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Brave women destroy body-shaming comments with powerful hashtag #TheySaid

#TheySaid. #SheReplied.

Katie Dupere

on June 1, 2017

Brave women destroy body-shaming comments with powerful hashtag #TheySaid

Credit: Science Photo Library/Getty

What did "they" say to make you hate your body?

Many women unfortunately have an answer to this question, recalling the weight-focused comments that convinced them their bodies were less-than or undesirable.

But now, these same women are working to reclaim their bodies from all that stigma and shame — and they're using a simple hashtag to do it.

On Twitter, #TheySaid is giving women a platform to share the cruel comments they've heard in their lifetimes, populating the powerful hashtag with words friends, family, partners, and peers have used to tell them their bodies aren't good enough.

#TheySaid also spurred an accompanying hashtag, #SheReplied, to help arm women with ways to respond to negative comments about their bodies and size.

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By sharing the words once used to hurt them, these women are finding community in some of the most painful moments of their lives.

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Sally Bergesen, CEO of sports apparel brand Oiselle, started the hashtag by tweeting her own experience with adolescent body shaming on May 25.

In the same tweet, Bergesen asked others to share their stories. Since then, women have bravely spoken out about the comments that have stuck with them.

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After seeing the harrowing responses from these bold women, Bergesen wanted to encourage others to take action, and assert the value of their bodies to their shamers.

So she started a complementary hashtag called #SheReplied, arming women with simple comebacks when their bodies are attacked.

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While Bergesen's personal experiences with body shaming are valid, many women finding community in the hashtag were quick to point out that her apparel company only carries up to size 12. She promised to do better, and create more options with plus-size women in mind by 2018.

The takeaways from #TheySaid, smartly put by Twitter user Sarah Overpeck, are simple yet essential:

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Topics Social Good

Katie Dupere

Katie Dupere was a Social Good reporter at Mashable from May 2015 to July 2017, covering activism, identities and social impact. Prior to her work with Mashable, Katie penned pieces about queerness, body positivity, sex and relationships for Gurl. She also previously contributed LGBTQ news coverage to PinkNews.