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Roz Mays, who goes by Roz the Diva is a plus-size pole dance instructor who is pushing boundaries and does not care what people have to say about her and her body.
In a video interview with Huffpost in a series called Perspectives she says, "We are told that the ideal body is about half of my size, she is blonde and she probably isn't from Africa but surprise here I am." Roz unequivocally stands up for herself and recognises that there isn't a specific body type that we should actually be striving for.
Watch the full video below:
Roz is no strange to unwarranted comments about her body. In an interview with the Revelist, Roz revealed that she gets 'fatphobic' comments from strangers on her social media accounts.
READ MORE: These women are 'fat, ugly and proud'
In one incident, a clothing brand posted "What kind of whale is that?" on her Instagram account. Instead of accepting the mean-spirited comment, Roz spoke up and shamed the company for allowing that kind of comment to be posted.
"I'm not sure if attacking fat chicks reflects your company culture but if it does understand that your words sure do matter," she posted.
She went on to say that she does not care about what people call her but she does care about people who are less confident than she is and are not able to brush of such comments. Read the full post here.
READ MORE: Woman nearly driven to suicide by bullying over facial scars
Roz says that there is a debate that has started around her promotion of obesity. Roz does not agree with that statement, she says people are angry at overweight people for not doing stuff to better their health. But when they do start doing something people say, "... we are shameful and then when we do stuff - we go to the gym, bust our ass, work out. We try super hard , now you are angry - you want us to get better but not your own back yard. Boo boo stop it," she says in the Huffpost interview.
Talking about finding some maneuvers difficult, Roz the Diva believes that if there is a movement that does not work for your body, it does not mean that your body is wrong. "That is why plus size teachers are here," she says.
READ MORE: How gaining weight saved this blogger’s life
There are plenty more plus size instructors, especially in the yoga field, who are showing us that the correct body type 'rules' need to be amended. Anyone can do it with practice. Here are few you can follow:
1. Valerie Sungan - @biggial Yoga
According to her Instagram page, Valerie is also the author of Big Gal Yoga where she shares yoga routines, exercises and stories.
2. Dana Falsetti - @nolatrees
According to an interview in an article by Julie Mazziotta on People, Dana struggled with her weight for a long time. Even after she had lost a substantial number of kilos she still wasn't happy. She then decided to try something new - yoga - and she hasn't looked back since.
3. Jessamyn Stanley - @mynameisjessamyn
According to an article by Bored Panda, Jessamyn accidentally got into yoga when she accepted a Groupon offer in 2011. "We live in a society where we are trained to think that being overweight is wrong so people are going to stare at you. Our society throws crazy shade at anyone whose body differs from the models featured in Western media. The only thing that you can control is your reaction to that," Jessamyn Stanley shared with Bored Panda.
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