About body positivity and self-love ❤️

"About body positivity and self-love" - Interview with body activist Helene Thyrsted, currently in the movie "Fat Front".

At Mondo Kaos, we sell clothes for people based on the individual's body, and we
have been doing this since 2006. Taking a starting point in yourself and your own body has also been the theme of the last
couple of customer evenings we have held in the store, and it has inspired us to write a blog on the topics
body positivity and self-love. So we invited body activist Helene Thyrsted to Nørrebro
to talk about her approach to the body positivist community, her role in the movie Fat Front and
about clothes and getting closer to a more positive body image.

Photo: Sophia Juliane Lydolph

What if you can?

Helene first became acquainted with the body positive community back in 2015, and her motivation for doing something new was that she was feeling sad and uncomfortable: "I felt terrible knowing that I was living in a world where there was no room for me as I was, and I felt that of course - as I have learned - it was my fault. There's not supposed to be room for me in society, I'm the one who's not small enough for society. It makes me feel isolated and like I don't belong. So when I came across these blogs, to
start with, and then Instagram accounts of other fat people, mainly women, who said something different, who said 'what if you can do all these things? What if you can take up space? What if you're allowed to eat ice cream or wear a bikini or whatever it is you've been abstaining from', these question marks that were planted were actually enough for them to grow, while I continued to be inspired by these people I had started following. And it's like that with many things, the more you are exposed to something, the more normalized it becomes, so the more I saw people who looked like me, who lived good lives and did what they wanted, the more acceptable it became in my head that I could also go after the things I wanted".

Helene's development has been a gradual process, because the questions that the fat women asked turned Helene's perception of reality upside down, because for her it had always been the ultimate truth that it was her own fault that she was fat and that it was her own fault that she was treated as inferior in society by her fellow human beings - and by herself! So being asked "what if that's not true and you're actually okay just the way you are?" was a powerful experience that took time to digest, but also ignited a spark inside her. A spark that turned into a fire and a burning desire to let other minorities know that they too are okay just the way they are, and that they are entitled to be and exist just like everyone else.

From the time she started following bloggers and Instagrammers until she found the courage to start sharing herself, it took a few months. The first picture she shared of herself was of her thighs. She remembers being nervous about sharing it, so she had made a cover by including her cat in the picture, so that if someone were to be negative, for example, commenting that she had ugly thighs, she could explain that the picture was about the cat and not her thighs. Any thoughts of negative comments were put to rest, however, as positive and
supportive comments poured in from the community she had just joined. She was suddenly allowed to feel that her legs were okay, and this gave her more courage to share herself, and with each share she felt accepted and recognized in the pictures and stories of other body-positive bloggers and Instagrammers. Gradually, she began to accept and embrace her body in a positive way, and today she is an active part of the Danish body positive and fat-inclusive community.

When Helene found the body positive community, there were no Danes talking about body activism. She found Danish plus-size women talking about plus-size dresses, fashion and style, but no one talking about politics and rights, as she found they did abroad, and she was missing that. She needed someone to talk about societal rights and fight for inclusion for all, so she started using her platform to talk about body positivity and fat inclusion in Denmark.

About the movie "Fat Front".

One day in 2017, Helene was approached by two female directors who had gotten her information from others in the movement. They asked her if she wanted to take part in a film project, and she said yes. The two directors then followed Helene and three other Scandinavian female body activists for two years.

The four women met for the first time in August 2019 for a press photo shoot leading up to the film's premiere, and meeting the other three girls and the friendship and community they have formed is one of the most important things Helene has gained from being in the film. On an activist level, her participation in the film has meant that she has gained a platform where more ears listen to what she has to say, and she has been given the opportunity for her agenda to come to light and gain representation and visibility:
"the fact that fat people can be allowed to come on television and say: 'here I am', it means a lot ... and hopefully [it] contributes to us talking more about fatness, and I can sense that
the film has at least helped to start some debate about it".

About plus size clothing and feeling comfortable.

Helene has never had much interest in fashion and style, but like all young women, she wants to look good and make a good impression. She is tired of the fact that most plus size stores and brands, in her opinion, still carry and design clothes based on the assumption that fat people want to be camouflaged in "big flowered tentwork" and she finds it hard to express herself as a young, hip woman when the regular clothes available try to hide and camouflage the whole figure instead of highlighting it.
Helene also likes to express herself with colors and wants to be seen and wear clothes that she feels expresses her personality. However, she rarely spends time shopping due to past experiences and disappointments both in stores and online. So we were delighted when after the interview Helene wanted to try on a few of our dresses that are designed to accentuate the curves. And even though not all the dresses were her style or suited her body type, there were two dresses that both Helene and we thought looked really good on her and
highlighted her and her figure!

One step closer to a better body image.

It was very inspiring for us to interview Helene, who is a true power woman on the rise! We asked her what she thought was the first step to a more positive self-image if you're insecure about yourself and your body for any reason. Firstly, Helene recommends watching the movie Fat Front, and secondly, she encourages you to diversify your social media feed: "I know several people who have said they get bored of going on Instagram because 'people are so beautiful' - so follow other people! Real people! It can do the opposite: confirm that you are okay as you are and that there is room for you, that there are people like you and that you are not alone. so you see and experience different types of people, people you can mirror yourself in, which confirms that you are okay as you are and that there is room for you, that there are people like you and that you are not alone. Representation means an insane amount, even more than we realize, especially when we belong to the norm ourselves - we forget because we feel represented. We forget how important it is to see someone with our own skin color if we're used to it all the time."

Thank you so much for letting us interview you Helene, it was a pleasure!

If you have become more interested in Helene and her activism and the whole body positive community,
we think you should start following Helene on her instagram here:
https://www.instagram.com/_chubbydane/

Love,
Team Mondo Kaos