Empowering Women One ‘Post’ At A Time

I’m back again to talk about social media and body image, only this time, rather than highlight the things that I don’t like about what’s out there, I thought I would instead reflect on some of the many positive things I have discovered in the weird and wonderful world of the online realm.

I follow a whole lot of different people and organisations, businesses, etc. on Instagram and while I’m generally pretty good at filtering through the stuff that doesn’t serve me, I do occasionally find myself feeling a bit “meh”, especially when I allow myself to scroll through pages and pages of immaculately groomed and seemingly “perfect” women (whatever that means).

This is exactly the kind of thing that I despise most about social media- the very fact that it’s not real, yet it can be so damn addictive and if you’re not careful, you can all too easily slip down the slippery slope of insecurity and think if only it were you who was sunbathing on that yacht in the Greek Islands, sipping on never-ending cocktails (or maybe that’s just me…).

Anywhooo, despite the occasional “meh” moment, I’ve also discovered a whole range of really interesting and refreshing individuals (women in particular) online, just being their real, authentic selves and fighting the positive body-image cause.

Take for example Aussie Taryn Brumfitt’s Body Image Movement community @bodyimagemovement and her documentary, “Embrace” which has now over 27 thousand followers on Instagram and will soon see her appear on The Ellen Show later this year.

Then there are movements such as @theeverybodybeautystandard, which is a page that encourages women to send in photos of themselves in the hope of reinventing beauty standards and encouraging body positivity, ‘one post at a time’.

There are also many individual bloggers and influencers making their mark, creating change through their real, honest accounts of how they feel about themselves and their bodies.

American Kenzie Brenna’s @omgkenziee #cellulitesaturday movement is a great example, which saw literally thousands of women all over the world posting photos of themselves and their cellulite, again in the hope of promoting healthy body image and banishing the stigma surrounding cellulite.

Finally, there are an abundance of uplifting and inspiring people sharing their journey of self-love and body-acceptance in spite of both mental and physical health challenges, ranging from anorexia survivor Connie @my_life_without_ana to 13 year-old Brisbane teenager, Bella and her bone cancer journey, @stylekickingcancer.

So if you just happen to be looking for inspiration on who to follow on Instagram or are wanting to expand on your current list, I’ve put together a list of people and pages that I think will rock your world:

Body Image Warriors:

@bodyposipanda @iskra @breekwarren @crazycurvy_yoga @taralynn @tiaprovost @allisonkimmey @omgkenziee

Body Image Movements/Pages:

@theeverybodybeautystandard @bodyimagemovement @seedsforchanges @the.curv

People dealing with/have overcome mental and physical health challenges:

@my_life_without_ana @stylekickingcancer @jessdecris @cheymarie_fit @turiapitt @onegirlorg @womensagenda @womenofpower.llc @topfivemovement @womenforwomen @globalfundwomen