/topic at hand around me)***
People have been using Avatars for years.
I hate it when people assume people are dip-shits for using an image they like to represent themselves.
narutoman876 What I don't quite get is why overweight people aren't allowed to feel good about themselves? I personally find it quite amazing that a person who weighs the same amount as three healthy-weight people can even get out of the bed in the morning.
Considering that just climbing a staircase can be an enormous feat for them, they deserve better than the criticism they're getting.
You try carrying around your two/three best buddies on your back for a day and see how well you manage.
Everyone should feel great about themselves, but not about things that are harmful for you. She should feel great about herself as a human being, but no reason to feel good about your dangerously excessive fat. That's just silly.
I'm sorry, but this is a bunch of crap. As someone who lost 63 lbs., let me just say that if you're fat, you're not trapped in that body. It's the hardest thing you'll ever have to do but you can lose the weight if you're mentally strong enough. Fat is unhealthy. That's why I lost my weight. To promote acceptance and love for fat is to promote and condone a series of dangerous habits. You only get one life. There's no point in spending your one life on earth as a fat, self-conscious, hurt, hurting, and vulnerable person who's body is under constant, self-inflicted stress.
As a former fat person, this is nonsense. I was terribly lazy and I ate terribly. This should not be celebrated.
Just for the record, a proven disease, just like anorexia nervosa, but the opposite is possible or even people who suffer from a slow metabolism or other things such as momo. Keep an open mind people! It's not all just black & white, most of it is grey!
The point is even if you are lazy and eat terribly, you're no less of a human being. You are not your weight. And your weight is no one else's business.
TheLoDown Nobody is saying that you are less of a human being. But don't celebrate it. I don't want my kids to think being obese is alright because it's unhealthy.
Or you could just not focus on size at all and simply on a healthy lifestyle. The point is we place way too much emphasis on the external. And yeah when you say fat is unhealthy, I think that I'm not as a good as other people even though compared to many a skinny person, I practice generally better healthier habits. And I have a good heart and a good mind. But no one seems to care, because well I'm fat and gross? You eat taco bell and doritos and mountain dew and don't excercise but your skinny? No problem. You try to eat healthy and excercise a couple of times a week but your fat - you must be lazy.
TheLoDown Well typically those who are OBESE do not have a healthy lifestyle. If you are obese, I guarantee that your heart is under more pressure than someone who is skinny. Being overweight is normal but obese is a different thing. I'm glad that you're happy and that's fine. But, please don't justify obesity because of a disorder. Those are serious problems that doctors address.
Yeeeeeesssss!!!! So much yeeeesssss!!!!!! Girl WORK. I couldn't stop snapping and saying yes after each word and phrase. So much respect.
This is so beautiful, so moving and so powerful. I've watched at least five times. I can't get it out of my head. Thank you for defending our beloved Sea Goddess and thank you for being so beautiful while doing it.
Love this and love this channel!! Thank you for getting my friends and I to love slam poetry as much as we do!!!
+Courtney Caron Thanks Courtney! :)
+Button Poetry my friend and I are doing our first collab together because what weve seen on here is great! So thanks again
This chick is bad fucking ass
The point isn't that being fat is a goal. The point is that some people ARE fat. That's how it is. That's how it's always going to be, and it is not your place to force feed them your skinny propaganda. There is no perfect size, no perfect beauty. No matter how hard they try, some people will never look the way you want them to. SO LEAVE US THE FUCK ALONE. I am beautiful whether I am a size 2 or a size 25, as long as I feel that way. Society makes "fat" out to be bad, makes anyone who doesn't fit into the size 0 mold of Disney out to be evil, wrong, lazy, etc. Can I get a fat Disney princess? Can I get a gay princess? Can I get someone who will show me that beauty is not the way you look; it's the way you feel? I'm tired of being told that I have to look a certain way to be acceptable. I am tired of being worried that the way people see me is based on what they SEE. "Don't you give me raw meat and tell me it is nourishment. I know a slaughterhouse when I see one". Don't give me stipulations on my own well-being. Ursula is beautiful because she's honest. 'Skinny' Ursula is a lie.
I started tearing up listening to and watching that. Thank you for saying this, for putting this into words that I couldn't
I really liked this.
