YouTuber Nicole Arbour has doubled down on the fat shaming comments in her “Dear Fat People” video–comments which have drawn the ire of observers across the internet, seen Arbour lose thousands of followers, and gotten her fired as choreographer from a major motion picture. In response to widespread criticism of what critics say is Nicole Arbour fat shaming and what many call “bullying,” Arbour was defiant: “I’m not apologizing for this video.”
In the “Dear Fat People” video, Arbour claims that “fat shaming isn’t a thing,” alleging “Fat people made that up. It’s the race card with no race.”
One of the more widely criticized sections comes at the beginning of the video, when Arbour mocks offended viewers who are too obese to chase after her: “What are you gonna do, fat people? What are you gonna do. Chase me? Really? You’re gonna chase me? It’s gonna be like f*ckin’ Frankenstein.”
The six-minute “Dear Fat People” clip has earned Nicole Arbour internet notoriety–and, in an interview with TIME, Arbour says she refuses to apologize, insisting that her intention was to start a conversation. “I feel it’s really important,” said Arbour, “that we make fun of everybody. I think [what] brings us together and unites us as people is that we can poke fun at all of us.”
According to the star of the video, there is no such thing as Nicole Arbour fat shaming. Rather, Arbour says hers is “an intense form of truth telling”:
I find seeing someone’s head being blown off offensive. I find children starving in a country with more than enough food offensive. I find women’s bodies being mutilated for religious purposes, that is offensive to me. But words and satire I don’t find offensive….I’m not apologizing for this video.
The original “Dear Fat People” video currently has over 4.1 million YouTube views. Since yesterday afternoon, though, Nicole Arbour lost approximately 18,000 YouTube followers–from 196,000 to 178,000 as of this writing.
In case you haven’t seen it, here is the “Dear Fat People” video in full:
In addition, here is Nicole Arbour’s most recent Instagram post:
Is this all much ado about nothing? Is Nicole Arbour right–are we all taking this fat shaming controversy too far? Or is the “Dear Fat People” video a prime example of bullying–something that needs to be addressed and stopped?
(Photo credits: Nicole Arbour fat shaming via Instagram, YouTube)
