Self love, specifically love for you body, is something that can take time to achieve. We live in a world where we’re constantly being bombarded by advertisements featuring seemingly “perfect” models and Instagram is filled with influencers all fighting to obtain society’s standard of beauty. But you know what? Who is to say there is one standard? We believe that all bodies are beautiful and there are plenty of women on Instagram who will prove just that. These women are body positive influencers, who show the world that you don’t need to be a size 0, have plastic surgery or be able bodied to be beautiful. They shows that there’s diversity of beauty within this complex world of ours and that anyone can find this power by practicing self love. We’ve gathered up 16 of our favorite body positive influencers in the gallery below, take a look at these badass babes and let us know your thoughts on this story in the comments section.
Tess Holliday
Arguably one of the most well-known body positive influencers, Tess Holliday made a name for herself in 2015 after becoming the first model over a size 20 to be signed to a major modeling agency.
Jessie Paege
YouTuber and musician Jessie Paege has battled an eating disorder for years, but has only recently begun sharing her story with her following.
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🌈Any repost of this supports my page and is highly appreciated🌈 :’) Hi, everyone! So since gaining weight, I’ve had stretch marks, something new to me. Growing up in a world where stretch marks are looked down upon so much made me believe I’m supposed to hide then, cover them, laser them, etc. Not only is this hurtful towards recovery, but it’s also harmful towards any human trying to love themselves the way they are. My stretch marks are symbolic of how I beat my ED. It can be difficult to see something on my body that’s associated with weight gain, especially when you have a mental illness. However, I’m re-training myself to love them because they show a victory. Love, Jessie⠀*stretch marks not fully pictured* .⠀ .⠀ #stretchmarks #recovery #girls #girl #bodyposi #love #selflove #body #bikini #mentalhealth #health #selfcare #girl #blonde #message #selfcare #instagram #trending #wellness #mindfulness #love
A post shared by Jessie Paege (@jessiepaege) on Apr 27, 2020 at 4:43pm PDT
Jessamyn Stanley
Yogi Jessamyn Stanley proves that she can succeed in mastering complex poses without being a size two.
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I’m teaching a free live yoga class on @theunderbellyyoga this Saturday at 11am EST- we’re celebrating our first birthday and we’d love for you to be there. Bring your friends, bring your dog, bring your auntie who says she hates yoga, bring your preggo friend, bring your boyfriend who thinks yoga is only for girls, bring your coworker who thinks yoga is only for white people, bring your kid who is getting on your nerves bc y’all have spent more time together in the age of #covid than you have since they were living inside of you. Come one, come all, yoga is for everybody and it’s never too late to start ❤️ (FYI The class will be broadcast on @theunderbellyyoga AND @mynameisjessamyn and it is free99, no subscription required.) Photo by @nadyawasylko
A post shared by Jessamyn (@mynameisjessamyn) on Mar 31, 2020 at 7:36am PDT
Sarah Nicole Landry
Mama Sarah Nicole Landry has extra skin from major weight loss and pregnancy, but that isn’t stopping her from showing off her body.
Cara of Pale Ginger Pear
Cara shares her journey living with lipedema and lymphedema with her devoted following.
Grace F Victory
Holistic healer Grace F Victory proves that style knows no size.
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When is the right time to begin to live again? Begin to work. Begin the mundane tasks of hoovering, doing the washing and answering emails. But then I remember, that this is exactly what we, as black people do. We continue, even when we are tired, depleted or hurt. We shouldn’t have to, but what other choice do we have. My bills still need to be paid and if I sink any deeper I’m afraid I won’t come back… so we move, as they say. There are a few new faces here too, so I thought I’d introduce myself 👊🏽🤍 I’m Grace Victory, or Gracie Francesca as so many people call me and I’m mixed race, plus size & living in London. I started YouTube videos in 2011 and it became my fulltime career in 2015. I’m an OG creator and proud 😂 (I’m 30 in August would you believe). My content focuses on healing, multi dimensional well-being and of course, beauty and fashion. I have a platform @howtohealholistically which focuses more on the wellness side of things. Please follow – it’s my way of making well-being more accessible to people who look like me and are from working class backgrounds. I’m passionate about harmonising spiritual wisdom with emotional intelligence, as well as girls of any size feeling confident to wear what they want ✨ I hope that when you visit my page, you feel lighter and better than before you came. You are a guest here, so I appreciate politeness, understanding and high vibrational energy 👍🏽 I’m very much in love and I drink smoothies everyday. I enjoy astrology, brunch & good curly hair days. Thanks for being here 🌱 (I am also addicted to buying plants).