I can understand some of the other comments as in she is just a character, but sometimes to some people, they are more than just characters.
if something makes you angry/upset/happy enough to write about it, it means something to you.
she had some guts to get up there and read that poem.
I watch this one so often I almost have it memorized, and the goosebumps are always there.
Everyone on here saying "I lost such and such pounds and being fat is unhealthy you shouldn't glorify it"
THE MEDIA GLORIFIES BEING THIN. TO A POINT WHERE PEOPLE ARE SKELETONS IN A COUNTRY WHERE FOOD IS ABUNDANT. Fat people are demonized by being made the villains in children's cartoons, "only the skinny pretty girls are nice." Nobody Should be made to feel like shit because of the way they look. Everyone deserves to feel beautiful, and their health is their own fucking business, not yours. This poem wasn't meant to glorify obesity it was meant to say fuck you to the media for ignoring all body types but one and to Disney for "beautifying" Ursula because God forbid they turn their backs on the media's perverse glorification of a size 0. You're all missing the point and that is that it's not okay to act as though one body type is the best any more than it's okay to say one race or gender or religion or sexual orientation is the best because WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT. Now do not get me wrong, being overweight can absolutely be bad for your health, but how can censoring everything other than SKINNY=PRETTY SKINNY=PRETTY SKINNY=PRETTY and throwing thousands of people into eating disorders and depression be any better? Celebrate all body types instead of shoving this singular idea of beauty relentlessly down young people's throats.
Now do not get me wrong, being overweight can absolutely be bad for your health, but how can censoring everything other than SKINNY=PRETTY SKINNY=PRETTY SKINNY=PRETTY and throwing thousands of people into eating disorders and depression be any better? Celebrate all body types instead of shoving this singular idea of beauty relentlessly down young people's throats.
Omg yes! I've been readin these comments and they all just say shit like "you don't have to be fat, just loose weight" like yeah if it was that easy, like if the years of feeling like shit by society hasn't already taken its toll, it's rude, and it's pretty much like saying to depressed people, "oh yeah just stop being sad, and be happy it's not that hard" people are so ignorant
Healthy = Beautiful. Simple as that. I celebrate healthiness and self control. I suffer from depression. I eat junk sometimes. Unlike the fat fool in the video I keep an eye on my weight. I keep it average. There really is no excuse to be fat and lazy. If a girl is skinny or fat because of some mental illness don't treat them like they are complete fucking retards. They still have self control. I'm beautiful in their language means "I'm failing to take care of myself and everyone else is to blame."
Boy I'm tired of people glorifying "fat" people. Before I go on I'm going to say that no I'm not trying to fat shame, love the body you're in and don't change because someone tells you you're "too fat" or "too skinny". However I think people seem to have forgotten that being obese, especially how bad ursula was, IS REALLY UNHEALTHY! Yes i also know that being too skinny is also really unhealthy but I'm here to talk about the unnecessary need to glorify overweight people. Its the same reason Disney will never have a "fat" princess, because it would send the wrong message that its okay to be overweight, and in the realm of health no it really is not.
I myself am not a healthy sized person, that's something I'm working on with diet and exercise, but I can tell you from experience, my knees and back killing me, being out of breath after any strenuous activity, or just being ashamed to look at myself and how I've let myself go, being overweight is no picnic and I want to change it before permanent health issues rear their ugly heads. But if you find people with more on them to love I dont blame you, I like em thick too, just like I like skinny and curvy. but to say its okay to be overweight? NO!
that was definitely one of the more moving and powerful poems ive heard. the way she rapped it up was fantastic. im not even heavily overweight and this made me feel good about myself.
Go Melissa! Love this so much.
@ all of those wittering on about how Mellisa is fat and therefore has no right to write and perform p0oetry on that, try reading a little about your subject. She was considered a plus size since she was 4 months old. Do you think 4 month old melissa was cramming cakes into her face and that said baby should have exercised more self control? Idiots. try thinking about the poetry before denouncing it because a fat person wrote it.
for people saying nobody is born fat, I was born fat. I was fat by the age of 2. I also have just started finding, at the age of 22 that there are serious health issues I was also born with, that make me fat and make it harder for me to lose weight. So while I was not fucking unhealthy, lazy, and gluttonous, I was fat. I am fat. My fat did not cause these health issues and these health issues did not help me be thin. Think before you judge fat people.
