It's sad to think that we live in a time where somebody can walk out of their house and have people immediately comment on their appearance on social media. One person who knows this all too well is singer Tanerélle, who attended the BET Awards in a dress with a deep neckline that showed she wasn't wearing a bra.
However, instead of receiving a flood of compliments like any person would appreciate, she received several negative online opinions commenting on her natural breasts and lack of undergarments. Tanerélle attended the awards show in a patterned dress with a plunging V-neck. But not everyone thought this was a smart choice for the singer.
Comments from Twitter trolls included: "This is way more than needed and I’d honestly prefer em perky" and "I think for a woman and a lady this is a bit too revealing."
So Tanerélle took to social media to defend herself. Her backlash tweet encouraged critics to focus on more important things with a caption that read:
"To all the negative comments about today’s look, I don’t need to lift my breast to wear a fucking dress. I’m a woman and my natural tits hang and I fucking love it and I have no intention of changing it to suit your gaze. I’m out here living my dreams focus on better things."
To a comment that read "you coulda lifted them just a lil bit," Tanerélle clapped back with "Lift them for who? I think it looks great, that’s all that matters." A few days later, the singer posted a nude photo on Twitter with the caption "Let Em Hang."
Both tweets received a combined more than 226,000 likes and several positive comments. Supporters tweeted at Tanerélle: "I’m so glad someone has finally fucking said this!! Made me feel more confident," "MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN & SOUL," and "I'm never gonna wear a bra ever again."
Tanerélle followed up on Instagram, posting a screenshot of her backlash tweet with a long caption including that she originally had lifted her breasts before rethinking the decision:
"What I do care about is noticing that so many women are still stuck in a daze of self hate, people pleasing and projecting how you feel about you in an attempt to make someone feel the same. What I care about is that there are women out there still allowing the male gaze to determine their worth and what they can and can’t do. This reminder of socialized minds in regards to a woman’s body always rocks me a bit, but it’s not gonna knock me down. It just intensifies my mission of pushing self care and self love even more."
Another string of positive comments showed fan appreciation for Tanerélle's positive self-image of herself, encouraging those who struggle with body positivity.