A Dallas traffic reporter who was slammed for her natural hair in May is keeping things classy in her response to a body shamer. Demetria Obilor, who works for the city’s ABC affiliate, said she woke up from her nap on Friday, Nov. 4 to a hubbub of controversy over her on-air outfit choices.
“The controversy is coming from people who aren’t too happy with the way that I look on television,” says Obilor, who began on anchoring for Channel 8 in October. “[They’re] saying, ‘Oh, her body is too big for that dress’ or ‘She’s too curvy,’ or, ‘Her hair is unprofessional, we don’t like it!’ … This is the way that I’m built. This is the way I was born. I’m not going anywhere, so if you don’t like it, you have your options.”
Addressing the haters, showing love to my ppl 💗 and thank you @chancetherapper 💯 pic.twitter.com/ks2cTSuLLe
— Demetria Obilor (@DemetriaObilor) November 3, 2017
Obilor addressed a Facebook user named Jan Shedd, who went viral after her social media diss of the Nigerian-American woman went viral.
“Has anyone seen Channel 8’s new morning traffic reporter?” Shedd wrote in a post that is no longer publicly viewable. “Her name is Demetria Obilor & she’s a size 16/18 woman in a size six dress and she looks ridiculous.”
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Shedd found herself at the center of criticism soon after, with one Twitter user digging in especially hard.
https://twitter.com/HoneyBadger10/status/926514614690635777
But Shedd claimed she didn’t realize the race of Obilor, whose father is Nigerian while her mother is white.
“Frankly, I didn’t even notice that she was Black,” Shedd wrote. “I was shocked that Channel 8 would put someone on the air that dressed so provocatively.”
https://twitter.com/lyfeasebbie/status/926570295124791296
However, it wasn’t all negativity. Many quickly swooped in to support Obilor, including Chance the Rapper.
BIIIIIIG MAD https://t.co/E9yzWbU9m8
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) November 3, 2017
Demetria Obilor girl you keep doing you. Your killing the game in my former hometown at my favorite news channel.👀👀👀
— Ray Ricardo (@Ricram39) November 6, 2017
Affirming @DemetriaObilor this morning. We are here for you, sis! #WOCAffirmation https://t.co/kr4Y2UjAZq
— April (@ReignOfApril) November 5, 2017
