Thick thighs saved lives on the runway at Miami Swim Week, but more importantly, Angela Simmons broke the internet after posting unedited pictures in her swimsuit. While we are acutely aware of the fact that most celebs alter their photos when fully clothed, it was refreshing to see Simmons give us her raw self wearing a very unforgiving bathing suit. The photo was not only sexy and a major selling point for the bathing suit, but a reminder of what “real women” look like.
We are not monolithic, coke bottle-shaped, cellulite-free prototypes. Some of us are OK with that stubborn belly fat, thigh jiggle, and booty dimples, and for once here was a celebrity posting a vulnerable image of herself looking less than perfect and saying “RAW no edit. REAL bodies matter.”
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While we can recognize that everyone has their beauty expectations and social standards to meet, women often carry the brunt of them.
Pluck this, shave that, wear this, lose that, bigger breast, smaller waist, longer hair, prettier face. And the expectations of the rules are rarely ever made for women and femmes who are Black. We have been having an awakening of sorts amongst ourselves that simply says “you’re gonna get what I’m giving or you’ll starve.” And we all ate what Simmons put on the plate in Miami.
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Simmons is one of a few celebs who has talked with us about the importance of natural bodies. Women like Chlöe Bailey, Megan Thee Stallion, and even Beyoncé have talked about allowing their bodies space to just do what they do naturally. Megan has talked about her hip dips and shed light on the fact that a lot of women have them. The rapper even jokingly referred to herself as “Miss hip dips.”
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As far as Bailey, she shared in an interview with actress Taraji P. Henson, that “as I’ve gotten older, I have learned to really appreciate my curves. I love my stretch marks.” She later added that “any time I have a photo shoot I’m like ‘No, don’t airbrush the stretch marks because I like them.’”
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Images like the one Simmons posted help to curate space for young women and femmes to feel valid and important without feeling the need to harm themselves with crash diets and trendy, but overall useless, body wraps and corsets. They remind us that we are allowed to be imperfect and still see beauty in ourselves. We get to exist while fat, natural-haired, and uneven-toned. We get to celebrate the hip dips, darkened knees, and pesky chin hairs. We get to show up, unwaxed, sans perfume, with only the smell of cocoa butter and hair product to sage the rooms we enter and still be valid!
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So while Angela’s picture may have some folks asking why it was such a statement for the girls, it was just what we needed to pull ourselves together. This weekend Angela Simmons gave word that the answer is yes, both now and forever.
