I don't think I've ever really talked about body positivity or social medias effect much, even though it's something that is a big issue these days. It was a big issue before Facebook and Instagram even hit the scene to be fair. It's something that doesn't tend to dominate my life in the way it used to, but thanks to the society we live in, I don't think its something a lot of people can ever really escape from.
There's been such a big movement online for plus size (also known as normal size) in the modelling industry. On Instagram you have anti diet clubs and body positive accounts springing up all over the place. I think it's amazing and honestly it shows a much wider range of bodies and styles than what I had whilst I was a teenager. It's showing you that you don't need to be the stick thin Victoria Secret Model to feel amazing. Not only that, it's showing that what you look like and what weight you are shouldn't be the main focus of your life. There's too big a focus for some people about how they look and that shouldn't be your main aspiration...to be the perfect size.
But then of course you have some morons out there, who decide to say that fat shaming needs to make a come back because that is what's going to help get rid of the larger side of society. Can I just say? Is it fuck.
When you get ridiculed, do you head straight to the gym? Probably not. Do you head straight to the cupboard? More than likely. When you're depressed, are you going to think about going for that run you're trying to get in the habit of? I'd rather sit with my friends Ben and Jerry to be honest. Of course you do have those that go the opposite direction and starve whilst hitting the gym to a point of exhaustion. Either way, you're fat shaming isn't making anyone healthier.
I think the fact that we now have so many people standing up not only against the companies that are telling us through advertisements we aren't good enough, but so many men and women supporting each other is the biggest part of this new way on social media.
Ignoring the idiots that are going around fat shaming, we are heading in the right direction when it comes to social media. A while back Instagram banned diet products from being promoted and anyone under the age of 18 will not be in the posts containing diet products and cosmetic surgery.
So all of those diet teas that promote losing ten pounds in a week, with a sneaky wee discount code to get you started? Bye bye.
How amazing is that? I love that one of the largest social media platforms is finally realising that something is very wrong and trying to taking a stand. On top of that, Instagram has also been trialling not showing how many likes your photos get. I think that's honestly amazing because a lot of people do get obsessed over the numbers and suddenly it's a popularity contest, rather than just designing and posting to your page because it makes you happy and feel creative. We have a long way to go, but it's a step in the right direction.
My own struggles
I don't think its a secret that I've never been the most body confident, or confident in many ways. I look back at old pictures of myself and wonder why I wasn't though, because there was nothing and is nothing wrong with the way I look. However even at my smallest weight, I can still find those pictures where my arms are crossed in front of me because I didn't want to show my churro filled stomach in Disney World.
I honestly can't believe that my self confidence has been so low that even when I look amazing, I don't believe it. I also can't believe that I've spent a lot of my life trying to make myself smaller, when I was taking up the perfect amount of room in this world to begin with.
After coming back from Florida in 2018, not going to lie, I did have one too many churros. Then after that I started travelling and eating out a lot more and the weight continued to pile on. I got to the highest weight I've ever been in my life and I could not have felt more uncomfortable in my own skin. So much so, that when you look back on a lot of the pictures I have of my travelling, there's barely any of me. There's a fair few of my brother in there and there's a lot of scenery and places, but not many of myself. Even on my Instagram page, you could probably count about six photos out fifty from my year in Australia/New Zealand that are of me.
A friend once said to me the that 'it doesn't matter if you look like an absolute tool in the pictures that you post, it's about the memories you're making.' I took that one to heart. Honestly it's so true and it makes me sad that I don't have a lot of memories to look back on, all because I was uncomfortable with the way I looked.
I've definitely made strides in being happy with myself in the last few years. I still have those days where I feel uncomfortable even after losing weight and getting stronger. I have those days where I look in the mirror and don't like any outfit that I put on. But those days are so minimal that they don't matter. And when I think something horrible, I don't actually believe it anymore. It's a first instinct in my head based on years of bombardment from social media. My second thought is what counts. And my second thought is what is positive. When I workout I'm not trying to burn as many calories as I can so I can lose weight. I'm doing it because I want to be fit enough to climb mountains, I want to be strong enough to do things for myself for years to come. When I eat healthy, it's not because I don't want to risk getting a stomach from too many donuts. It's because I feel better and more balanced over all. I've definitely changed this time around after moving to New Zealand. I have so many more pictures of me, on my own and with friends and family. And the best part of every photo is that I look happy and confident in who I am. Because I am.
