Brut America
  • 3 years ago
"A lot of people continue to tell that myth to women that if you're too heavy, the board will sink."

This surfer is pushing for body positivity in an industry that has not always been inclusive of all body types.. Curvy Surfer Girl
Transcript
00:00And eventually somebody will look back 30, 40 years from now and be like, wait, curvy
00:05women weren't surfing?
00:07And so that's the goal.
00:13I originally started surfing at my heaviest.
00:16I was over 210 pounds at five feet tall, I'm about a size 18 at the time in women's sizing
00:23here in the US.
00:25And that was, you know, quite large for a surfer.
00:29All traditional surfing media has really showcased very young, petite female surfers.
00:36And so I felt a lot of pressure to lose weight to try and fit into that traditional surfer
00:43role.
00:44And so for years, I struggled with the identity while I was learning how to surf.
00:49And then after I kind of got the hang of it, I still felt really out of place when I would
00:54go into the lineups and I wouldn't see anybody that looked like me.
01:08You just have this industry that is built around traditional petite, straight female
01:15sizing, which is exclusive of anyone that does not fit into that narrow category.
01:21I thought that one day I was going to wake up and the surf industry would have body positivity.
01:28But you know, years went by and we still had nothing around body positivity and women's
01:34surfing.
01:35And so in March of 2020, after I lost my job, I decided to start the curvy surfer girl movement
01:43to create body positive representation within women's surfing and show that there are women
01:50of all different shapes and sizes and abilities surfing in our lineups around the world that
01:56deserve to be represented and to have fashion that fits their needs as a curvier, plus-sized
02:04woman.
02:14Right now, internationally, there are no wetsuits manufactured beyond a size 14.
02:21And that excludes a very large amount of women from even participating in surfing if they're
02:28in a colder climate or water.
02:31And so that is another topic that I'm working very hard to advocate for, for change and
02:38inclusion within.
02:39I think the message it sends to women, especially beyond a certain size, is that you're not
02:44welcome and you're not wanted.
02:47And I think that going into a fitting room of a traditional surf brand, that was a very
02:53traumatic experience for a lot of women.
02:57Not necessarily even just curvy or plus-sized women, but women across the board.
03:04Unfortunately, a lot of people continue to tell that myth to women, that if you're too
03:11heavy, the board will sink, or you won't be able to move on the board.
03:16There's nothing big enough to support your size.
03:18You're not strong enough, you're not beautiful enough.
03:21I mean, there's every excuse in the book that they told women beyond that size of why this
03:28couldn't happen for them.
03:29But my goal has been at Curvy Surfer Girl is to really dispel those myths by showcasing
03:37not only myself, but other women that have had children that are of varying bodies, shapes
03:44and sizes, and are of varying ages and skill set within surfing.
03:51That moving sensation kind of makes you feel weightless and like you're flying.
03:56It's really something that brings a lot of joy and happiness.
04:09Curvy Surfer Girl hosted the first ever corporate surf campaign with Rip Curl last February,
04:16and that was a huge success.
04:18And shortly after that, we started seeing more development with Roxy, and I started
04:25getting interest from other surfing brands.
04:28And so I believe the surf industry is starting to understand the significance of having this
04:34diversity and this representation to welcome more women into the sport.
04:39The goal is to make it where it's something that isn't even a question in people's minds,
04:44that it's just part of ordinary surf culture, that curvy women surf, and people of all levels
04:51are represented.