everyBODYisflawless

"#everyBODYisflawless"

A screenshot from #everyBODYisflawless featuring Tess Munster, Gabi Gregg and Nadia Aboulhosn
Music video by Gabi Gregg featuring Nadia Aboulhosn and Tess Munster
Published Vimeo
Released May 7, 2014 (2014-05-07)
Recorded 2014 in Los Angeles, California, United States
Genre Trap, hip hop
Length 4:43
Language English
Producer(s) Gabi Gregg, Helton Brazil Siqueira

#everyBODYisflawless is a music video featuring American plus-size fashion bloggers and models Gabi Gregg, Nadia Aboulhosn and Tess Munster, lip-synching to Beyoncé's 2013 song "Flawless". The video was released on May 7, 2014. It was created by Gregg to promote body positivity and acceptance as a response to the way women are sometimes treated by the fashion community and by internet trolls.[1]

Background

Gabi "GabiFresh" Gregg was inspired to create a new version of Beyoncé's 2013 "Flawless" after being discriminated against for her body size. She decided to recreate the video to include larger bodies by recruiting and collaborating with fellow plus-size fashion bloggers and models Nadia Aboulhosn and Tess Munster to film the video.[2][3][4][5][6]

Partly inspired by Beyoncé's decision to keep her entire self-titled album Beyoncé a secret until it was released,[7] Gregg kept the video project a secret until its release.[8] Gregg hopes that people support her campaign by using the hashtag and sharing the video.[7]

"As a fat woman of color, I'm often treated differently than my thin, white peers. By brands, by fellow bloggers, by the media. I get passed over for things I’m more than qualified for. I get stares and cold shoulders at fashion events. I hear whispers. I get hate mail and trolling comments from people who call me disgusting and say I shouldn’t be allowed in public. Like Bey [Beyoncé], I usually just brush these people off, and I never give them power by addressing them here or anywhere else. But it gets tiring, and sometimes I'm really tempted to drop the lady-like thing and just kind of...go off. So when I heard Beyoncé telling her haters to Bow Down in the song ***Flawless, I immediately fell in love. [With the video].

...I wanted to show that 1) we are not competing to be the Top Dog in our niche — we are supportive of each other and are all working toward the same goal: body positivity and inclusivity. And 2) you don’t have to be a certain size to claim your flawlessness. Fat is not a flaw."

—Gabi Gregg, creator of #everyBODYisflawless[9][10][11]

Gregg said, "...This video is dedicated to the mainstream media, to the fashion industry, to internet bullies, and to anyone else who thinks it's their right to try to make us feel less than because of their insecurities."[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] Aboulhosn said, "For me, this video is to show all of my followers that you define your definition of beauty..."[20][21] Munster said, "This is OUR way of giving an 'eff you' to the critics that say we promote obesity, that we have no place in the fashion industry."[20][22]

Gregg added: "As someone who gets my fair share of negativity in my industry, I thought the message was definitely applicable. I just wanted to do something fun that was also empowering women to give a middle finger to a fat-phobic society." Aboulhosn added: "All three of us are feminists, and we really wanted to get across the fact that we can all empower each other and work together in an industry that is so competitive. We aren't here to compete with each other; instead, we are here to uplift one another, especially because we have similar struggles in a world that isn't very accepting of us." Munster mused, "I want women, young girls to see this and realize that we are perfect the way we are, "to push back to the 'standards' that society tries to place on us and [realize] that we are so much stronger together."[23]

Development

The video was styled[17] and produced by Gregg,[7] and directed by Helton "Brazil" Siqueira.[24][25] Gregg and Munster both live in the Los Angeles area and Aboulhosn flew in for a few days for the shoot.[7] The re-enactment took 12 hours straight to shoot and was unrehearsed.[20] It took a month after that to finish the editing process with Siquiera.[7]

The introduction reads: 'Fat is not a flaw'.[20] The video opens with interviews of the three women discussing body image and their struggle to make society accept them as beautiful[2] where they have had to tackle criticism,[1] and news commentators examining plus-size shapes in the media.[26] It then segues into a music video[2] featuring Gregg, Aboulhosn and Munster lip-synching[14][27] and dancing to Beyonce's track.[20] The clip shows the trio recreating the Beyoncé video in a wardrobe of sequins, shorts and crop-tops.[1] The video ends with a Huffington Post comment: "Regardless of how people's metabolism function, or what they look like, each of us deserves respect, compassion, and can't be judged by anyone but themselves."[26] It also uses the same excerpt by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie from the original.[28]

Release

The video was uploaded on Vimeo on May 7, 2014 and was viewed over 200,000 times within a week of being released.[20] It was released two weeks after Beyoncé released her Pretty Hurts video and, subsequently, the #WhatIsPretty campaign, which asks fans to upload images and quotations that define what beauty means to them.[29]