There's been such a big movement online for plus size (also known as normal size) in the modelling industry. On Instagram you have anti diet clubs and body positive accounts springing up all over the place. I think it's amazing and honestly it shows a much wider range of bodies and styles than what I had whilst I was a teenager. It's showing you that you don't need to be the stick thin Victoria Secret Model to feel amazing. Not only that, it's showing that what you look like and what weight you are shouldn't be the main focus of your life. There's too big a focus for some people about how they look and that shouldn't be your main aspiration...to be the perfect size.
But then of course you have some morons out there, who decide to say that fat shaming needs to make a come back because that is what's going to help get rid of the larger side of society. Can I just say? Is it fuck.
When you get ridiculed, do you head straight to the gym? Probably not. Do you head straight to the cupboard? More than likely. When you're depressed, are you going to think about going for that run you're trying to get in the habit of? I'd rather sit with my friends Ben and Jerry to be honest. Of course you do have those that go the opposite direction and starve whilst hitting the gym to a point of exhaustion. Either way, you're fat shaming isn't making anyone healthier.
I think the fact that we now have so many people standing up not only against the companies that are telling us through advertisements we aren't good enough, but so many men and women supporting each other is the biggest part of this new way on social media.
Ignoring the idiots that are going around fat shaming, we are heading in the right direction when it comes to social media. A while back Instagram banned diet products from being promoted and anyone under the age of 18 will not be in the posts containing diet products and cosmetic surgery.
So all of those diet teas that promote losing ten pounds in a week, with a sneaky wee discount code to get you started? Bye bye.
How amazing is that? I love that one of the largest social media platforms is finally realising that something is very wrong and trying to taking a stand. On top of that, Instagram has also been trialling not showing how many likes your photos get. I think that's honestly amazing because a lot of people do get obsessed over the numbers and suddenly it's a popularity contest, rather than just designing and posting to your page because it makes you happy and feel creative. We have a long way to go, but it's a step in the right direction.
My own struggles
I don't think its a secret that I've never been the most body confident, or confident in many ways. I look back at old pictures of myself and wonder why I wasn't though, because there was nothing and is nothing wrong with the way I look. However even at my smallest weight, I can still find those pictures where my arms are crossed in front of me because I didn't want to show my churro filled stomach in Disney World.
I honestly can't believe that my self confidence has been so low that even when I look amazing, I don't believe it. I also can't believe that I've spent a lot of my life trying to make myself smaller, when I was taking up the perfect amount of room in this world to begin with.
After coming back from Florida in 2018, not going to lie, I did have one too many churros. Then after that I started travelling and eating out a lot more and the weight continued to pile on. I got to the highest weight I've ever been in my life and I could not have felt more uncomfortable in my own skin. So much so, that when you look back on a lot of the pictures I have of my travelling, there's barely any of me. There's a fair few of my brother in there and there's a lot of scenery and places, but not many of myself. Even on my Instagram page, you could probably count about six photos out fifty from my year in Australia/New Zealand that are of me.
A friend once said to me the that 'it doesn't matter if you look like an absolute tool in the pictures that you post, it's about the memories you're making.' I took that one to heart. Honestly it's so true and it makes me sad that I don't have a lot of memories to look back on, all because I was uncomfortable with the way I looked.
I've definitely made strides in being happy with myself in the last few years. I still have those days where I feel uncomfortable even after losing weight and getting stronger. I have those days where I look in the mirror and don't like any outfit that I put on. But those days are so minimal that they don't matter. And when I think something horrible, I don't actually believe it anymore. It's a first instinct in my head based on years of bombardment from social media. My second thought is what counts. And my second thought is what is positive. When I workout I'm not trying to burn as many calories as I can so I can lose weight. I'm doing it because I want to be fit enough to climb mountains, I want to be strong enough to do things for myself for years to come. When I eat healthy, it's not because I don't want to risk getting a stomach from too many donuts. It's because I feel better and more balanced over all. I've definitely changed this time around after moving to New Zealand. I have so many more pictures of me, on my own and with friends and family. And the best part of every photo is that I look happy and confident in who I am. Because I am.
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