#SaggyBoobsMatter: This Movement Encourages Women To Love Their Saggy Boobs
Beauty standards are being flipped on their axis. Black women are the headhunters of the beauty revolution, reminding us all of our beauty that exists despite the patriarchal ideas that have shaped the standards for so long. Breasts are synonymous to woman, but their beauty and desirability is often minimized when they are not the right shape, the ideal size, or the appropriate amount of perkiness. Newsflash: saggy boobs matter.
Chidera Eggerue, also known as The Slumflower, is pushing the agenda of self-love even more forward by embracing and loving her own body just as it is. Chidera is a 23-year-old award-winning British blogger whose focus is on uplifting women, challenging them to love themselves so unapologetically that it becomes the norm. It was the driving force behind the creation of the campaign aptly titled Saggy Boobs Matter.
Chidera made a vow to herself that at the age of 18, she was going to secure her first job and get a boob job. The decision was seeded in her resentment towards her own breasts; bra shopping became a strain on her spirit, and she desperately wanted change. Chidera told BuzzFeed News:
"A lack of representation of saggy-looking boobs when I used to go bra shopping in M&S [as a young teenager] made me realise that something is wrong with the way the world views women's bodies."
She never got the boob job. Instead, Chidera decided to stop wearing a bra and began her journey to self-acceptance and ultimate self-love. It was through learning to accept her body and recognize how beautiful she is through empowering affirmations and body positivity that she was able to become a voice for other women.
The Saggy Boobs Matter movement was created out of necessity. Women are taught to believe that perfection is the definition of beauty and anything that doesn't match that is less than. But Chidera wanted to defy the norm.
She believes that there is a conversation to be had about body hang ups and how women can embrace them.
"Through creating #SaggyBoobsMatter, I have been able to help women articulate their own body image hang ups – especially slim women who don't really know where they stand in the body positivity movement. Saggy boobs are underrepresented. Being underrepresented makes you feel alien to society. This fosters insecurities in people who don't have the mental strength to see value in themselves beyond other people's standards."
Women - and men - are taking to the movement and rejoicing. Chidera has been receiving messages from women all over the world who have thanked her for starting the movement and being present for a demographic of women who are often body shamed and overlooked.
Best decision I made was throwing away all my bras in 2015 👌🏽 and I ain’t ever going back #SAGGYBOOBSMATTER— Nia the Shmoney Coach (@Nia the Shmoney Coach) 1516975988.0
#SAGGYBOOBSMATTER | im here for it. 🙂 https://t.co/6FrRXMFV3c— the REAL mama mia ☯️ (@the REAL mama mia ☯️) 1516670643.0
You people are wicked its not our fault we got saggy boobs Women have different bodies and so does the boobs #SAGGYBOOBSMATTER— JONAM’S PRINCESS👑👑 (@JONAM’S PRINCESS👑👑) 1516641322.0
This #SAGGYBOOBSMATTER movement is something I could go for 😭😭😜— 6’1 & Wholesome ♒️ (@6’1 & Wholesome ♒️) 1516681566.0
"I've had breastfeeding mothers message me telling me that this movement has helped them in their postpartum journey, and that, for me, is so important because the people who are being hateful towards this movement have conveniently forgotten that a large majority of them were breastfed on saggy boobs."
Though Chidera has looked into the eye of body shaming and cyberbullying, she has used these experiences as a catalyst to keep pushing her message. Putting yourself out there on the internet is not an easy feat, but The Slumflower has used her platform to give women a voice to speak up about their bodies and know the intention behind their creation.
"For the women who look like me: Your saggy boobs matter. And from now until you die, what's going to matter, ultimately, is your character. Sometimes people are scared of what they haven't been taught to accept. We still have to exist loudly, though."
Chidera's message to women is simple: we are made with intention and our bodies are not a mistake.
Whichever way you please, empower yourself to believe that you are beautiful despite whatever hang up you have about your body.
In all of our womanness, we are already godly. We possess a magic that cannot be touched. Chidera's movement is a prime example of the power that we possess once we love ourselves fiercely, unapologetically, and validate ourselves.
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Olivia Jade is a writer and creative engineer, intersecting wellness, culture, womanism, and self-development. She waters the flowers in her mind so others can recognize their own internal garden. Link up: @akaoliviajade (Twitter and IG) oliviajade.co
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Chilli Dishes On Her Drama-Free Dynamic With Matthew Lawrence And No Longer Fearing Marriage
Chilli may be preparing to walk down the aisle soon. The TLC singer has been dating actor Matthew Lawrence since 2022, and the two seem to be going strong. Chilli dished on her relationship with the Boy Meets World star during her visit to Fox 5’s talk show Portia. “This is the first time that we have both experienced being in a relationship to where, I mean—there's no drama at all. We get along, and we have differences but we, still to this day, we've never had an argument,” she said of their drama-free dynamic. “I don't even understand why we would have to have an argument in the first place.”
The “Waterfalls” singer also revealed that since dating her beau, she no longer has a fear of marriage. “I do not. I don't have any fear at all when it comes to him,” she said. “It is just the way he is as a man, you know? He is a good guy. He has an amazing heart, and I mean, he checks off all of my list except for a few I don't know yet—’til we get married.”
Chilli and Matthew's relationship may be taking another significant step in the future. In a 2023 interview with ET, Matthew shared their potential plans for children. "That's the game plan. That's what we're trying to do," he disclosed. This news is particularly exciting as Chilli already has a son named Tron with music producer Dallas Austin, and the prospect of expanding her family adds a new dimension to her relationship with Matthew.
While Chilli is known as a legend in music, her dating life often takes center stage. But that’s what happens when you’re linked to some powerful men. Here’s a look back at Chilli’s dating history.
Dallas Austin
The “No Scrubs” singer dated the super producer throughout the ‘90s, and he produced many songs for her group, such as “Creep” and “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg.” The two welcomed their son in 1997 and shortly parted afterward. Their relationship was documented in the VH1 TLC documentary Crazy, Sexy, Cool.
Usher
Usher and Chilli
Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Usher and Chilli are probably each other’s most famous relationship. The former couple, which is still talked about to this day, were together from 2001-2004. They were still in touch over the years, but the “Unpretty” artist said she finally stopped all contact 15 years later.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Chilli and Floyd Mayweather Jr. sparked dating rumors after he appeared on her VH1 reality TV show What Chilli Wants in 2010. While the two looked really chummy on the show, the “Diggin On You” singer denied that they were ever romantically involved.
Nick Cannon
In 2016, Chilli and Nick Cannon were rumored to be dating. The Masked Singer host gushed about the mother of one in an interview with E! News. "She's amazing," he said about Chilli. "She's an outstanding person, but you gotta ask her what's going on." He later clarified that they were friends and he’d “be so lucky to be able to...be called dating someone like that."
Matthew Lawrence
Chilli and Matthew Lawrence have been together since 2022, and they sometimes give us glimpses into their relationship on social media. We can’t wait to see what the beautiful couple has in store for the future.
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Feature image by John Parra/Getty Images for Sandals Resorts