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An Adidas campaign for Pride 2023 has gained considerable backlash after featuring male-presenting models wearing women’s swimsuits. Now, many people have defended the brand, amidst a wave of anti-trans sentiment towards companies including transgender people in their advertising. The sportswear brand unveiled its new collection for Pride 2023 on 15 May, titled “Let Love Be Your Legacy”. The range of apparel and footwear was designed by queer, South African designer Rich Mnisi, and comes as a collaboration with the non-profit Athlete Ally, which focuses on ending homophobia and transphobia in sports. In a statement, Rich Mnisi said the collection was “a symbol for self-acceptance and LGBTQIA+ advocacy.” On the company’s website, one of the bathing suits from the line – a colourful one-piece swimsuit called the “Pride Swimsuit” that retails for $70 – was being shown off by an apparently male model, though their gender is unknown. The swimsuit was marked under the women’s sportswear section on the website. The campaign photoshoot immediately set the internet ablaze, as many people criticised Adidas for “erasing women” by using a male-presenting model to advertise its female clothing. Former NCAA women’s swim athlete Riley Gaines, who has often been outspoken against trans women competing in sports, tweeted: “I don’t understand why companies are voluntarily doing this to themselves. They could have at least said the suit is ‘unisex’, but they didn’t because it’s about erasing women. Ever wondered why we hardly see this go the other way?” “We women will not be erased!!! Quit trying to replace us with male models!!! We’ve fought hard to be heard. Quit attempting to erase us again!!!” another user tweeted. Others called out the company for the move towards “woke” advertising, in light of the recent Bud Light and Nike campaigns featuring trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney. “Apparently Adidas hasn’t learned the lesson from Bud Light fiasco. Time to give Adidas the ‘get woke, go broke’ treatment,” said one person. British internet personality Oli London added, “Nike and Adidas are at War to see which brand can become the Most WOKE! Both brands are now using male models to advertise women’s sports bras. Who wins the WOKE Award?” Reviews for the bathing suit on the Adidas website have also been flooded with one-star ratings and negative reviews, like one which read: “Hope the same thing that happens to Bud Light happens to them with this woke trash.” Despite some of the criticism, many people have stepped up to defend Adidas for featuring the models in its Pride Month collection. In response to the backlash, author Dr Delatorro McNeal appeared on daytime talk show Daily Blast Live to discuss the Adidas Pride campaign. “My concern with all of the bashing and all of the categorising is that we’re not leading with love and we’re not leading with acceptance and inclusion,” he said. “We all want to count, we all want to matter, we all want to be included, and it’s so vitally important. So I believe that, although there’s a fine line between free speech and freedom of expression, I believe at the end of the day if Adidas wants to create this line, let them do it. The customers that are going to align with that message and are aligned with that product are going to get it those that won’t, won’t.” @dailyblastlive Something we have been talking a lot about on the show is big brands like Bud Light and Nike are facing boycotts because of their ads that include transgender people. Adidas is under fire for using a model to highlight its pride swimsuit collection. People online are claiming this ‘woke marketing’ is ‘erasing women.’ Reviews on the site have been flooded with negative comments like this one saying, ‘Hope the same thing happened to Bud Light happens to them with this woke trash.’ Dr. Delatorro shares his take on this. #adidas #backlash #leadwithlove #love #lgbtq #drdelatorro #transgender #swimsuitmodel #model #budlight #trans ♬ original sound - DBL Others took to social media to express their support for Adidas, as well as their confusion over the widespread outrage. “Why are people in an uproar about a man modelling a womens ‘pride’ swimsuit for adidas??????” asked one person on Twitter. “WHO CARES?” Meanwhile, on TikTok, someone else said: “I want one!!! It’s beautiful and so is the model!” “Trans people exist! They shop too!! If the model doesn’t represent you it probably wasn’t meant to,” another TikToker said. “Y’all are making this outrage up,” a third user wrote. “I’m a millennial woman and I don’t feel erased or threatened. Accept people, love people, grow.” In April, Bud Light faced similar backlash for partnering with trans influencer and model Dylan Mulvaney in an Instagram video. The 26-year-old TikTok star revealed her new sponsorship deal with the beer company when she filmed herself with multiple cans of Bud Light. The brand had also sent her a can of Bud Light with her face on it. The video instantly received backlash from conservative politicians and celebrities, including Kid Rock and Travis Tritt. Others called for a boycott of the beer, and filmed videos of themselves smashing or shooting at cases of Budweiser products. Anheuser-Busch, the producer of Budweiser beers, issued a statement in response to the boycott, saying that they “never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people.” That same month, the actor also faced transphobic backlash for her partnership with Nike. In response, the sportswear brand wrote in the pinned comments of one of its social media posts: “You are an essential component to the success of your community! We welcome comments that contribute to a positive and constructive discussion. Be kind…Be inclusive…Encourage each other…Hate speech, bullying, or other behaviours that are not in the spirit of a diverse and inclusive community will be deleted.” The Independent has contacted Adidas for comment. Read More LGBTQ+ group suspends Bud Light maker's rating over handling of backlash to transgender influencer Ted Cruz wants to investigate Bud Light for working with Dylan Mulvaney: ‘Melting down over a trans woman’ Dylan Mulvaney reveals impact of trolls misgendering her following Bud Light controversy Adidas plans to sell Yeezy stock from axed Kanye West deal and donate proceeds Get to know Foday Dumbuya, winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design 7 beauty changes to make as the weather gets warmer

