Watch the video of the Pretty Big Movement below.
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A gang of plus-sized dancers from New York are showing the world that body size cannot be a barrier to dance.
The group, known as Pretty Big Movement, was founded by Akira Armstrong after she struggled to find work due to her fuller-figured body.
When Akira got the chance to appear in two of Beyonce videos, she thought she had hit it big. But she was wrong as she still couldn’t find any work afterward.
However, she didn’t give up and decided to pursue her dream of becoming a top dancer by other means. That’s when she founded her own dance group.
And this time, it didn’t take her long to hit it big.
Akira’s Pretty Big Movement comprising of eight plus-sized dancers has performed all around the world.
They also train people in New York City by arranging workshops – open to women of all ages, sizes, and shapes, irrespective of their dancing abilities.
The troupe has recently launched an apprenticeship program for women aspiring to become professional dancers.
Akira describes the movement she started 10 years ago as ‘her baby.’
Ever since its inception, the group has been challenging the stereotype that large-sized women are unable to dance and that you need to be size zero to attract masses toward you.
In today’s world where media is constantly creating toxic standards of beauty, it is almost impossible for women who don’t fit that specific ‘mold’ to be proud of themselves.
Owing to the standards set by media, beauty has been limited just to size zero women with fair skin and long blonde hair. Anything other than that is deemed unattractive or is supposed to be deemed unattractive.
The world has sadly become unsupportive of and uncomfortable for the women who don’t fit this narrow definition of beauty.
And it’s these destructive ideas Pretty Big Movement aims to strike down.
The troupe spreads a message of confidence and truth, which is especially needed by our young generations. Young women need to know that they are beautiful for what they are, not for what they look like.
Our youth is already being bombarded with a plethora of negative messages and images round the clock, and these plus-sized dancers are striving to root out all this negativity.