The magic of participating in Carnival celebrations, no matter where in the world they may be, is the ability to don a costume, transform yourself in the masquerade, and let loose with joyful abandon.
In most Caribbean-based Carnivals, this is called “playing mas”, but there has long been an unspoken rule that the privilege should be reserved for people — women especially — of a certain size and fitness level. For Trinidad and Tobago Carnival 2019, Candice Santana, who is plus-size, decided to “play mas” regardless. She was body-shamed for it [2], but fought back, prompting online discussion about the issue. Santana received a tremendous amount of support as a result of her courage and grace under fire.
[3]Carnival lover Nadelle, founder of #everyBODYplayahmas, a website dedicated to helping people of all shapes and sizes to feel confident participating in Carnival celebrations. Photo courtesy Every Body Play Ah Mas.
Nadelle was heartened by the attention that Candice Santana received, saying, “Many women believe they cannot wear a costume and thanks to masqueraders like Candice Santana and our followers we can shed a different light on what true representation of masqueraders looks like.”
The website has a full listing [6] of annual regional Carnivals, as well as affiliated events [7] and diaspora [8] Carnival celebrations.
Where the network finds most support, though, is in the blog section [9], where plus-size women share their stories and Instagram photos [10]: