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Brandy Gracefully Addresses Body-Shaming Comments From Fans With Powerful Message—And We're Clapping
Brandy spent her adolescence, a difficult time for most children, in the public eye. Her body and hair were matters of debate and scrutiny by both critics and fans.
A full 36 years after her first recording contract, Brandy still finds her body being critiqued by people online. After a flurry of opinions, the performer and mother to a 14-year-old daughter addressed it on Instagram.
Brandy wrote:
"Perhaps we’ve been looking for it in all the wrong places. In youth. In perfection. In approval. In bodies that never change and faces that never age."
"But life was never meant to leave us untouched. It shapes us. It humbles us. It refines us. Every season leaves its signature upon us."
"And maybe that’s where beauty has been all along. Not in escaping change, but in becoming through it."
She went on:
"I’ve learned that it takes only a moment to form an opinion about someone’s appearance, and a lifetime to understand what they’ve lived through."
"So may we become gentler with one another. Not because everyone is fragile, but because everyone is carrying a story we cannot see."
"Our words have weight. Our judgments have weight. Our kindness does too."
"The world will always be tempted to measure people by what is visible. But love has never looked only at the surface. Love sees the whole person."
"I’ve stopped trying to earn my reflection. I’ve stopped asking the mirror to tell me who I am. I know who I am. And that knowing has given me a freedom no opinion could ever take away."
"If this post leaves you with anything, I hope it’s this:"
"Before you speak about someone’s body, before you speak about someone’s face, before you decide who they are by what you see, remember, you are looking at someone’s child. Someone’s friend. Someone’s dream. Someone’s life. A soul."
"And souls have always been more beautiful than surfaces."
"love bran"
You can see her post, which includes a carousel of images here:
People appreciated her speaking out about online body shaming.
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Brandy famously played Cinderella opposite Whitney Houston as her fairy Godmother in a 1997 made for TV adaptation of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella. Fans were thrilled when Disney's Descendants franchise tapped Brandy and her costar Paolo Montalban to reprise their roles as Cinderella and Prince (now King) Christopher Charming.
The Grammy-winning singer was recently presented the Legend Award by Essence magazine at the Essence Black Women in Music event with her daughter and parents in attendance. She shared the news on her Instagram.
In her remarks over the award, she wrote:
"To be celebrated by a community that has uplifted the beauty, brilliance, and divinity of Black women for generations is something I will carry with me forever."
Congratulations, Brandy, on all you've accomplished and all the best for your future.
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Fitness Influencer Larry Wheels Faces Major Backlash After Offensive Claim That Navajo Women 'Don't Work'
Cowboy Iron Gym, which identified itself as Iindigenous-owned, had publicized the event in recognition of their 3rd anniversary. They hosted a meet-and-greet with New York-born, Caribbean-raised Wheels, Diné bullrider Cody Jesus, and professional bodybuilder Roelly Winklaar, who is also from the Caribbean.
@cowboyirongym/Instagram
During his livestream, Wheels—who has millions of followers online—commented:
"How many people in this city are kidnappers that are thinking about kidnapping us right now?”
“What do female Navajos do? Do they work? I don’t think any of them work. They get free food, benefits, money.”
“I just believe they get countless benefits from the state, depending on how much they have in their bloodline."
You can see a clip of the exchange here:
People were outraged by Wheels' ignorance, with one woman sharing audio of Wheels making his offensive comments while showing how hard she works.
Others commented about the stereotype of Indigenous people getting free stuff...
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...and others speculating on what prompted Wheels' ignorance.
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Local station KOB4 covered the fallout after Wheels' comments were exposed.
Speaking to KOB4, the Coalition to End Violence Against Native Women said:
"Language shapes attitudes and attitudes influence how communities respond to violence and injustice, and the mission and the work that we do is to eliminate violence from our tribal communities."
"This is bigger than one viral video, it is about ensuring Native women are treated with respect and humanity."
When the station spoke to Wheels, he provided a statement, writing:
"The comments I made were wrong plain and simple. They were disrespectful to Navajo women and to the entire Gallup community, and I take full responsibility for them."
"There’s no excuse, and I’m not going to offer one. The people of Gallup and Cowboy Iron Gym welcomed me with incredible warmth and hospitality, and they deserved far better from me."
"I have apologized directly to the gym’s ownership, and I apologize publicly to everyone my words hurt especially the Navajo women in that community, who are mothers, business owners, healthcare workers, and leaders. I was ignorant, and I own that."
"Cowboy Iron Gym and the people of Gallup did nothing wrong here. The fault is entirely mine, and any criticism should be directed at me, not at them."
After the clip of Wheels comments went viral, Cowboy Iron Gym, which is owned and operated by Chad and Tiffany Robinson, responded with a public sstatement on Instagram written by Tiffany.
@cowboyirongym/Instagram
While they appreciated Wheels' apology, they encouraged him to go further, writing:
"Since then, Larry has expressed remorse and issued a public apology. Taking responsibility for his words is an important first step, but we have also encouraged him to take the next step by supporting Native communities in a meaningful way."
"We believe a donation to a Navajo-led nonprofit chosen in consultation with community leaders would be a meaningful way to show his commitment to learning from this experience and giving back to the community that welcomed him."
The business added:
"This is bigger than Cowboy Iron Gym. It is about standing with a community that deserves dignity and respect. The Diné, the Navajo people, have shown resilience, generosity, and strength for generations. Those qualities deserve to be recognized, not reduced to harmful stereotypes."
"One of the greatest lessons our community has taught us is that true strength starts with character. Our community welcomed Larry with open arms. We only wish that same respect had been shown in return."
Indigenous women in the United States face an outsized level of violence. According to crime statistics, 80-96% of that violence is at the hands of non-Natives.
The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women's (MMIW) movement has pointed to the misinformation, like what was spread by Wheels, as a major contributing factor.
