30-year-old Amalie Jennings knew all too well how cruel the world could be.
For most of her life, she had struggled with self-hatred and felt like an outsider because of her body. But that all changed when she met a man named Sean.
‘I’ve always been fat, since I was two years old,’ Amalie explained in 2019.
‘My mum used to take me to the doctors because I was gaining a lot of weight. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been fat. And of course, this was accompanied by bullying, nagging. My oldest memory of bullying is from kindergarten, when I was about four years old. All the kids teased me for being fat.’
As Amalie got older, the bullying only intensified.
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‘I gained even more weight, which meant I got teased even more. I started self-harming and I started getting teased again,’ she says. ‘I just had just terrible self-esteem. I hated looking in the mirror.’
Lui basse
Posted by Amalie Lindved Jennings on Tuesday, 5 October 2021.
Shopping for clothes was another source of pain. Amalie recalled how, even as a little girl, she had to go to the women’s department because children’s clothes didn’t fit her.
Amalie could not wear the fancy clothes that other children her age wore. Instead, she had to settle for adult clothes, which only increased her sense of isolation.
The feeling of isolation grew as she noticed that people like her were not represented in books and the media. And if overweight characters did appear, they were often portrayed as caricatures.
A life-changing connection
Things began to change when Amalie, originally from Denmark, met her husband, Sean, a Brit, in an online video game. Their unlikely connection developed into a friendship that grew into something more.
‘My husband Sean and I met 11 years ago in a PlayStation game,’ she says. ‘At first I thought he was an old man just looking for a young woman to socialise with. But then I found out he was my age.’
Their relationship started on a solid foundation of conversations free from immediate judgements about appearances. Although they had seen pictures of each other, it took some time before they started chatting via video link.
Amalie admitted that her insecurities often made her self-conscious, even in the beginning. ‘I could see how fat I was in pictures, but he kept chatting to me,’ she said. ‘I was so insecure; I hid my double chin. But he didn’t care – he just wanted to talk to me.’
The two soon became best friends. It took some time before they realised they were in love. Amalia started making hints about her feelings, but he didn’t pick up on them right away.
Looking good at my sister-in-law’s university graduation Photo taken by Brandy’s best photographer
Posted by Amalie Lindved Jennings on Friday, 21 July 2023.
Eventually she started posting subtle love notes on Facebook, which Sean noticed but didn’t quite understand at first. At first, Sean thought she was addressing someone else.
Finally, the Danish woman mustered up the courage to confess her feelings directly.
‘It was the strangest feeling because I haven’t had much luck with guys before,’ Amalie shared. ‘And now, finally, this guy 500 miles away who likes me as much as he likes me.’
Overcoming judgement
Their long-distance relationship soon developed into something more permanent, and Amalie moved to England to be with Sean. However, their relationship was not always free from judgement.
According to Sean, strangers would often make tactless remarks, wondering why he, a slim man, wanted to be with her.
People often asked if he had some kind of fetish, but Sean always made it clear that her weight was not something he cared about. He fell in love with her, not the number on the scale.
Despite their strong bond, the outside scrutiny sometimes made itself felt. In a 2019 interview, the couple revealed that while most people in their lives were supportive, they had to sever their relationship with Sean’s father. The exact circumstances remained a secret.
A message of self-love
Amalie used the media and this platform to speak out against fatphobia, especially in the medical field, and spread a message of self-acceptance.
If I were to go back and talk to a younger Amalia, I would say: ‘Stop wasting your time hating yourself. Yes, your body is different, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad,’ she said.
‘You can never stop people from saying nasty things about you. You can never stop them from looking at you. But you can stop letting them influence you. And you also need to know that you will find people who will love you – love your body the way it is.’
There’s a lot to be said for encouraging people to lead healthy lifestyles, but perhaps even more to be said for not shaming people.
Bodyshaming remains a big problem in today’s society, and it doesn’t really help anyone. Making someone feel awful and uncomfortable in their own body doesn’t necessarily encourage change. On the contrary, it can have a negative impact on confidence and happiness, and sometimes exacerbates underlying issues.
Actually the best day of my life <3
Posted by Amalie Lindved Jennings on Friday, 14 July 2017.
Amalie and Sean’s story showed that love, kindness and acceptance can change everything – even in a world that can be harsh and unforgiving.
Amalie Jennings passed away in 2024
Amalie Jennings’ story went viral in 2019, touching the hearts of people around the world with her inspiring journey to self-acceptance and love.
Sadly, this brave woman passed away on 15 July 2024. The circumstances of her death remain unclear, but the obituary reports that Amalie, lovingly nicknamed ‘Malle’, passed away peacefully. She was just 30 years old.
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‘Loved and missing.
‘When you see the twinkling of a star,
it’s me waving to you.’
On behalf of the family,
Sean, Mum, Pavia and Pia,’ the obituary reads.
If you ask haters today, they will probably realise that Amalie and Sean’s love story lasted until the very end and that the way they were together inspired many people.
Amalie Jennings’ life may have ended too soon, but her message of self-love and fighting for a kinder world will continue to inspire many. Let us honour her memory by striving to build a world where everyone feels seen, accepted and valued.
Our heartfelt congratulations to Sean and his family on this difficult event.