YES! Ursula was second in my heart only to Maleficent. Both flawless evil queens.
This is gold. I am crying.
Simply incredible.
I understand that you are relating to ursula and that youre against body shaming and I can not agree more that body shaming is disgusting but when you are trying to romanticize and glorify obesity, now that is a shame all its own. Its not like youre siting here saying that someone who has curves and breast and isnt extremely skinny is ok. Youre siting here trying to justify obesity. Obesity isnt beautiful, im not telling you that youre not beautiful, but whats beautiul about diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure? Whats beautiful about being so heavy that your knees are weak from holding uo so much body weight? Nothing. Obesity isnt beautiul. Its unhealthy. If you think obesity is beautiful, do you also think anorexia and bulimia are beautiful? Do you think cancer is beautiful? Heart disease? Strokes? No. You don't. You dont because those are all terrible unhealthy things that cause deaths and serious illnesa. Obesity isnt beautiful.
“Ursula, queen of the ocean. You were never just a witch to me.”
to the people who are all offended because they can only talk about the unhealthy aspects of being fat: who are Disney movies directed towards? little kids, little girls in particular. if a little girl is overweight, do you think it is her fault? should we blame her for the food her parents feed her or the groceries they buy? for the lack of healthy eating education she has been given? no!
are you sick people seriously saying that kids at the young age that these movies are targeted towards should be shamed for their dietary habits?? what six year old reads the nutritional value on a label or opts for organic over factory produced??
you think right from the second a kid is born it's ok to insult them for something completely out of their control?
like, seriously, should we start putting the infants with baby fat on diets????? you guys are messed up:/
I have seen so much sadness today, but this poem brought tears of happiness to my eyes, it was powerful and heartfelt and i loved it, the deliverance was thought provoking and absolutely beautiful.
I'll admit I started crying at the end. Incredibly powerful poem.
This poem means so much to me, and it puts into words what I never thought to try and explain. And I want the line "Ursula, Queen of the Ocean. You were never just a witch to me" tattooed all over my body.
Hell yea! Big girls rise up!!!
Since somehow I can not reply to their comment;
"As someone who has had multiple people in my life die from diabetes and other illnesses related to obesity, I find nothing about this admirable. The U.S. has gone too far in celebrating fat acceptance. You are killing people." -Ianhoulihan
I am deeply sorry for your loss, but not everyone is at risk for such things (not to mention I've met more skinny people with diabetes than larger ones), and even if they were some people despite all of their efforts CAN NOT drop the weight. Some people has something that keeps their weight on them even if they eat right and exercise. Some people are the same weight as others but because their fat falls in different places they look "Unhealthy" That's something that can't be changed, and someone shouldn't be shamed or be scolded for being "unhealthy" when they do everything right but they can't control how their body looks.
I am all for telling people to try and live healthier, I am NOT for using someone's waistline as an indicator that they are unhealthy.
This is the future you have chosen, America.
Melissa May- you're my new hero. And I love you. Your words are strong and powerful, and like you, they are so so beautiful. Never stop using your incredible voice, the world needs to hear what you have to say. Thank you thank you thank you. You'd make Ursula proud and smile so damn big, you're my queen :-)
I see all of these comments saying that obsesity is unhealthy, and yes, that is entirely correct. But I think the point trying to be made is about how important it is to portray more than one body type. The line "you were the only Disney character who looked like me," is a really important one. I have nothing against slim waists and a narrow frame, but it isn't fair to represent only one body type just because that's what sells best. Cutting Ursula down to fit consumerism is just wrong.
They fat shaming in the comments is unbelievable. Y'all are ignorant and hateful and I feel sorry for you. I really hope this isn't an indication of the present and future of body image and body issues for our society. A person's body is their own and none of your fucking business. Bless this woman for standing up for herself and for others. And screw Disney for their continuous lack of positive body images for children and adults alike. Keep being proud and beautiful!!
YES.
