Big, Beautiful, Black & Abroad: The BBW Travelnoire Experience
July 31, 2019
While the BBW trend has been poppin in the States lately, big, beautiful and black women have been holding down the throne internationally for centuries--especially throughout the African Diaspora. From Puerto Rico, the DR, Costa Rica, Cuba…I have been gettin chose by my afrolatino brothas for a while now.
*In my Ronald Isley Voice* 🎶Set sail with meeee🎶 and travel to PUERTO RICO! I have visited Puerto 3 times and each time I have been a different version of BBW and have fallen more in love with this beautiful COMMONWEALTH (I had to emphasize that because we have a president who didn’t know).
My first trip was with my bestie since 7th grade. I was pretty fluffy, but I still had the boys under a spell. In fact, I was really struggling with my weight as I was approaching the largest I had been at the time. I had not felt beautiful for such a long time during this phase in my life until I visited “The Land of Enchantment". It’s not that I wasn’t confident or didn’t love myself, but sometimes eurocentric features--rather they be facial features or body shape, are valued much more than African features. Sometimes my brothas ain’t about this big, beautiful & black life. But hey, mane…big girls need love too!
Within a year I did a full body transformation losing about 75 lbs. I was still thick wit it, but I was feeling extra good inside and out with the weight loss! One of the biggest wins was not needing a seat belt extension on the flight. See…that’s another aspect of BBW travel many folks don’t know about. I remember being so embarrassed about it at one point in my life, but fast forward to now, I give zero effs! My hips don’t lie and my boobs ain’t told no tales either. As long as I can buckle up and be safe, that’s literally all that matters. To all my bbw sisters out there whose anxiety goes through the roof when trying to buckle up on a plane, just woosah, sis. If there is someone on that plane who is with the shit, they can kiss your big, beautiful and black ass. PERIODT!
The love was too real when I traveled to the Dominican Republic. The most memorable moment was when I visited an African History Museum. At first sight, our tour guide (the “Obama-esque" gentlemen in the photo with me above) stopped the entire tour to tell me how “naturally” beautiful I was. I was beyond flattered! But the rationale behind it was deep yall. He used me as a “standard of beauty" to reveal how white supremacy caused people throughout the African diaspora to hate their African features. He celebrated me because I was just unapologetically me…no filters. And this was in 2008…that’s before black folks started trying to openly love themselves and shit and harping on the “stay woke" bandwagon.
So, I got my whole damn life in Cuba…MY WHOLE BIG, BEAUTIFUL AND BLACK ASS LIFE! The lesson learned here is sis, you betta do these excursions and get into this culture. Fat shaming+anxiety causes many big girls to fear trying new things--especially anything that could draw an audience. Sis, enjoy this over-the-top life God gave you! I had the time of my life just being fat, happy and free.
Okay…so everything isn’t perfect for BBWs overseas. The oversexualization of black women in general particularly internationally is a real thing. While Costa Rica is still one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited in life, I was not here for some of the behaviors of the menfolk. From being mistakened as a prostitute (which I have mad respect for women in the sex industry) to the constant “negrita" cat calls, I’m straight on never going back to Costa Rica again. Additionally, this experience just reinforced aspects from slavery where men (you guessed it…specifically white men) felt entitled to have access to any black woman’s body. Not today saweetie! Remember Sarah Baartman? (Google her if you don’t know about her.) Yeah…that’s how I felt while in Costa Rica a few times.
Based on my general experience in all the countries I have visited, no one is really trippin about your weight. That shit is legitimately some wypipo/European foolishness. I felt 100% more free in the skin I’m in overseas than I have ever been in the states. America has a Fatphobia problem. But when it becomes too overwhelming, just get you some more passport stamps.