A post shared by Grace 🌱 (@gracefvictory) on Jun 4, 2020 at 2:06am PDT
Chidera Eggerue
Chidera Eggerue is the woman behind #saggyboobsmatter and lets audiences know all breasts are beautiful.
Sara Puhto
Sara Puhto is a former fitness addict who found herself through body positivity.
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Stop judging bodies 🌿 I’m tired of subconsciously making myself feel embarrassed and ashamed of my body. I’m tired of feeling like I’m not good enough for myself. There is no one perfect body type and all the rest are abnormal. The society we live in produces insecurities out of natural bodies and capitalizes off of these. It sexualizes nudity, glorifies certain body types and body parts, uses sex to sell products and slut shames those who cross that made up, arbitrary line. We continuously see things like: “Buy this product to lose X amount of weight in 3 weeks. Buy this to have a flat tummy, buy this to have a smaller waist. Buy this to get rid of stretch marks”. I’ve been asked if I have IBS, endometriosis or food sensitivities because of my stomach. I don’t. It just looks like this and that’s how I’ve been my whole life. I’ve thought I needed to change my body shape, have surgeries in order to accept my body but I don’t. I taught myself to suck my tummy in constantly while around others, I still haven’t unlearnt this and do it daily. I’m tired of sucking in my belly all the time because I didn’t think it was normal for someone who consistently worked out for 4 years to “STILL have tummy fat”. I want to help normalize all types of bodies and help you realize that you need to unlearn the toxic beliefs of having to look a certain way in order to be accepted by society. We need to stop subconsciously comparing our bodies to others. All bodies are worthy and acceptable. You’ll never be happy and comfortable with how your body looks if you aren’t comfortable with natural things like tummy fat, cellulite, stretch marks etc. Because these are normal things that don’t just disappear. Teach yourself to compliment yourself and take care of your body rather than subconsciously feeding into tearing apart and insulting yourself daily. Also, no one has the right to sexualize my nudity in this photo. It’s not meant to be sexual 🌿 —————————————— . . . #bodyfat #selfdoubt #forgiveyourself #positiveenergy #selfesteem #loveyourbody #iambeautiful #spiritualawakening
A post shared by Sara Puhto (@saggysara) on Jul 13, 2020 at 6:59am PDT
Bethany Purnell
Bethany Purnell has been living with Crohns disease since 2007 and shows her followers that it’s okay to wear a colostomy bag.
Hannah Olateju
After contracting meningitis at age two, doctors amputated Hannah Olateju’s arms and legs. However, today she’s found her place in the London fashion scene and thrives as an influencer.
Mandy Horvath
Mandy Horvath lost both of her legs above the knee after being hit by a train and today, she’s known as the Bionic Bachelorette and can be seen climbing mountains without prosthetics.
Mira Mariah
Tattoo artist Mira Mariah may be best known for frequently inking Ariana Grande, however, she’s also a disability advocate.
Lauren Elyse
Makeup artist Lauren Elyse was born with vitiligo, however, it’s helped her to stand out and shine in the beauty world.
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One last shot of my regular, everyday look in partnership with @maybelline #ad to celebrate this year’s Pride Month 🏳️🌈 To celebrate, I’m showing y’all a little tutorial on how I achieve my everyday look using a few of my favorite Maybelline products, while also sharing my experience thus far as a black, queer individual. Since we’re all celebrating Pride a little differently this year, I wanted to do something less bright and colorful, and more stripped down and genuine to me. Check out the video in my IGtv to know me a little better, as well as learn some cute makeup tricks 🖤 happy Pride, everyone! And no matter how you’re celebrating this year, have fun and stay safe 🖤 #MaybellinePartner #mnypride
A post shared by Laur(en) Elyse (@laur_elyse) on Jun 22, 2020 at 5:48pm PDT
Jordan Bone
Following a car accident at 15, Jordan Bone was left in a wheelchair. Today, she’s a life coach, podcast host and avid tattoo collector.
Jillian Mercado
Jillian Mercado was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy as a child and has since taken the modeling world by storm, appearing in editorials for Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Galore and Teen Vogue.
Cailey Darling
Cailey Darling has a rare eye disability called acute macular neuroretinopathy but despite being legally blind, still creates incredible makeup looks.