People come in all shapes and sizes. There is nothing wrong with anyone feeling comfortable in their own skin whether they are Ariel sized, Ursula sized, or something in between. And Yes... Ursula's confidence, her evil swagger, her sashaying and shimmying was something to behold and was a memorable and beautiful part of my childhood. Rolls and all Ursula was perfect and so was this poem. It depicts the fact that people demand that we should look a certain way and that people who don't fit into that mold are unhealthy and ugly. For a lot of people that isn't the case. I know people who are bigger than me and healthier than I am. Not a big deal. And they are beautiful they way they are.
If anorexia and bulimia are disorders, then overeating and being morbidly obese is too. It's unhealthy and shouldn't be glorified in any case. How come some people think that it's ok for your health to be fat?
I love how you're all debating whether or not her lifestyle is healthy rather than anyone mentioning that she is a PERSON, who deserves to feel great about herself no matter what her body looks like or how it got that way.
Maybe she's healthy, maybe it isn't. But that has absolutely no relevance to how deserving she and every other fat girl getting shit on by society's standards every single day are of proper representation and the ability to see characters who look like them rocking it out and loving their lives and bodies.
Also, for the record, I have personally walked to hell and back in the form of eating disorders, and I don't care what you say - Eating 10 chocolate bars every day is healthier than being scared to death of eating even an ounce of chocolate.
Mental health > Physical health.
I agree that a lot of people are missing the point, and just using her showing of passion as a platform to take a jab at her size. I do not think 'fat' should be glorified, nor do I think 'skinny' or 'size 0' should be glorified. Our society is so consumed with size, when health is the real priority. Being obese (in the medical sense, not just someone with a few extra pounds) is not healthy, period. But we should not shame people who are obese because that accomplishes nothing but making people feel bad. I think her message that society holds individuals to an almost impossible standard sometimes is true, but I would be very hesitant to have "every little girl see a heroine in a size 24". I'm not saying they shouldn't see it, but health wise I do not think it is a good message to send necessarily. I could be wrong, it's a very difficult issue with a lot of strong feelings involved.
I love how delectably the word "cake" rolls off Ms. May's tongue. You can tell she can feel it in her mouth as she's saying it.
What the hell are you talking about? xD
CAAAAAAKKKKKKKKEE
It is more socially acceptable to be extremely underweight than even a little overweight. My 5ft 7, 100lb best friend is told how beautiful, and perfect her body is almost every day, and none of those people know, or would even care, that she has been struggling with anorexia, and bulimia her entire life. While I, a 200lb 5ft 5 full figured woman, am almost never referred to as anything other than fat. Even when my boyfriend calls me beautiful, I can't believe it, because the rest of the world doesn't see me that way.
believe him, he sees you deeper than your physical appearance. and that's more important to be beautiful
This was glorious!!! I can not imagine what could have been scored higher than this when it is perfection.
Those poor unfortunate souls just wish they had her confidence.
If this is not pure beauty I don't know what is. This poem is perfect-- a beautiful example of the skewed silhouette of perfection. Keep writing Melissa I love you so much!
Shes a good poet and great at public speaker (two things im bad at haha). I felt her raw emotion for this topic and it made my throat close up a little. She very talented. Personally, I don't identify with the character Ursula, but I could empathize with what its like if some tried to take away the one thing I like about my favorite characters uniqueness, just so they could look or be like everyone else.
This makes me insanely happy. I have watched this many times over and shown it to everyone I know. I think you, Melissa May, did a fantastic job capturing the emotion behind this wretched change in Ursula. Thank you for expressing what I am sure many young woman feel (perhaps people in other demographics of which I am uncertain).
People talk about the importance of racial representation in film but there is very little talk about representation for different body types. And it is just as important. When we are shown characters that look like ourselves and we love them, it makes it easier for us to love ourselves. This poem brought tears to my eyes.
To everyone saying "boo-hoo, go on a diet": You are ignorant as shit, and completely missed the point of this piece. You don't make yourself look good by tearing her down. You only make yourself look callous and, well, ignorant. Educate yourself.
There are no words for how good this was. No words.
I've never felt as comfortable in my skin as I do now that I've watched this video. The passion in your voice was so demanding of my attention that I had to watch it twice. I sincerely appreciate your words. You should know how much you have positively changed my view of myself. I will be sharing this video with my other "fat" friends. Thank you.
