Nelly Furtado hits back at body shamers with iconic Manchester Pride outfit

“Promiscuous” hitmaker Nelly Furtado seemingly used her performance at Manchester Pride on Sunday (24 August) to quietly respond to vile body shaming trolls.

Performing at Mardi Gras in Manchester’s Depot Mayfield as part of Manchester Pride, the Grammy award-winning pop icon appeared on stage in a thigh-length oversized white t-shirt, painted with an hourglass figure cartoon.

The cartoon donned a white crop top and tight denim mini skirt, strapped with a belt which read “Whoa Nelly”, the name of Furtado’s debut album, released in 2000.

The back of the cartoon was tattooed with “Better Than Ever”, a cheeky reference to the Canadian singer-songwriter’s 2024 song of the same name.

Furtado has spent much of the summer touring at festivals across Europe following the 2024 release of her seventh studio album 7, with some photos and videos from her performances going viral on social media and becoming a target of trolls.

While Furtado didn’t address the inspiration behind her outfit while on the Manchester Pride stage, she appeared to be mocking internet dwellers who have spent the past few weeks taking aim at her body shape, and making a subtle statement about idealised body types and beauty conventions.

Nelly Furtado is yet to comment on those who have tried to shame her, but earlier this year, she shared a body positivity message on Instagram.

Alongside a mirror selfie of herself wearing a neon orange bikini, Furtado declared that she would be having a “body neutral 2025”.

“This year I became aware of the aesthetic pressure of my work in a brand new way, while simultaneously I experienced new levels of self-love and genuine confidence from within,” she wrote.

She explained that she has never had “any face or body surgeries or augmentation” nor “any face or lip injections or fillers of any kind”.

“My New Year’s message for 2025, is express yourself freely, celebrate your individuality and know that it’s perfectly OK to be OK with what you see in the mirror,” she continued.

“It’s also OK to want something different . We are all cute little humans just bouncing around the earth looking for hugs. PS – this post is not intended to hate on anyone, I am just joining the storytelling community and this story is MINE.”

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