Woman claps back at body-shamer who said, ‘crop tops were not made for you’

A professional hula hooper issued an expert clap back after one of her fellow TikTok users tried to assert that “crop tops were not made for [her].”

Deven Zimmer, a 23-year-old Texas native who co-founded the performing arts duo Cerceau Sisters, received the body-shaming comment on a video in which she showcased her insane hula-hooping skills with a rainbow glowing hoop while rocking a crop top and mesh shirt.

Zimmer replied to the rude comment with a new TikTok where she sports another crop top and dances to Megan Thee Stallion’s “Body.”

In the clapback video, which has since been viewed over 8.6M times, Zimmer first feigns sadness over the comment, appearing self-conscious and looking down while holding her stomach.

But then, her entire demeanor changes as she bears her midriff and begins hooping along to the song in a manner that positively radiates confidence.

@call_me_alaska

Reply to @.shadow.dancinqq AND ILL WEAR IT AGAIN *BAP BAP*

♬ Body – Megan Thee Stallion

TikTokers were quick to praise Zimmer not only for her unbelievable hooping skills, but also for her flawlessly executed takedown of body shaming.

“Crop tops were ONLY made for you,” one user commented.

“10000% I support u in crop tops but also the coordination w the hoop? incredible,” wrote another.

“I love when the clap back goes so hard the comment becomes ✨unavailable✨,” noted a third.

Zimmer even shared another similar video, set to Ariana Grande’s “34+35,” in which she hoops while wearing an even “tighter” crop top, at the request of one of her followers.

@call_me_alaska

Reply to @_.gracelynne_ crop tops were made for ✨everyone✨

♬ original sound – jaedenraegomez

Zimmer founded Cerceau Sisters in 2020 with fellow hooping expert Brooke Hanson.

The two 23-year-olds told In The Know they have been hooping together since they were just 16 years old, and while they have always been in love with the art, they finally decided to make a career out of it amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“Cerceau Sisters came to life during our time in quarantine,” Zimmer explained. “We had extra time to plan it out and dream it up and decided that there was no better time to get started than now.”

Zimmer and Hanson had initially dreamt of launching a full-fledged production company, but due to the pandemic, the duo has focused their efforts on hosting Zoom classes to teach hooping to people of all skill levels. Their next virtual class is on Dec. 18.

“Although we brought [Cerceau Sisters] to life in quarantine, due to COVID-19, we are putting our production ideas on hold and focusing on making ourselves available for hired performances and workshops to share our passions and inspire others with what we love to do,” Hanson explained.

The two performers, who are both very active on social media — Zimmer has 771K followers on TikTok and Hanson has 76K — said they are taken aback by the amount of interest they’ve received so far.

“We didn’t expect the amount of love and support we received almost immediately after launching, but it was a very inspiring and motivational feeling,” Zimmer said.

@call_me_alaska

@miss.brookee and I got dinosaur Christmas pajamas 😭🦕 . Dc: @laneyysgrig

♬ this is our dance give credit lol – kara

Still, the internet is full of detractors, which means when you start to make a big enough name for yourself, you may begin to encounter them.

Zimmer says she began experiencing this online negativity firsthand at a young age, which is why she felt it was so important to create her TikTok response video.

“When I was 17 I had a video go viral and a lot of the feedback was hateful and mean,” she told In The Know. “I think about the toll it took on me — it was by far the worst feeling I had experienced as a high school girl. I was young and thousands of people were commenting on my appearance, weight, race, etc., when the whole video was a routine I had spent hours working on.”

“My goal with making videos that reply to comments like that is to show other people that someone else’s ‘issue’ with you is their issue and not yours,” she added.

Thankfully, following Zimmer’s crop top clapback, the positive comments far outweighed the negative ones.

“The response from that video has been incredible,” she shared. “People are sharing stories of times they gave up because of their appearance and how that video alone gave them the courage to stand up for themselves and pursue everything they want, whether it’s dance, hooping or other hobbies.”

“Every message has been heartbreaking and so inspiring at the same time and I couldn’t be more happy and excited for everyone who’s found that courage,” she added. 

@call_me_alaska

⚠️I AM A PROFESSIONAL, DON’T try at home⚠️ This song is a vibe ✨🔥🥰

♬ Therefore I Am – Billie Eilish

Ultimately, by speaking out against negative commenters, Zimmer hopes she can convince her followers to believe they “don’t need another person’s approval to feel comfortable in their own skin.”

“There were so many instances in my past that I felt I wasn’t good enough because of other people’s opinions,” she said. “You are capable and worthy of doing anything and everything you want to do, and nobody’s opinion will ever change that.”

If you liked this story, check out this TikTok trend started to combat body dysmorphia.

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