I'm not crying, you are!
A body positive poem without slamming thin people. A body positive poem focused only on our fucked society standards. A body positive poem without shaming a soul.
Also, that delivery was beyond perfection.
MY QUEEN MY GODDESS I LOVE THIS SO MUCH I CRIED
Ursula is free to go on a diet if she so desires.
I won't knock Melissa for what she's saying, but I do not believe many people are seeing the hypocrisy in her words.
"You're fine how you are...just don't change, because your looks define you."
We're speaking of Ursula in a real way here, and I feel that if we are to do that, we need to treat her change as we would in reality as well. She lost her weight, so good for her....she 'chose' it.
I don't believe a fan should dictate how heavy their idol is. I realize that this is poetry, but It's rare for a passionate poem like this to be made from something the poet does not actually believe.
I think what she's wishing upon those responsible is far worse.
Again, yes, this is simply poetry, but words have power; these people should know it best.
What you're forgetting here is that Disney is fiction. Ursula didn't "go on a diet", she became whatever marketing executives wanted her to be. The problem is that even though there are plenty of heftier women in real life, there are few positive representations of women with bigger bodies (or even realistic bodies) in the Disney universe. The impossible standard they've created contributes to young women everywhere having mental health issues and low self-esteem. Every girl deserves to feel beautiful.
Matthew Richards I don't feel like girls should be getting their confidence and/or self esteem from any sort of media...
I think we need to trace insecurity and low self-esteem to their roots, which is feeling unwanted. One girl feels unwanted (by her parents or whatnot), so she might put another girl down to feel better. Other girls might join in on the shaming for the same or different reasons.
Now, what do girls make fun of? At an age where looks start to matter, and that's all that DOES matter, that's pretty obvious, no?
At this point, It's easy to blame parents for not being aware of their child's insecurities..but wait, those parents were raised in a similar world, in which adults didn't care for the troubles of kids, because by comparison, they were insignificant.
You still see it today, where a parent/adult will say "I don't need to explain myself to that/my child." They see it as weakness, because they think that hearing out the problems of a child, is like joining in with their dog when they bark at the mailman.
Before I lose you in metaphors, I'd like to get to the main point: generation after generation, children's problems are not seen as worthwhile by adults, and the trend continues. Why? Not only because it's what happened to them, but the stresses of an adult life get in the way of their empathy.
Empathizing with a child takes effort, and with so many requirements of being an adult and having your own worries, it is very seldom for a child to have an adult to rely on for a solid perspective on what's important.
Large role-models are the tip of the iceberg. I don't know what we can do to change the world for those growing up in it, but I believe we should start working towards making it a good thing to take the words of a child seriously. This does not mean you obey their ignorance; you're the adult, so it only makes sense that you would give them advice, and show them different ways of seeing things, yes?
Listening is not weakness; advising is not a waste of time; encouragement does not need to be hollow praise. Kids are human too, and deserve to be treated as such.
Sorry for the long post.
@Matthew Richards why is this a "female" issue?
You can feel good about yourself when you are large, I don't think she isn't saying she doesn't want to change, or that she hasn't tried or isn't trying her voice cracks her eyes sparkle with tears, she would give anything to lose the physical pain and agony her weight gives her. I am certain of one thing in life, EVERYONE is doing their best in that moment!, with the information they have. I think it is good to have fat happy role models, and every other size. Chubby Buddha isn't given the same hate you people seem to give this woman who is taking something she has been "cursed" with and turning it into a motivation and inspiration to others. To me that is the definition of BEAUTY! She is AWESOME!
I'm in love with you Melissa May. Very talented. Great poem.
No matter how many times I watch this I always get goosebumps watching and listening to this
*Slow claps at how inspiringly beautiful this poem is*
first this spoken word is amazing and im sharing it everywhere, second its so sad to see the many people in the comments that speak from a place of ignorance and hurt and perpetuate that same ignorance and hurt out to the world. peace and blessings to you all
I loved this.
And I honestly do not understand how anybody could watch this and think that she is glorifying obesity.
I cried during this...I love this so much
Theres a lot of hate on here..... But if shes reading this... She is fucking amazing. This is definitely one of the best slam poenmd ive heard. YOU GO GIRL!
