Inked Mag Staff
November 18th, 2015
Megan Massacre Tattoos TLC Star Whitney Way Thore
On My Big Fat Fabulous Life Whitney Way Thore went under the needle. No, not for any type of surgery, she was tattooed in front of a live studio audience…
On My Big Fat Fabulous Life Whitney Way Thore went under the needle. No, not for any type of surgery, she was tattooed in front of a live studio audience by the one and only Megan Massacre. We’ve seen plenty of people on TV get tattooed before, so what made this special? The message behind it all!
Once weighing in at 115 pounds, the 380 pound dancer is on a mission of her own to lose weight. Whitney Way Thore is a body-positive activist, writer, dancer, and feminist who was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome and makes it extremely difficult to loose weight. In her new series, My Big Fat Fabulous Life, she lets viewers follow her weight loss journey while also being able to promote positive body image. After having a successful first season, TLC renewed the show, going from 10 episodes to 20.
Not only is she a big hit on television but she also shares her positive lifestyle across all social media platforms. With over 300,000 Facebook followers, over 175,000 Instagram followers, and 60,000 people subscribed to her personal YouTube channel, her message continues to grow larger. You can find her quickly under the hashtag #NoBS which stands for No Body Shaming, a message she wants the rest of the world to hear.
In the shows live taping, viewers were able to vote on two different designs Megan Massacre drawn up for Whitney. Both shared similar features, showing the Anarcha-feminist fist and a feather, but only one could be chosen. Finally the results were in and tattoo A was chosen by the viewers.
After being tattooed in front of her friends, family, and millions of viewers, Whitney posts the final product to her social media with the full explanation to follow:
“So thrilled with my final tattoo @megan_massacre. I didn’t have time to explain the entire meaning on TV, so I’ll do it now!
The Venus symbol with a fist is the symbol of feminism — which many people consider to be a dirty word, but it is deeply important to me. Once I gained weight, I realized very quickly that I wanted to be valued for something other than the way I looked. In the eyes of the society, the more my weight went up, my worth as a woman and a person went down. Now that I KNOW who I am and what I’m worth, I value many more things besides my appearance and whether other people enjoy it or not. The nails are red to remind me of my mother’s. My mom used to read a Dr. Seuss story to me called Gertrude McFuzz. The story is about a bird named Gertrude who is dissatisfied with her single green tail feather, and in attempt to grow more, eats so many magic berries and grows so many feathers that she is unable to fly because she is so weighted down. When the extra feathers are plucked and the burden of her wanting to be more is lifted, the last lines of the story are: “And finally, when all of the pulling was done, Gertrude, again, had behind her just one…
That little green feather she had as a starter, But now that’s enough because now she is smarter.” Thank you all for an incredible night. #NoBS was the top trending hashtag on Instagram. Here’s to all of us—being smarter. #MyBigFatFabLife#NoBodyShame“
We love the message behind her movement and the positivity she shares with her followers!
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