Boity defends her Sama dress

Boitumelo “Boity” Thulo has taken to Twitter and Facebook to defend herself after “all the harsh things” that were said about the dress she wore to the SA Music Awards (Samas) on Saturday night.

Twitter went into overdrive when one user took a picture of her dress and zoomed in, and thought that her lady bits were showing. She has trended since, with some slamming her for “failing to be a good example to the kids who look up to her”, while some said she “was lost for thinking going in public ‘naked’ was sexy and showed that she was comfortable in her body”.

ALSO READ: Is Boity now a sangoma?

“I’ve realised that the most body shaming comes from fellow women. I will not allow your projection to make me dislike MY body. I am in love with my body and I will dress it as I please. Your obsession and double standards of the female body is tiring. I will not wear something that does not make me happy for the sake of pleasing people who are angry at how comfortable I am in my skin. I encourage women to dress as they please, in whatever they feel comfortable in,” she wrote on Facebook.

However, one Facebook user said the TV presenter and model struggled to understand what the backlash was about, saying what happened on Twitter was not body shaming, but people commenting on her “wardrobe malfunction”.

“Body shaming is what happened to Lerato, what you went through is exposing your body. You showed the whole world your private part dear and maybe not on purpose but at the end of the day u cant blame ppl for expressing shock and dissapointment i feel sorry for you but dont try and encourage other women to go around showing off their vaginas because you had a wardrobe misfunction. Rather deal with it and admit that something went wrong, i feel sorrt for you but this post is encouraging nudity and thats not right,” they wrote.

Also read:

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Boity says people who have been “body shaming” her are merely angry people who are trying to make their low self-esteem her problem, further saying it is not people’s business how she dresses as it’s her body.

She tweeted:

OF COURSE I have to defend myself from all the harsh things I have been reading about my dress and the negative sexual connotations created.

— Boity Thulo (@Boity) June 6, 2016

All created in the attempt of demeaning me. How can I not defend myself? I'm not a robot. I am a human being who has feelings.

— Boity Thulo (@Boity) June 6, 2016

And to pretend that what I've been reading has no effect on me is a blatant lie.

— Boity Thulo (@Boity) June 6, 2016

We are always told to "not say anything because you're in the public eye", "Let them talk but don't respond." Well…

— Boity Thulo (@Boity) June 6, 2016

My line of work does not make my feelings immune to the negative words I read. And when necessary, I will respond.

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— Boity Thulo (@Boity) June 6, 2016

The picture going around of my "supposed private parts" was created/photoshopped by people who revel in cyber bullying…

— Boity Thulo (@Boity) June 6, 2016

It was also created for the sake of trying as hard as possible to guilt a woman into feeling like she has no control over her body.

— Boity Thulo (@Boity) June 6, 2016

I'm truly disappointed as I've realized that most of the shaming comes from fellow women. It baffles me.

— Boity Thulo (@Boity) June 6, 2016

This is a fight we should be fighting together in order for society to break the chains of controlling how women should look, feel, behave..

— Boity Thulo (@Boity) June 6, 2016

The obsession and double standards of the female body/anatomy, what should be done to it and how it should be treated is exhausting.

— Boity Thulo (@Boity) June 6, 2016

I will not wear something that does not satisfy me for the sake of pleasing people who are angry at how comfortable I am in my skin.

— Boity Thulo (@Boity) June 6, 2016

I encourage and stand for women to dress as they please, in whatever they feel comfortable and good in.

— Boity Thulo (@Boity) June 6, 2016

If I have a problem with my thighs, my breasts, my ass, my legs, my scars, my hair…let me be the one to worry about them.

— Boity Thulo (@Boity) June 6, 2016