Amalie Jennings, 30, knew all too well how cruel the world could be.
For most of her life, she struggled with self-hatred and feeling like an outsider because of her body. But everything changed when she met a man named Sean.
”I have always been fat since I was two years old,” Amalie explained in 2019.
”My mum took me to the doctors because I was gaining a lot of weight. Since as long as I can remember, I have been fat. And of course, that comes with a lot of bullying, a lot of picking on. My oldest memory of bullying is in Kindergarten, when I was around four. And all the kids picked on me for being fat.”
As Amalie grew older, the bullying only intensified.
”I gained even more weight, which meant I was picked on even more. I started self-harming, and I got picked on again,” she said. ”I just had a really horrible self-image. I hated looking in the mirror.”
Shopping for clothes had been another source of pain. Amalie recalled how, even as a little girl, she had to shop in the women’s department because children’s clothing didn’t fit her.
Amalie couldn’t wear the trendy clothes other kids her age wore. Instead, she had to settle for adult clothing, which only added to her feelings of isolation.
Her feelings of isolation grew as she noticed the lack of representation for people like her in books or media. And when 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 British man, through an online video game. Their unlikely connection grew into a friendship that blossomed into something more.
”My husband Sean and I met 11 years ago on a game on the PlayStation,” she said. ”At first, I thought he was an old man just looking for a young woman to talk to. But then I learned he was my age.”
Their relationship began on a solid foundation of conversation, free from immediate judgments about appearance. Although they had seen pictures of each other, it took a while before they started video chatting.
Amalie admitted her insecurities often made her self-conscious, even in the beginning. ”I could see how fat I was in the pictures, but he kept talking to me,” she said. ”I was so insecure about myself; I would hide my double chin. But he still didn’t care—he just wanted to talk to me.”
Before long, the two became best friends. It took some time for them to realize they were in love. Amalie began dropping hints about her feelings, but he didn’t immediately pick up on them.
Eventually, she began posting subtle love notes on Facebook, which Sean noticed but didn’t fully understand at first. Sean initially assumed she was referring to someone else.
Finally, the Danish girl worked up the courage to confess her feelings directly.
”It was the weirdest feeling because I hadn’t had luck with boyfriends before,” Amalie shared. ”And finally, here’s this guy, 500 miles away, who fancies me as much as I fancy him.”
Overcoming judgment
Their long-distance relationship soon turned into something more permanent, with Amalie moving to England to be with Sean. However, their relationship wasn’t always free from judgment.
According to Sean, strangers often made insensitive comments, wondering why he, a slim man, would want to be with her.
People often asked if he had some kind of fetish, but Sean always made it clear that her weight wasn’t what mattered to him. He fell in love with who she was, not with a number on a scale.
Despite their strong bond, outside scrutiny sometimes took a toll. In a 2019 interview, the couple revealed that while most people in their lives had been supportive, they’d had to cut ties with Sean’s father. The exact circumstances remained private.
A message of self-love
Amalie used media and that platform to speak out against fatphobia, especially in the medical field, and to spread a message of self-acceptance.
“If I was ever to go back and speak to a younger Amalie, I would say, ‘Stop wasting time hating yourself. Yes, your body is different, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad body,’” she said.
”You will never be able to stop people from saying things about you. You will never be able to stop them from looking at you. But you can stop letting it affect you. And you also need to know that you will find people who love you—who love your body for what it is.”
There’s a lot to be said about encouraging people to keep a healthy lifestyle, but perhaps even more to be said about not shaming people.
Body shaming remains a big problem in today’s society, and in reality helps no one. Making someone feel terrible about themselves and uncomfortable in their own bodies doesn’t always motivate change. On the contrary, it can have an adverse effect when it comes to confidence and happiness, thus sometimes exacerbating underlying problems.
Through her journey, Amalie and Sean’s story showed that love, kindness, and acceptance can change everything — even in a world that could be harsh and unforgiving.
Amalie Jennings passed away in 2024
Amalie Jennings’ story went viral in 2019, touching hearts around the world with her inspiring journey of self-acceptance and love.
Sadly, this brave lady passed away on July 15, 2024. The circumstances of her death remain unclear, but her obituary shared that Amalie, lovingly nicknamed ”Malle,” passed away peacefully. She was only 30 years old.
”Beloved and missed.
‘When you see a star twinkle,
it’s me waving at you.’
On behalf of the family,
Sean, Mom, Pavia, and Pia,” the obituary stated.
If you ask the haters today, they would probably realize 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 her fight for a kinder world will continue to inspire many. Let’s honor her memory by striving to build a world where everyone feels seen, accepted, and valued.
Our hearts goes out to Sean and the family at this tough time.