Critical response

Julie Gerstein of BuzzFeed thought the aim of the video is "...To let women know that there's more than one ideal body, one ideal vision of beauty and that 'you don't have to be a certain size to claim your flawlessness'."[12] Danielle Young of Hello Beautiful said, "The result is an absolutely flawless display of self love that can inspire even those who wear single digit clothing. You don't have to be plus size to know that loving your body is a must."[9] Michelle Guerrero Denison of Zaftig Times said, "obvious sisterhood, body positivity, and feminism oozing through this video."[5] Maeve Keirans said, "...the fact that Beyonce, Gabi, Nadia, and Tess are making people talk about it and are opening their minds/beliefs/understandings to the variety out there is very cool. Bow down."[29] Kimberley Foster of Coloures said, "...I can only imagine the psychological toll the endless body shaming must take on these women. Creating their own image of unity and confident to combat the nastiness was an incredible idea..."[30]

Bellanaija.com thought the "Three plus size bloggers – GabiFresh, Nadia Aboulhosn, and Tess Munster, prove you can be big, absolutely fabulous, and comfortable in your own skin."[31] Annabel Fenwick Elliott of the Daily Mail said the video "features Ms Gregg and two of her equally voluptuous friends throwing some impressive shapes to Beyonce's track."[20] Liza of Persephone Magazine thought "There's something truly magical about seeing big boobs, back rolls, and flabby arms moving without apology and with confidence channeled from Queen Bey [Beyoncé] herself."[17] Cassandra of Swagger New York thought "the ladies go from glam to hood chic as they lip sync the track in between close ups of their curves."[32] Daily Life commented that it "features some pretty fantastic fashions..."[33][34][35]

SourceFed said, "This is an amazing movement, and a grand example of three very different plus size women recreating and reinterpreting such a positive, empowering piece of art. FLAWLESS."[22] Alex Rees of Cosmopolitan thought it is a "kick-ass music video. One that comes with the hashtag #everyBODYisflawless, as a means of furthering the conversation around — and in support of — body positivity, in all shapes and sizes."[14] Liz Black of Refinery29 said, "With huge social followings of their own, these body-positive women are already influential. But, this video speaks volumes of truth that they may not have previously revealed..."[23] Clutch said about Gregg, "...her version of Beyonce's '***Flawless' video is a celebration of everything body positive."[15] Sweetest thought "Other women of all sizes and backgrounds should stand up against set beauty standards for women and know that #EveryBodyIsFlawless."[28] Giselle Childs of StyleBlazer reiterated "...Every body is flawless. It's a lesson we should all take care to remember."[36]

Emma Cueto of Bustle said, "...used to promote body positivity and fat acceptance... and all three ladies kill it... So checkout GabiFresh's Twitter hashtag #everyBODYisflawless and prepare to fall in love with her video."[37] CRAZY COOL GROOVY!!! thought the women "put their own brand-spankin' new spin on the BEYONCE banger, FLAWLESS!!!"[38] Sinha Smrita of Mic noted "The movement seems to have hit something of a nerve online, where people have taken to social media to applaud the concept."[39] Yesha Callahan of The Root noted "As the video went viral, kudos have been pouring in:"[16] Arabelle Sicardi of The Style Con said about Gregg, "When she dropped this video on us, my love for her was sealed for all of eternity."[7]

