Cassey Ho is a 28-year-old fitness instructor and creator of Blogilates. You may not think a fitness instructor, of all people, would be the target of online hate, yet like Pink, Kelly Clarkson, and so many others, she’s put through the body-shaming ringer. Ho is talking back to her experience fielding comments like “trainer? really? tone up the belly fat and love handles” in a new video called “The ‘Perfect’ Body.”
After Ho (as she’s played in the video) comes back from a run, she glances down at her phone and sees nasty comments targeted at her body. She strips down to her bra and underwear, and with a live-action Photoshop, scrubs down her waist and thighs. She enhances her butt and breasts and changes her eye color. She takes a selfie to prove to her “fans” that she now has the “perfect” body. The video leaves the audience with the question “What would you change?” — which, of course, women often pose to one another as a seemingly harmless conversation topic.
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Watch the full video here:
People StyleWatch spoke to Ho about her decision to make the video as a statement against bullying. Ho said:
“Our friends, our families and just random commenters can really change how we feel about our bodies, and make us feel insecure. That video was really just me stripping down to my raw self and showing everybody that no matter who you are, these things really hurt.”
Ho said she was overwhelmed by the support for the video, which already has over 800,000 views, and shared an Instagram with her gratitude and surprise for all the support. She wrote: “The response on yesterday’s post was moving, incredible and shocking all at once.”
Not surprisingly, Cassey Ho also got nasty comments about her body on her video about nasty comments about her body. Commenters also wrote in saying they hope to look like her. Ho asks that people not only stop the bullying, but to not consider her trainer’s build to be their “goal” – simply to stop the cycle of criticizing ourselves and others.
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