Beauty
“I’m A Plus-Sized Model – People Body Shame Me But I Ignore The Trolls”
She hopes to be a positive role model for other curvy women.
Receiving mean messages from strangers is part of the job Bonnie James does. And as a result, the 23-Year-Old has learned to ignore the haters and love her body. Instead of letting people dictate how she should look and feel, Bonnie has taken control and has decided to play the game herself.
The objection, the fetishization of her features, and the constant body shaming have been bad, yet Bonnie doesn’t let the hate get to her as she hopes to spread the message of body positivity.
Jane Fonda is one of Bonnie’s idols, and even though she was an s*x symbol of the 60s and 70s, she had equally used her power and voice for change to advocate for social justice. Speaking with Daily Star exclusively, she shared: “Online hate just comes with the territory!”
“I look at some of the great women that were a part of the feminist movement, at the time they received such hate, such pushback but look at all the influence and change there were able to produce.”
“If you’ve got haters you’re doing something right. No one made a difference by following the rules and you have to push boundaries to break them. Obviously, my platform on social media is nowhere near as influential as Jane Fonda and my words don’t create rallies but if it can start a discussion, plant a seed of thought then I’m happy to engage in that with my followers.”
In recent years, Bonnie has had a rocky relationship with her body. When she was younger, she was taller than most of her friends, which she had seen as a negative thing. While in primary school, Bonnie was hyper-aware of her body and its space in the world. As she got older, it only intensified, and as a timid child, it became almost debilitating from a young age.
She continued: “Through middle school and high school, even though I had worked through my shyness, I was extremely self-conscious of every physical aspect of myself.”
“I never saw pale skin, freckles and curly or frizzy hair portrayed as anything other than the dorky and uncool kid in movies, TV or magazines. Of course, getting braces and reading glasses at 15 to 17 years old didn’t help my confidence either.” Bonnie’s mental health took a hit when she decided to study dance and theatre full time, which is when she developed anorexia nervosa.
As she completed school, her eating disorder evolved into a binge eating disorder. Bonnie gained much weight but eventually received professional help.
Getting help was the start of the upwards journey that saw her to where she is today. She’s now confidently representing curvy women and had previously dabbled in modeling at a commercial size when she would fit in size 6. She so much loved it that when she was offered a job a couple of years later at a size 12, she jumped at it. Her first shoot allowed her to wear bright colors, experiment with fashion, and take up space, where she had decided she wasn’t worthy of anymore.
Bonnie loves that the modeling universe now sees more representation and has had people thank her for her contribution and voice.