I scrolled down a whole page of comments and they were all negatives but this poem was fantastic and powerful....it's interesting how the world works. Dear Mellisa, Amazing job.
This isn't about health and all that technical crap, its simply. "You look fine, love yourself, don't let these people get to you"
Let the person Be. Why are your worried about their health? you should be more concerned about the fact that they are persecuted for something as SMALL as appearance.
Maybe they'd care about their health if they weren't treated Like less than a person.
I, for one, would. But I don't, From the bullying, isolation, social segregation and mockery, you tend to not give two shits about whether or not you 'are healthy".
You can be the strongest of the strong but if you are told by peers about how 'ugly' you are, even if you 'shrug it off', you are still being beaten down.
So in short, don't rant about health, about appearance, any of that bull. Its about being a fellow human being by definition, not a monster in the eyes of rational minds.
The thing is if you keep telling someone that is unhealthily overweight they are beautiful and don't need to change you're in the long run actually hurting them more. I'm not saying we should tear anyone down, but sometimes too much "acceptance" can actually be a bad thing.
beanwithbacon Body self-acceptance is the key to losing weight. You have to want it for you, not for anyone else. It's hard to not want it for anyone else when people won't accept you as you are.
Widow Twonky The majority do care about their health... the difference is that they also realize that there is A LOT more to being healthy than how much you weigh. Obviously, you don't get that.
Also, just FYI, saying shit like that ("fat sacks of shit" "disgusting sweaty spheres" and saying they're not people in general) is what keeps many overweight/obese PEOPLE (human=person) from wanting to go to the gym or go for a walk or do ANY kind of exercise out in public.
They eat food. The same food you eat, I reckon (unless, of course you're magical and don't need food). They just eat too much of it because the chemical that tells them they're full doesn't work properly.
How the fuck does that mean they are not human?
Bullshit, this sort of stuff convinces people that its okay to not seek a better body.
There is no fucking persecution, overweight people have the same rights as anyone else.
She isn't skinny shaming in this poem, this poem is about embracing your body and not letting the media alter it. It is not telling people to be overweight, it is not saying it is bad to be skinny, it is telling you to love yourself and shame those who tell you that you as an individual has to change how you look. There is no skinny shaming at all in this. There is merely the statement that there is nothing wrong with being larger, what's wrong is making you feel like you have to be skinny to fit in.
Jesus. If you feel cursed in your body, lose some damn weight. It's that simple.
It's not about feeling cursed, it's about feeling god damn good about your body. YOU SHOULDNT NEED TO CHANGE TO MAKE THE OPINION OF YOU AS WELL. I love my body, and I'm not going to lose weight. I'm going to learn to love my big body.
Drew Caswell You know it's not about looks or anything. There's also a health concern.
Drew Caswell
If you're fat, you shouldn't feel good about it.
Being fat hurts you and those around you. This idea that modern feminists seem to have, that they can weight in excess of 200lb, and start having kids at 40, is nothing but degenerate self-indulgence.
It's not beautiful, it's not brave.
***** Actually, you should. I don't want you to fucking comment on my body if it has nothing to pertain to you. You worry about your body, I worry about mine. I don't care if my body offends you. If you don't like it, get the fuck out of my face. uwu I don't give a shit about your offensive jabs, because I love my body and that's all that really matters. I don't need to listen to annoying, idiotic assholes who have nothing better to do than try to inflate their ego more than it already is. Byeee.
Drew Caswell
Your body doesn't offend me, sorry, I'm not that fragile.
I'm not being offensive, I'm stating simple facts.
I just really love this and for many reasons, but one of them being that Ursula is a shape shifter. She can be whatever size she wants to be, and we see that when she makes prince Eric fall for her, but she chooses to have her curves and aged skin. And she owns it. I love Ursula and this poem.
ursula is my favorite disney villian!
go you!
I've been binge watching these slams and this is the first one to get a comment from me. Not that the other ones weren't amazing but that I resonated with this one far too well. This was impeccable!!!
Ursula was the villain, not created by Disney but by Hans Christian Anderson. Again, VILLAIN. She was evil! She wasn't a queen but a woman who nearly killed for power! How could anyone look up to that and call her perfect? You obviously missed the entire message of that Disney movie.
