Earlier this month High Point University hosted Whitney Way Thore, a TLC reality TV star, to talk to students about her journey from a Greensboro native to an international speaker.

The presentation started off with a video promoting her “No Body Shame” campaign featuring some HPU students and a pow- erful message that instantly connected with the audience. The “No Body Shame” campaign is a growing movement that promotes aggressive self-love, and it has positively given those who did not think very highly of themselves the confidence that they need.

This is close to Thore’s heart because she had just found out the definition of body shaming only a short while ago. Thore spoke about the time her own body shaming began, which happened to be when she was a pre-teen and pursued her passion of dancing.

Since a young age, Thore has felt that her body was unacceptable, even when she was what society defined as slim. Just as any young girl, she wanted to be accepted by her peers, and there is only so much an individual can withstand before it gets to them.

When Thore went to college, her weight fluctuated dramatically. She was eventually diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, POCS, which is an endocrine disorder that has symptoms such as hair loss, mood swings, and insulin resistance. When the body resists insulin, this could cause weight gain.

While still in college, she traveled overseas to teach English. After receving harsh criticism and a experiencing tragic event, she returned home to the United States. It was then that she realized that she just wanted to do what made her happy because she just wanted to live life as it is.

She continues to dance despite her struggle with her weight and body image. She highlighted her love for dance when she began posting her “Fat Girl Dancing” videos on YouTube about a year ago. The positivity Thore has received from those videos has been astounding and it shows that when you do what you love, people will support it no matter what your outer appearance is.

Thore doesn’t lean on this disorder for the sympathy, but still does everything she wants to do without it affecting her day-to-day life. Thore has been on several talk shows telling her story, talking about the campaign, but mostly telling people that their bodies are beautiful no matter what they may look like.

The TLC network has also renewed her show “My Big Fat Fabulous Life” for a second season. The show follows Thore as she takes the world head on, teaching dance classes to plus-size dancers, dealing with negative people, spreading the word of the “No Body Shame.” The show has reached millions around the world.