Written by Emily Stephens (she/her) for The Rising Womxn Zine
Social media has the power to influence the way we feel surrounding a number of different things. What we choose to fill our feeds with can have a huge impact on our mental wellbeing, but with the rise of Instagram influencers it can be easy to get caught up in the illusion of having an Instagram perfect life. For girls in particular, this can include having an Insta-ready body that mirrors that of celebrities and influencers, often leaving behind a variety of different shapes and sizes.
Body image and confidence issues were around long before social media, often as a result of fashion, Hollywood and celebrity culture. The ideal body for a woman has always resembled that of the supermodels that walk fashion week every season, leaving little room for females that look even slightly different to feel included and confident. Fashion brands add to the misconception that ‘plus-size’ is a size 14, which really is an average size for females in the UK. Boohoo is most notorious for this, with their plus-size models often being size 14-16, where the standard size to be considered plus is normally 18+. By showcasing such sizes as ‘plus’ this can be so harmful to females, especially younger age groups, and has the power to cause mental health issues such as body dysmorphia and eating disorders later in life.
Currently in the UK, between 1.25 and 3.4 million people are affected by an eating disorder, with 75% being women. Most eating disorders develop during adolescence, but can also develop earlier or later in life too. Sadly, eating disorders have the highest mortality rates among psychiatric disorders, with anorexia nervosa having the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder in adolescence. (Source – Priory Group). Given these statistics, clothing brands, influencers and celebrities should have some kind of social responsibility when it comes to promoting self-love and body confidence, and there should be strict regulations in place when it comes to deciding what constitutes as ‘plus-size’ and what size models will represent that.
Challenging these pre-conceptions of size are a whole raft of body-positive bloggers and self-love advocates on Instagram, pushing out content that is sure to empower girls of all shapes and sizes. Sophie (she/her) is a self-love and body confidence advocate and blogger, who gave us the low-down on all things body positivity!
 |
| @sophsucceeds on Instagram |
Women of a larger size are often deemed to be unfit, lazy and unhappy, ‘it’s always, “you’d be so beautiful if you lost a few pounds” to which I say, I’m beautiful as I am now!’ Lower self-confidence can lead to more serious mental health issues like depression, but seeking help isn’t always easy. ‘A common thing I hear is that a larger person goes to the doctor to talk about depression and being prescribed anti-depressants, and instead gets prescribed diet and exercise, as if being fat is the problem, as if being a bigger person means that they never go for a run or to the gym. People just have this preconceived idea that bigger people are lazy, don’t look after themselves and sit on their backsides all day eating. That’s not the case! I’m fat and I’m beautiful – I'm hard working and I’m healthy too!’
Sophie gave us some advice for younger girls that are feeling self-conscious, and how to really love yourself - ‘your body is a normal body, whatever shape or size. Your body type is valid and worthy and you are enough! Every single one of you deserves to be proud of their body, and deserves to celebrate every inch of yourselves, because you’re perfect. You’re more than enough and no one can ever change that. So, hold your head high, show people that you’re confident and happy, and love the skin that you’re in. You only get one body; you have to be kind to it in all aspects. Something magical happens when you learn to love and accept your body, and it’s the best thing in the world. I always say that self-love is the best kind of love!’
One of the biggest misconceptions around women of a bigger size is that they are unhealthy, unfit and generally perceived as being not as attractive as smaller women. Sophie said, ‘We have to combat these stigmas! We have to stop the idea that plus size automatically means unhealthy and lazy. We have to stop this idea that a bigger person can’t be beautiful! It doesn’t matter what shape or size you are; beauty doesn’t come directly from that!’
 |
| @sophsucceeds on Instagram |
Diet culture has also seen a rise since influencers began to take over social media, with sponsored posts for slimming meals, detox teas, weight loss supplements and gym wear. When such young audiences are exposed to content like this, it can be hard to ignore the messaging that to be beautiful, successful and famous you need to be slim. Sophie said, ‘Diet culture is certainly a massive issue that needs addressing. It’s been a huge factor in my life, and I believe it’s what caused me to end up being diagnosed with an eating disorder.’ With slimming groups and products splashed across social media and television ads, diet-culture is ingrained into society, that thinner means prettier.