Actually, in the original story she wasn't a villain, but a wise witch who warned the little mermaid of what the potion would do before she gave it to her (and the potion did more harm than good, but the little mermaid drank it anyway). There was no good and evil in the story, just a lesson to be learned by the little mermaid. If anything, the little mermaid brought a demise upon herself. Disney turned Ursula into a deceitful villain. But just because Ursula was a villain in the Disney movie doesn't mean she doesn't have any redeeming qualities. Even though she used her forces for evil, she was still powerful, which to some is an admirable trait. I think what she was trying to say is that the only plus size character she looked up to (no matter what reason) was slimmed down for marketing purposes, and it shaved an essence of who she was. I don't mean to be rude, by the way, so if I come of as so, I apologize. Just some food for thought. :)
HurricaneSalim You can't blame Disney though. THeir job is to make money, so they slimmed her down.
Oh, I don't blame them at all, but it does kinda suck.
***** Oh, I don't blame them at all, but it does kinda suck.
"and I pity the poor. unfortunate. soul. that would ever paint you as anything less"
YESSSS. I got chills at that part. So good
This was so great!
No, this was not great. Not in the least. Take all that energy you put into your poetry and devote it to living past 50. "Living in this body" is a reversible condition, not a curse.
Kent Straith Couldn't agree more.
Kent Straith it's not a real curse. she's talking about the pressures of ignorant people like you.
Jules Coxie It is a real curse. Should we be blindly conforming to media's ideal, skinny body shape? Of course not. Should we be applauding this woman for making it seem like it is okay to be obese? Absolutely not! As a medical student, it's been eye opening hearing about the fact that obesity increases the risk of pretty much any disease imaginable- diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, basically any cancer imaginable, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, COPD, asthma.. the list goes on and on. if you want to live in your delusional world and think that there is no problem being the size of this ranting woman and place your own health at risk, go ahead..but when you start to convince others to think this same way, you are potentially putting their lives at risk. Now that is true ignorance. Shame on you.
Jules Coxie No, it's not ignorant. This poet is defending lifestyle choices which are going to kill her. They are NOT equally valid. The "beauty ideal" has only been the ideal since humanity figured out that those people live longer. This poet may well have some sort of medical condition which prevents her from losing weight, but whether through a medical problem or a willpower problem, it's still a problem. She can deal with the problem, or feel sorry for herself when Disney doesn't back up her self-pity with their dollars. Oh, and FYI - I'm about forty pounds overweight. I used to be seventy pounds overweight. I run thirty miles a week, see a trainer, and eat very scrupulously because I decided I wanted to live a long time. My father died of obesity related illness. Seven obesity related illnesses, in fact. So, my ignorance isn't really at issue here.
The passion of the delivery as well as the content touches a deep nerve that runs tender for many. Thank you!
It's amazing to me that most people who are watching this seem to see fat before they hear poetry.
+Morgan MacArthur The entire thing is about mixed standards and a woman wrangling the duality of relating to (and her struggle with) her body vs society. It doesn't make her wrong or unworthy because she's not visibly "healthy" in your eyes, it makes her a person going through something, which may require a bit of clemency from the otherwise indifferent viewer. Be who you want to be, say what you wanna say, have your opinion, but I personally count my lucky stars I am fortunate to know the difference between judging someone and listening to them. If this is something you cannot see, life has probably yet to teach you (boy when it does), but everyone learns eventually, or dies learning. Judging people, when you have limited information, or for arbitrary reasons, is always an act of narcissism. Dehumanising overweight people seems to currently be a favourite sport of the unfortunate/misfortunate/self-loathing/emotionally- underdeveloped/apathetic/narcissistic/sociopathic/compassionless, but it's always someone, isn't it. Fat people are a particularly cheap target (must do better) because a real narcissist gets to shake their finger and spout "well if i'm thin and "healthy" then you should be too. How dare you think you can get away with this. I try! What makes you think you're exempt from trying. I'm here to tell you otherwise". It's the maniacal rantings of an illogical sociopath, ignoring the nuances of the human experience. Everyone has shit to deal with, everyone. It might be alcohol, or coming from a shitty home, or a chronic illness, or being treated like shit by everyone (lack of confidence), or drugs, or homelessness/indigence or any number of things. Some people, who are very vulnerable and can't get it together for emotional/psychological/physiological reasons, have tried and tried, more than you can imagine, and still have no results. Not everyone is made like you, not everyone has had what you have, not everyone can reach your expectations (nor should they). Be kind, grow a pair, be a person and ask about people's lives without judgement. It's such a courageous act. In a perfect world, everyone's mother and father and grandparents and teachers and friends etc, would hold each person to this standard of compassion. Alas that is not a current reality, but every person has the choice to stop pretending to be without "sin" and being an asshole and start being a loving, fallible, transparent, visibly-flawed human being. One of my favourite quotes of all time (I don't know who said it, but anyway) is..."Everyone is fighting their own battle, try not to be a cunt". Says it all really.