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A woman who went from a size 18 to a size six has shared some of the surprising things “no one tells you” about losing weight. Meg Stier, an actor and motivational speaker living in New York City who goes by the username @megmackenzies on TikTok, revealed some of the things she wishes she’d known “before [she] lost a bunch of weight,” such as that she would be cold “literally all the time,” in a video posted to the platform on Sunday. In the candid clip, Stier began: “[These are] things no one tells you when you go from a size 18 to a size six. And to be clear, there was nothing wrong with me when I was a size 18, and there’s nothing wrong with me at a size six.” Stier then reflected on the changes, many of which were negative, that she’s experienced as a result of her weight loss, with the TikToker revealing that, in addition to constantly being cold, she’s realised that “losing weight didn’t solve all of [her] problems,” there are days where she liked her body more when she was “bigger,” and that there’s a “lot of skin”. “I’m literally cold all the time. I’m just cold, always,” Stier said, before telling viewers: “Some days, I liked my body a lot more when I was bigger.” According to Stier, she’s also found that “people treat you differently” when you lose weight, and “skinny privilege is a thing”. “People started to respect me a lot more when I lost weight, which is just disgusting,” she continued, before moving on to some of the physical changes. “There’s a lot of skin. There’s a lot of skin,” she said. @megmackenzies It’s a learning curve #nyc #bodypositivity #weightloss #bodyacceptance #broadway #lifestyle #performer ♬ original sound - Meg Mackenzies Stier said she’s also found that her weight loss has become “the main topic of conversation” everywhere she goes. “Instead of my successful career, my education, or anything else about me,” she said. The TikToker concluded the video with a final surprising change to her body, with Stier expressing her surprise to find that her feet got “smaller” after losing weight. “My feet got smaller. I’m almost an entire shoe size smaller than I was,” she said, before adding: “Make it make sense.” In the caption of the TikTok, which has since been viewed more than 2.8m times, Stier acknowledged that her weight loss has been a “learning curve”. The video has resonated with viewers, with many praising Stier for talking candidly about the topic, while others shared their own similar experiences with weight loss. “Size 18 to two here. You forgot jewellery, rings and watches had to be resized. But yes to everything else!!” one person wrote, while another said: “Everyone thinks it’s so weird when I say my feet shrunk when I lost weight!! Always cold here too!” “I have literally experienced ALL of this! I went from a 22 to a two. So. Much. Skin.” someone else wrote. Many viewers also revealed they can relate to Stier’s experience with “skinny privilege,” with one person writing: “Girl same. I went from a size 20 to a size four. I RELATE. The skinny privilege blew my mind.” Another person wrote: “It is fascinating how I was ignored in stores when I was heavy but greeted enthusiastically when thin.” In a follow-up video, Stier opened up more about the concept of “skinny privilege,” with the TikToker sharing examples of the ways she is treated now as a size six versus when she was a size 18. @megmackenzies Anyone else experince these things? #bodyacceptance #nyc #bodypositivity #performer #lifestyle #weightloss ♬ original sound - Meg Mackenzies After clarifying that the video was not an “attack on skinny people,” Stier said that “skinny privilege” has meant that “people look me in the eye when they talk to me,” and that she can buy clothes in her size at any store. According to Stier, she’s also noticed a change in how people react when she speaks. “When I speak, people tend to listen more,” she said, before adding: “Well, I’m a woman, so men still talk over me, but, in general, people listen to me more than when I was larger.” Stier also revealed that she began to experience success in her career “the moment [she] lost weight,” despite not becoming “more talented, smarter or better at [her] job”. “I just looked different,” she said. The TikToker said she is no longer “judged” by what food she orders in a restaurant, or when she eats in public, and can go to the gym without others giving her a “‘good for her, she’s trying’ face”. “People considered me unmotivated, unhealthy and generally just lazy because I was bigger,” Stier said, before adding: “Those are three words that no one would ever use to describe me now and my lifestyle really hasn’t changed that much.” In the video, Stier then acknowledged that there is a “serious bias against fat people” that is “hard to fully grasp” unless you’ve “lived on both sides of the spectrum”. “Skinny privilege is a thing and even I find myself taking advantage of it. We need to change the way we view people because fat doesn’t mean bad and skinny doesn’t mean good,” she said. “People are just people. Their actions and their intentions are what make them good or bad, not the way they look.” Speaking to The Independent about her decision to make the initial TikTok, and whether she expected the viral response, Stier revealed that she has created the video “so many times over the last few months but never posted it because [she] didn’t want to be judged”. However, Stier was ultimately encouraged to share the video after seeing the number of people on TikTok “struggling with body acceptance and weight loss”. “After seeing so many people on TikTok struggling with body acceptance and weight loss I figured it would be worth sharing!” she explained. In regards to the viral reaction to the video, Stier said she was “most shocked” by the number of people the TikTok resonated with. “What I am most shocked about is how many people are saying ‘YES! ME TOO!’ It’s a conversation that has been needed for a long time and I’m grateful the online community has been so positive in letting me join that conversation,” she said. As for what she hopes viewers take away from the video, Stier said she wants to impart a “sense of community and honesty”. “It’s SCARY to talk about your own body on the internet. We spend so much time being told not to post things that don’t show us in a positive way (Photoshop, bad angles, no makeup etc.) But I want to encourage people to share the good and the uncomfortable,” she said. “Making these conversations more normal is how we stop the negativity that is constantly being thrown at people for the way they look or the number on the scale.” Read More Amy Schumer says she stopped taking Ozempic because of side-effects I tried anti-bloating pills for two weeks, and now I know the gassy truth Influencer calls out advertisements for weight-loss drugs in New York City subway stations: ‘Dystopian’ Schoolboy almost dies from swallowing magnets for TikTok challenge Woman shares honest review of New York City apartment TikTok mom slammed after making 5-year-old son run in 104 degree heat