Media personality Tolu Oniru-Demuren pka Toolz has wrestled with the public and media, for years, over her weight. Many have said she should lose weight but Toolz always seemed to ignore and make clear she loved her body. Nevertheless, a few days ago, a fan accused her of photoshopping herself and pretending to be what she isn’t. The accusation came after Toolz posted a photo of herself dressed in an ankara dress against the backdrop of a Beat 99.9FM banner.
The fan then shared a prior photo of Toolz with the same outfit contrasted with the one Toolz posted.
Here is what the fan with the handle @Nelie_Whyte had to say on Twitter about why she called Toolz out:
“Before you come in my mentions screaming foul, let me put you to rest. I’m nowhere near slim or like we like to sugarcoat it “thick”. I am a fat girl who has come to love her body the way it is at the moment.
I was one of those girls that saw “celebs” bodies and wanted mine to be like theirs. Seeing toolz work her body and dress it niceley gave girls on the bigger side confidence to work with their body rather than hate it.
Then when pictures like this pop up its almost like everything is a lie. I really don’t give 2hooks if she photoshops but….
She’s a public figure and whether she likes it or not there are people watching and emulating her. Therefore when pics like this pop up, it sends a bad message.
If you don’t like your body, work on it. But don’t claim thick and proud when you photoshop half of your pics to look “perfect.”
You photoshop yourself from a size 20 to a size 14 and you don’t want people to call you out, who are you deceiving.
Toolz is a plus-size beautiful lady. Them photoshop is unnecessary. tbh”
While the fan later apologized because her criticism drew a lot of “fat shaming” towards Toolz, what we wonder is the continued pressure, by contemporary African societies, placed on women to conform to ideal western standards of beauty. Women should not be this pressured about their appearances. We do agree with the fan that Toolz should have a consistency in her messaging, if in fact she photoshopped herself.
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