YouTube star Nicole Arbour may have lost some of her large following after she posted a controversial video called “Dear Fat People,” in which she said that being overweight is like “playing the race card without the race…or the gay card without being gay.”
The video has gotten over 18 million views and counting. "My Big Fat Fabulous Life" star Whitney Thore was quick to come to the defense of plus-sized people and got into a heated social media exchange with Arbour. The fight has now also gone viral.
[Warning: Arbour's video and Thore's reply both contain explicit language.]
Thore's lengthy Facebook video, with nearly 9 million views, says Arbour’s satirical stance on “fat people” could have dangerous consequences, and that fat shaming is indeed a very real reality for those struggling with their weight.
“Marginalized people have long been the target of shaming, bullying, and violence, and while racism, sexism, homophobia and the like are still prevalent in our society, there has been a shift in our collective social conscience in the way we talk about these issues," Thore told FOX411 via e-mail. "The response to ‘Dear Fat People’ shows that a shift is happening for fat people now, too. I couldn't be prouder of my body-bos brothers and sisters and shows like mine, which serve to humanize fat people and assert that we are all valuable, worthy human beings regardless of our bodies.”
Rob Dyke, a fellow YouTube star with 1.9 million subscribers who knows Arbour, said that her video rant has already backfired on the burgeoning social media starlet.
“She has burned every valuable bridge with other YouTube creators like Tyler Oakley, Hank Green, Matthew Santoro (Arbour’s ex-boyfriend), Grace Helbig – they have all called her out," Dyke said. "Grace broke her routine for the first time because it was so repulsive and depressing.”
Arbour is claiming censorship.
“Wow, I'm the first comedian in the history of @YouTube to be #censored There are graphic videos about murder and torture, but satire is (emoticons)," she wrote on social media
Dyke claims that Aubour is looking to be the next big YouTube sensation even if it means alienating her fan base and potential advertisers with a mean body shaming message.
“She’s a parasite in any community she’s a part of, including the YouTube community.” He said the fledging comedienne “had her channel shut down and then renewed with videos she doesn’t want you to see like one from the past about body image positivity and acceptance. She goes with whatever the trends of the moment are like body positivity but then that video didn’t take off so she thinks, ‘I’ll go with shaming fat people because that will get attention.”
Arbour's rep refused to comment.
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