Plus-size rapper Chika hits back after body-shaming critics labeled her 'morbidly obese' and accused her of 'promoting unhealthy living' by posing in a Calvin Klein underwear campaign
- Chika Oranika was picked as one of the spokesmodels for Calvin Klein
- Billboards of the rapper were placed in places like England and New York City
- One person recently noticed a billboard of Chika and blasted Calvin Klein for deciding to use the rapper and promote her 'unhealthy' lifestyle
- Chika clapped back saying the woman was jealous she wasn't on a billboard
- Calvin Klein defended picking Chika as a spokesmodel months back
- At the time, the brand said it embraced diversity of 'opinion and experience'
Plus-size rapper Chika Oranika has hit back at critics for her Calvin Klein ad after some online trolls claimed she was promoting 'unhealthy living' with her weight.
Chika was picked by the popular underwear brand to star in its campaign, which initially launched , alongside other stars including Shawn Mendes and Kendall Jenner.
But one billboard in England area caught the attention of a disgruntled passerby who believed the campaign starring Chika promoted the wrong message to people.
Exciting news: Chika Oranika was picked as one of the spokesmodels for Calvin Klein
Hurtful: One person recently noticed a billboard of Chika and blasted Calvin Klein for deciding to use the rapper and promote her 'unhealthy' lifestyle
Her opinion: The woman believed Chika was a poor pick by Calvin Klein because of her size
Clapping back: Chika decided to respond to Dominique in a tweet
'Why do we need the morbidly obese to speak the truth in their Calvins? Out of all the black plus-size models that exist, you just had to pick the one that looks 5 minutes from diabetes to promote unhealthy living, Calvin Klein?' A woman named Dominique Samuels tweeted when sharing a picture of Chika's ad.
She added: ' You should be ashamed.'
The ad in question showed Chika sitting on a couch when modeling a black Calvin Klein bra with matching underwear.
Dominique's tweet started a heated debate online on if Chika was actually promoting unhealthy living by starring in the campaign.
Certain commenters expressed how they thought it was unkind to label Chika has having 'diabetes' and 'unhealthy' without even knowing anything about the rapper's health.
'How do you know she's unhealthy? Plus size models come in all shapes & sizes. So again, how do YOU know she's unhealthy?' One commenter expressed.
Another person wrote: 'Weight does NOT indicate diabetes and that is a stigma we need to break not only for the sake of those made fun of but for the sake of those who live with diabetes and their truth.'
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Lounging around: The ad in questions showed Chika sitting on a couch when modeling a black Calvin Klein bra with matching underwear
Trouble: Dominique's tweet started a heated debate online on if Chika was actually promoting unhealthy living by starring in the campaign
Tired of it: Chika also tweeted she was 'tired' of seeing the controversy around her ad, especially because it launched months ago
Defensive: People online targeted Dominique for her tweets and attacked her for labeling a woman she didn't know as 'unhealthy'
Dominique further added to her statement the following day despite all the backlash she received from Twitter users.
'I’ve got no problem with avg curvy bodies being represented in fashion. The avg size of a woman is around 14-16. This isn’t that. It’s not representing women. It’s participating in this dumb woke culture that needs to die out fast,' she wrote.
Chika didn't let the comments go without offering up her own response.
She responded to Dominique, writing: 'Someone's mad they're not on a billboard.'
Also, the rapper brought up how the Calvin Klein ads went up months ago, and she was over having to deal with online trolls 'unprovoked' ever few months.
'People being sh**y doesn’t bother me anymore because i see it as a mental disorder,' she wrote, adding: 'It’s just weird and very annoying to do this every few months. unprovoked. I’m tired of waking up to this sh**. I’ll see y’all in a bit.'
Pushing on: Fans also praised Chika for not allowing Dominique's tweets to get the best of her
Many fans supported Chika on her response to Dominique, with people saying they were proud of the rapper for standing up for herself.
'I'm saddened that she came for you,' one fan wrote. 'I'm glad you [are] on the billboard. Keep pushing keep doing you!'
Dominique did not back down from her criticism of the rapper, though, and her use in the ads. When speaking to Bored Panda, the woman said she thought the woman 'ignored' the point of her original tweet.
'I think Chika’s “comeback” to my tweet purposely ignored the point I was making,' she said.
'The things we see on billboards and promoted in fashion are the things that will impact and influence our future generations. If she’s confident enough to be put on a billboard, she’s confident enough to take some legitimate criticism.'
Chika first faced criticism for the ad when it originally came out, including from people in New York City after a billboard was erected in SoHo.
The backlash forced Calvin Klein to release a statement addressing the controversy and defending the use of Chika in the ads.
'We believe the most compelling and engaging campaigns are those that embrace not just diversity of race, body type, sexual orientation or gender identity, but also diversity of opinion and experience,' Calvin Klein Chief Marketing Officer Marie Gulin-Merle told the New York Post.
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