Melissa's performance is about embracing oneself AS YOU ARE, and not allowing society to dictate how we look, or what size we are. Many of the folks commenting on this thread should dismiss themselves now, because the clear message being sent in this performance is being overlooked, misunderstood, and completely ignored. Please take your hate and judgment elsewhere.
This is the exact same thing, but on the other side of the coin. While too skinny is unhealthy and shouldn't be idolized, it's the same for too heavy. We have an epidemic of obesity in this country and it doesn't help to accept that's ok, it's not. Just like how it's dangerous for a young child to strive to be a stick-figure, it's dangerous for a child feel that it's acceptable to be fat. Obesity leads to serious diseases and a short life, we shouldn't have that for young generations! We should be promoting health and fitness for people now and for our future generations.
This is literally so beautiful, like I'm in tears right now... I love Button Poetry to an extreme point.....
Honestly being overweight should not be glorified. Because the fact of the matter is that being overweight can cause many health issues. Does it mean you can't be beautiful and still be overweight? No. But if you are overweight you should try your best to have a healthier lifestyle. We are teaching kids these days that it is ok to eat whatever you want without exercising and it's ok to be fat and we shouldn't be letting kids think like that. There are more overweight kids now more than there ever have been and some already have a lot of health issues! And the whole thing about Ursula, it was for a special doll that is supposed to be like Barbie dolls. Disney still makes a regular ursula doll and she's the size she should be. They did it for just that one doll. This doll was a limited edition and very few were made. All of the dolls in the collection had the same mold. From a budget view it was cheaper to make only one mold. If they were to keep the original size they would have to make 3 molds, 1 for the skinnier villains, 1 for the queen of hearts (which she's big too and I am hearing NOBODY complain about her being shrank down...), and 1 for Ursula. And making molds is expensive!
Exactly. Very well put
Yeah that's fair. That's why I don't understand the hatred towards Michelle Obama. It's not fair to your kids if you're unhealthy and you promote an unhealthy lifestyle to your child. When your kid grows up they'll have to fight against that lifestyle and people won't understand why they can't stop themselves from eating. If you're not going to help your child have a healthy future where they feel like crap every day when they hit 50 you should let the president's wife do it haha.
Being slightly overweight is actually the healthier than what was considered "healthy weight" or "normal weight" when the BMI was made in the 1800s.
TheZombieJC yes and obviously being stick thin is not healthy either. But when you are 250+ pounds that isn't by muscle but by fat, that is not healthier.
@@MaryJaneElizabeth this isn't about health. And even if it was , did you ever consider that maybe if a person thinks they're ugly and fat , they won't see the point in trying to get healthy. It'll sound like an unattainable goal, they'll be too nervous to go outside and exercise bc some think they'll be judged. No one is saying having too much fat is healthy,but the process to equilibrium is hard and long. We all need to love ourselves in the meantime.
i am in love with melissa's choice of words to describe ursula. her voice was so booming and powerful, her words made me feel happy inside. as much as i love disney with all my heart, i have seen things as a child that slimmed ursula down and honestly, it just felt weird to me. as a child i thought "wait, ursula doesn't look like that!"
Shes an amazing writer!
Why are we not commenting on the beautiful poetry, but rather policing her body like we have some kind of right to her flesh? She's a beautiful soul with brilliant words. It's important that we focus on that.