Eun Kyung Kim of Today said of the video, "The result is full of attitude and self acceptance."[4] Laura Williamson of Mamamia thought "...this the most ***Flawless, film clip recreation ever."[40] Kaitlyn of Autostraddle said "The result is — forgive me — flawless."[11] Rebecca Rose of Jezebel described it as "FUCKING FLAWLESS MAGIC":[13] Kate Lloyd of Grazia Daily stated "We love it".[1] Nina Bahadur of The Huffington Post claimed "We couldn't 'bow down' any further if we tried."[2] Maura Brannigan of Lucky called it a "wonderful video".[18] Ellen Stewart of My Daily described it as "Totally amazing".[21] Haley Blum of Entertain This! thought the women were "...looking pretty dang flawless."[27] Prachi Gupta of Salon said, "So go ahead and bow down to these ladies, because they've got something important to say:"[10] Ashley Hoffman of Styleite said, "Bow down bitches".[26] ColorLines said of the video, "Here's a little body positivity..."[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Lloyd, Kate (May 8, 2014). "#PlayTime: Forget Beyonce! You Need To Watch These Plus-Size Bloggers Do 'Flawless'". Grazia Daily. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Bahadur, Nina (May 8, 2014). "This Video Proves That Every Body Is '***Flawless'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  3. ↑ Apatoff, Alex (May 8, 2014). "Plus-Size Blogger Gabi Fresh Does Her Own Version of Beyoncé's 'Flawless'". StyleWatch. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Kim, Eun Kyung (May 8, 2014). "Plus-size blogger's video of Beyonce song proves everyone is 'flawless'". Today. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  5. 1 2 Denison, Michelle Guerrero (May 8, 2014). "#everyBodyisflawless has rocked my damn world!". Zaftig Times. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  6. 1 2 King, Jamilah (May 8, 2014). "Video: Beyoncé Re-Make Says Every Body is Flawless". ColorLines. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sicardi, Arabelle (May 8, 2014). "#everyBODYisflawless because Beyonce Told Us So". The Style Con. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  8. ↑ Price, Leslie (May 8, 2014). "Blogger Gabifresh Debuts #everyBODYisflawless Campaign". Racked. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  9. 1 2 Young, Danielle (May 8, 2014). "3 Amazing Plus Size Models/Bloggers Make Their Own Killer Version Of Beyonce's 'Flawless' & We're Like YASSSS!". HelloBeautiful. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  10. 1 2 Gupta, Prachi (May 8, 2014). "These three bloggers prove #EveryBodyIsFlawless". Salon. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  11. 1 2 "VIDEO: #everyBODYisflawless in this Body-Positive Beyonce Remake". Autostraddle. May 8, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  12. 1 2 Gerstein, Julie (May 12, 2014). "Watch These Plus-Size Bloggers Do A Totally Flawless Beyoncé Cover". BuzzFeed. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  13. 1 2 Rose, Rebecca (May 7, 2014). "Plus-Size Blogger Films New Version of Beyoncé's '***Flawless' Video". Jezebel. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  14. 1 2 3 Rees, Alex (May 8, 2014). "Plus-Size Fashion Bloggers Lip-Sync Beyoncé's "***Flawless"". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  15. 1 2 "GabiFresh Films New Version of Beyoncé's '***Flawless' Video". Clutch. May 8, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  16. 1 2 Callahan, Yesha (May 8, 2014). "GabiFresh Recreates Beyoncé Video To Promote Body Positivity". The Root. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  17. 1 2 3 "The Fat-Positive "Flawless" Video is a Thing of Beauty". Persephone Magazine. May 9, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  18. 1 2 Brannigan, Maura (July 22, 2014). "WATCH: Plus-Size Blogger Puts A New Spin On Beyoncé's 'Flawless' Music Video". Lucky. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  19. ↑ "#everyBODYisflawless". Unbranded Truth. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Fenwick Elliott, Annabel (May 13, 2014). "'Fat is NOT a flaw!' Plus-sized blogger films re-make of Beyonce's female self-acceptance anthem ***Flawless". Daily Mail. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  21. 1 2 Stewart, Ellen (May 9, 2014). "Plus Size Models Take On Beyonce's 'Flawless': This Video Is Amazing". My Daily. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  22. 1 2 "In Case You Needed Some Proof That #everyBODYisflawless!". SourceFed. May 8, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  23. 1 2 Black, Liz (May 8, 2014). "Beyoncé's "***Flawless" Gets A Next-Level Remix From Plus Bloggers". Refinery29. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  24. ↑ "#everyBODYisflawless". LockerDome. May 28, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  25. ↑ "#everyBODYisflawless". Gabi Fresh. May 7, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  26. 1 2 3 Hoffman, Ashley (May 8, 2014). "Watch This Plus-Sized Blogger's Awesome New Version of Beyoncé's "Flawless"". Styleite. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  27. 1 2 Blum, Haley (May 8, 2014). "Plus-size bloggers channel Beyoncé in '#everyBODYisflawless' video". USA Today. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  28. 1 2 "3 Plus-Size Fashion Bloggers Cover Beyoncé, Proves #EveryBodyIsFlawless". Sweetest. May 13, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  29. 1 2 Keirans, Maeve (May 8, 2014). "Gabi Fresh Gives Beyonce's 'Flawless' A New Spin". MTV. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  30. ↑ Foster, Kimberley (May 8, 2014). "Three Bloggers Came Together for a '***Flawless' Statement on Body Positivity". Coloures. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  31. ↑ "Plus Size Bloggers Dance to Beyoncé's "Flawless"". Bellanaija.com. May 15, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  32. ↑ "Can You Be ***Flawless And Fat?". Swagger New York. May 8, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  33. ↑ "'Sports Illustrated' swimsuit issue remade with curvy women". Daily Life. June 3, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  34. ↑ "Swimsuits sexy at many sizes". Stuff.co.nz. June 3, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  35. ↑ "Swimsuits sexy at many sizes". Essential Mums. June 3, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  36. ↑ Childs, Giselle (May 8, 2014). "Plus-Size Blogger GabiFresh Re-makes Bey's "Flawless," Dedicates Video To The Haters". StyleBlazer. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  37. ↑ Cueto, Emma (May 8, 2014). "Plus-Size Blogger GabiFresh Remakes Beyonce's 'Flawless' Video And It's Phenomenal". Bustle. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  38. ↑ Childs, Giselle (May 10, 2014). "@GABRIFRESH, @NADIAABOULHOSN, & @TESSMUNSTER; "#EVRYBODYISFLAWLESS"!!!". CRAZY COOL GROOVY!!!. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  39. ↑ Smrita, Sinha (May 8, 2014). "This Inspiring Remake of Beyoncé's 'Flawless' Sends a Biting Message to Fat Shamers". Mic. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  40. ↑ Williamson, Laura (May 20, 2014). "This clip is the ultimate plus-sized girl's revenge". Mamamia. Retrieved August 1, 2014.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/15/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.