At Instinct we can’t enough of Troy Solomon, the thick, juicy, and furry teddy bear better known as ABearNamedTroy. The fashionista and spokesperson for body positivity keeps it 100 on social media, being a voice for larger-than-life boys out there. He’s a bitch, he’s thicck, & he loves himself—so sue him! Via an Instagram account @ABearNamedTroy that is fire, Troy deconstructs social norms and creates gender fluid moments through his use of fashion, clothing, and his latest conquest—music!
On top of gracing our feeds with his daily dose of fierceness, Troy has released his debut single ‘Thicck’ which celebrates every inch and every curve of his body. The video shows the West Hollywood artist at his glittery and luscious best, puckering up with glistening lip gloss and clickety-clacking his shining claws for the gods! Never mind the birthday cake dripping in honey that warrants a tall glass of milk. Thirsty much?
Thicck gives us the big boy fantasy we’ve always dreamed of and ABearNamedTroy is proving to be the perfect poster child for living your best life.
We got in touch with Troy Solomon to learn more about what exactly makes Troy thick like honey on cake. But before you get to know him, fill that sweet tooth craving with the official video for Thicck:
Where did the idea for Thicck come from?
Honestly, the idea for "Thicck" came from my own need for representation, for both myself and the body positivity community, within music and pop culture. There are only a few artists that are really tackling the issue of body shaming through music (Lizzo being the number one queen MOTHA), and I really felt like I could provide another perspective to the topic from my own personal scope and perspective.
How long was the process for producing Thicck?
So creating music is an extremely fun, exhausting, twisty experience. I knew I wanted to start making music so I asked my friend/producer, Joe Burge, if he wanted to work together and for some reason he did! About six months ago we had our first studio session and the first song I presented to him was "Thicck". At that time I didn't really know how to write songs. I have a degree in writing, but I had never learned how to write in a musical sense or format when I was in school so I basically just wrote "Thicck" as a poem and then Joe helped me "songify" what I had written. Joe is also an incredible writer so working with him is seriously an incredible experience – he pushes me to work harder and expand my writing and push harder on my vocals. We honestly finished completely writing and recording the song in like 2 studio sessions it was crazy the whole thing just like flowed and came together beautifully.
How does it feel to be reppin’ for all the thick and juicy men in the LGBTQ community?
It's an honor! I think men of size are so under-represented both in and out of the LGBTQ+ community across almost every facet of life. We aren't JUST the funny best friend. Our fat bodies aren't JUST the punchline of a joke or the crux of a TV show's weight loss storyline. I think especially in the LGBTQ+ community, we see such an insane amount of pressure on having the "perfect" body, which stems from such a deep-rooted plague of toxic masculinity. This absurd idea that queer/gay men need to have six packs and perfect hair in order to balance the scales between masculine and feminine is so antiquated and ridiculous. With "Thicck" (and more broadly with what I do on Instagram), I'm here to tell you that's simply just not true. As long as you're not causing harm to anyone else, do whatever the fuck you want. Look however the fuck you want to look. Be whoever the fuck you want to be. Young men, queer or not, need to be reminded that it's okay to show emotion, it's okay to love yourself, and it's okay to love your body – whatever size it is.
What do you have to say to any of the haters out there?
I'd LOVE to have a sit down conversation with the people who see what I do as wrong or disgusting or whatever other hateful word they can come up with. I think it would be an interesting and very healthy exchange to really see where we are at in today's society as far as how open and accepting people can be (on both sides) once their views are challenged in a respectful way and shown some compassion. I'd like the opportunity to hopefully enlighten them because I think every "hater" is just a lover with some self-love issues and I would be a hypocrite if I didn't at least TRY and educate those who don't know any better. And if that doesn't work than I guess all there really is to say to the haters is, "hiiiiiiiiieeeeeeee" 😉
Where do you get your inspiration for all your fierce fashion looks?
My fashion inspo comes from everywhere. I think I'm inspired by life and color and my mood, but I don't really ever pull together a look based off something I saw someone else wearing. I kind of see a piece I like and then my brain goes on a journey deciding what will compliment that piece well both visually and in regards to how it makes me feel. I'm always trying to push the boundaries and evolve with fashion, two things that make me feel fierce and fly. I want people to see that there really are no fashion rules, only fashion RULERS. Wear whatever the fuck make you feel good af.
Any more music coming out soon? New projects?
There is DEFINITELY more music coming – we already have about 4 complete songs waiting in the wings and I'd love to just release every single song we already have recorded, but then where's the fun in that? 😉
While music is my main focus right now, I absolutely have some other exciting projects in the works that I can't really talk about yet, but stay tuned!
Thicck by ABearNamedTroy is out now. Stay tuned for more great music and photo realness from the bear himself on Instagram @ABearNamedTroy
