New photos from the white wedding ceremony of the plus-size Ghanaian bride who became an overnight media sensation have hit the net. For those who may be quite unfamiliar with her story, here is a summary.
Before June this year, beautiful Abena Mzznaki Tetteh was just another sweet girl next door. But all of that changed after the pre-wedding/engagement photos of her forthcoming wedding to her sweetheart, construction worker Kojo Amoah, hit the internet.
As is the custom today, in the age of the internet, an excited Mzznaki happily shared the lovely engagement photo shots of herself and her then husband-to-be on her social media handles, particularly with the friends following her on Instagram to cue them about her forthcoming wedding.
Those cute photos of Mzznaki and her groom took a different spin when they went viral on social media, however. Social media may have become a cherished, ubiquitous part of our lives, but it can also quickly become a cruel, antisocial place. Nothing could have prepared Mzznaki for the barrage of censure and online bullying her pictures attracted.
Mzznaki, a trained nurse, became the victim of mean, faceless internet trolls who tried to body shame her by calling her names like fat, shapeless, and several more unprintable names. Thankfully though, Mzznaki is not one of those who can have their self-confidence eaten away by the negative comments of faceless internet users. Thus, her only reaction was to share more photos of herself and her groom.
In an interview with the BBC, Mzznaki said she is able to look away from all that negativity with the help of the support from her family and loved ones. She concedes that she is trying to lose weight but maintains that she is doing it mainly for health reasons and that it is in no way a response to the hateful comments her pictures received online.
Mzznaki was determined to have a beautiful wedding and celebrate her love life in the way she desired, so she continued to share on social media more photos from events like her bridal shower and traditional marriage rites leading up to her white wedding ceremony on June 25.
The fat-shaming that Mzznaki has received is a testament to the changing times in Africa, especially the radical change in the concept of what is now considered beautiful or attractive on the continent. Mzznaki remembers a time when a full figure was considered the ideal for African women.
“Some years ago in Ghana a woman who was plump was considered beautiful,” she says. “In fact, many songs have been sung in praise of such women. It was not a big deal to see chubby children and they were not treated differently. But times have changed with the internet and influence of foreign films.”
