Entertainment

Curvy Girls Take on the Superhero Scene

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The big girl struggle just got a little easier and it has personally instilled a certain confidence in me that only acceptance and inclusiveness could create.

I have struggled with being an overweight girl since birth, yet the media and society still characterized me as “lazy” and blamed me for being “fat.” Despite my many attempts at weight loss since the first “fat girl” comment I heard, I have yet to drop down to the “normal” weight, according to society’s standards.

I have been an athletic girl my whole life and struggled with bullies and discrimination for my weight and appearance. I’ve played nearly every sport, including boxing and karate. I would work out every day, but the weight still stuck to me.

It took me well over 18 years to form any sense of confidence in my body, all the while I’m being told I shouldn’t be satisfied with who I am. Being a sporty girl and a curvy girl caused me to give up on my favorite sport, basketball, because of the horrible discrimination I faced from students and coaches.

While bullying caused me to lose confidence, the recent acceptance and glorification of all women’s body types slowly melted the hate I had built up to protect myself. A new plus-size superhero movie could further encourage this emerging sense of confidence in young girls everywhere to show them that being curvy is okay and being sporty is perfectly normal. And being both is spectacular!

 


 

Faith Herbert, code name “Zephyr,” is a superhero with psionic powers. She is the newest superhero venture by Sony Pictures featuring the character from Valiant Comics. Originally created in 1992 by Jim Shooter and David Lapham, Faith was initially a supporting character in a group of misfit teens and the butt of many fat jokes. Bubbly and optimistic, Faith got a solo title in 2012 but remained a target of fat-shaming. By 2016, Faith emerged with new focus on her superpowers, not her weight.

The movie has yet to begin production but has been confirmed for release. It is currently in the midst of casting. The announcement of the movie and its unfilled role of Faith Herbert has sent people into a frenzy to get their name on the board.

Like most of the curvy girls with a dream to inspire younger generations, I submitted my application to become the biggest superhero on the block. Of course, many of these women, myself included, are simply sending in their applications via twitter and other social media platforms, but a girl can always dream.

With the superhero world taking tremendous strides in equality with the recent release of “Wonder Woman” and “Black Panther,” Faith Herbert’s new movie is just another addition to the expanding, more inclusive  superhero world.

Although I’ve learned to accept my body as normal, I continue to struggle with self-confidence as most women do. Hopefully, this movie will not only eliminate that little part of me that still struggles with self-doubt, but it could also inspire me and curvy girls of all ages to finally let go of self-doubt and believe we could be just like our newest heroine, Faith Herbert.

 

I love to write, read poetry, and listen to political podcasts. I enjoy time with my dogs, traveling and practicing my languages. Spreading the truth and sharing the news are my two goals as I enter this career path of communications.

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