Scarlett Moffatt, British TV personality who rose to fame through Gogglebox came under scrutiny over a slimming DVD. The fitness regime showcased quick 30-minute HIIT workouts, and Scarlett was bragging a new, leaner body to prove it worked. That is until it was unearthed that actually Scarlett had attended a weight loss boot camp which consisted of hard dieting, intermittent fasting and hardcore workouts, and actually her new look was nothing to do with her DVD fitness plan. Not only was this scandal an issue in itself, so was the discussion around Scarlett’s weight loss.
TV critics and fans were quick to point out how much better she looked after losing all her weight, and Scarlett quickly became the trophy girl for other slimming brands by using her before and after pictures. Perhaps this could’ve had an adverse effect on a few though, as Sophie said, ‘forever seeing before and after photos like the person wasn’t worthy before they lost any weight is toxic. Always seeing celebrities endorsing weight loss and shakes pills just adds to the message that thinner is prettier.’
 |
| @sophsucceeds on Instagram |
A lot of body positive and self-love advocates stand against diet culture, sharing hints and tips online on how to create a positive relationship with food. Combatting diet culture can be as simple as ‘avoiding labelling foods as good or bad, and to stop telling ourselves that we can’t eat something because of the food group or calories.’ Sophie also said, ‘we also need to stop using the word fat in an insulting or negative way and using slim or skinny as a compliment and praise.’
Body confidence can affect new mums as well, something that is not often thought about. With the stress and strain of adapting to a new way of life, low self-confidence added on top can cause serious problems. ‘As a mother of three, this is something I can hugely relate to. I had all three of my children delivered via caesarean section within the space of just 2.5 years, and that changed my body a lot! Suddenly I had a huge overhanging stomach from so much abdominal surgery, breastfeeding had caused my breasts to grow and sag, three very close together pregnancies caused a lot of weight gain, and at 23 when I had my final baby that was hard to accept.’
More should be done to show new mums that post-baby bodies are okay. When watching adverts on TV that include baby products, the mother is always radiant, slim and immaculate. This is often far from reality and can leave ‘real life’ mothers feeling low and embarrassed about their appearance. This is a time of joy and love where new mums should be embracing every moment with their little ones, not worrying about a tummy roll or stretch marks. ‘I was constantly seeing celebrities having babies and “bouncing back”. There were always adverts about what to eat to lose my mum tum. I remember being in hospital with my first baby, a few days postpartum, a very new and very fragile mother, and having a doctor come to talk to me about exercises that I needed to do to avoid having a larger stomach. Things like that are so problematic and damaging. It’s hard to accept your new body following becoming a mother when these are the things that you’re met with. This idea of bouncing back needs to stop.’
 |
| @sophsucceeds on Instagram |
Self-love isn’t a process that can just happen overnight. Sophie told us, ‘even though I spend all of my time encouraging people to be confident and happy in themselves, and have encouraged other people to scrap the scales and wear that god damn bikini, it doesn’t mean that I love myself every second of every day. Although I try my best to self-love, I still have little slips where something I see or hear triggers me and makes me question myself.’
By acknowledging that it is a journey rather than a quick solution, self-love can be so empowering and bring about a whole new level of confidence without so much as stepping on the scales and being defined by numbers or a dress size. ‘What’s important is that we overcome our slip ups and remind ourselves that we’re worthy, strong and deserving. You have to give yourself time to learn and grow, but once you’ve blossomed, amazing things happen!’
You can find out more about Sophie and her body-positive content on Instagram @SophSucceeds, or you can read some of her advice, personal experiences and top tips at http://sophiegilestraynor.wixsite.com/sophsucceeds
No comments