SA celebs rally behind Lesego Tlhabi after she was allegedly fat-shamed by designer Quiteria

“The truth of the matter is I am not going to release any apology to anyone. Fat is not even a bad word," Quiteria responded to the allegations.

25 February 2021 - 08:43

By deepika naidoo AND Deepika Naidoo

SA's celebs have come out to strongly support comedian and TV presenter Lesego Thlabi aka Coconut Kelz after she was allegedly fat-shamed and made to feel "like less than nothing" by high-end fashion designer Quiteria Kekana.

The Trending SA host took to Twitter to detail the alleged incident, which took place when she went to Quiteria for a fitting.

"So today I went to a famous designer who was told my sizes way beforehand because it’s for TV. Does he not then declare very loudly in the store after a failed try-on that he has nothing for me & then uses words like 'fatty boom boom' to describe how I’d look in the designs. Yoh," she said.

She highlighted how this interaction feeds into a larger conversation about discrimination against fat people.

“To the conversation this week, this is why fatphobia is so different from other shaming. I was made to feel like less than nothing today because of my body. My body is not good enough for his dresses & he let that sh*t be known."

Read the thread here:

Quiteria has responded to the allegations on Instagram Live, saying he didn't call Lesego fat and that "it is all fiction".

After denying the claims, the designer said he would not be making any apologies for his interaction with the media personality.

“The truth of the matter is I am not going to release any apology to anyone. Fat is not even a bad word. My mother is actually size 42 so I am not even going to go there,” said Quiteria.

SA's famous faces weighed in on the situation, with stars like Siv Ngesi, Thickleeyonce, Sizwe Dhlomo, Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi and other big names lashing out over the incident.

“What a f*cked up human being that designer is! I wish you had given him a piece of your mind! Nxa, I’m so mad! I hope you’re OK,” said TV presenter Pearl Modiadie.

Here are some of the reactions from celebrities:

SA celebs rally behind Lesego Tlhabi after she was allegedly fat-shamed by designer Quiteria

“The truth of the matter is I am not going to release any apology to anyone. Fat is not even a bad word," Quiteria responded to the allegations.

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