Body positivity means different things to different people, so it's difficult to come up with an overarching definition. There are a lot of discussions on the Internet about what body positivity truly is, and whether something that a particular person did or said was body positive or not.
To me, body positivity - at its core - is about self-love and self-acceptance. It's about realizing that you are who you are and, despite how much you can change your appearance through diet, exercise, makeup, or surgery, at the end of the day you should be happy.
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It's also about realizing that you are more than just a body and, as important as loving and accepting your physical appearance is, there are so many more qualities of you that define who you are much more than your hair or your clothes do.
People say that body positive campaigns are a dime a dozen these days, but I'd rather they be a dime a dozen than few and far-between. Here are 13 Instagram accounts for people and organizations who aren't afraid to let their body positive flag fly.
1. Aerie (@aerie)
Aerie is an excellent example of an established clothing company with a tremendous amount of power and influence that has embraced the body positive movement by including models with a diverse array of physical appearances in their campaign, and working towards ending the airbrushing of all of their models.
2. Project HEAL (@projectheal)
Project HEAL focuses on raising funds for and awareness about eating disorders, as well as providing resources for those in recovery. They (and I) believe that full recovery from an eating disorder is possible.
3. Joanna Thangiah (@joannathangiah)
Joanna Thangiah is an artist from Sydney, Australia whose unabashed embrace of the female form in its entirety and beautiful artwork encourages us all to be open when it comes to accepting our body, our sexual orientation, and every other aspect of being human.
4. Tess Holliday (@tessholliday)
Tess Holliday is famous for being a pioneer in the plus-size fashion industry, but what I personally think is one of her greatest contributions to the body positive movement is when she announced that accepting her post-baby body was a struggle. It reminds us all that, despite how fierce, confident, and popular you can become, body insecurity can still haunt you. It also teaches us that sometimes it may be hard to love your body and you may not love it 100 percent 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, but all that matters is that you remember your worth as a human being and keep striving towards self-acceptance.
5. Eff Your Beauty Standards (@effyourbeautystandards)
A movement started by Tess Holliday, #effyourbeautystandards gives a much-needed middle finger to anyone who thinks they have the right to tell another person how they should look, act, or feel.
6. Positive Body Image (@positivebodyimage)
The Positive Body Image Project is a good Instagram account for inspirational quotes that promote all-around positivity.
7. #alternativecurves (@alternativecurves)
#alternativecurves welcomes and celebrates anything and everything when it comes to fashion; highlighting individuals from across the world who are proud to flaunt who they are.
8. Chantelle Winnie (@winnieharlow)
Chantelle Winnie, winner of America's Next Top Model's 21st cycle, shows another aspect of body positivity that doesn't get talked about as much; skin diseases. Her fearless and unapologetic embrace of her vitiligo - a skin condition that causes loss of pigmentation in patches of skin - is what catapulted her to stardom throughout her time on the show and in the years since.
9. Nadia Aboulhosn (@nadiaaboulhosn)
Nadia Aboulhosn - model and designer of the clothing line "By Nadia Aboulhosn" - isn't afraid to show off her body just the way it is, and her unapologetically sassy and quirky personality reminds us all to embrace our inner diva.
10. Danielle Vanier (@daniellevanier)
What I love the most about Danielle Vanier's Instagram account is the subtleness of the body positive power that radiates from it. She doesn't hashtag every single post with #bodypositive, #loveyourself, #celebratemysize, or #honormycurves, and that's the beauty of it. She just is. She lives, breathes, and slays just as she is without needing to say anything extra. Don't get me wrong. All of the hashtags that I listed above, as well as every body positive hashtag out there, are shining examples of how much progress that we've made as a society towards redefining traditional standards of beauty, and I support that more than anyone could ever understand. But there's something about the simplicity of just... being... exactly how you are that encompasses the true essence of body positivity.
11. Georgina Horne (@georginahorne)
One of the coolest things about Georgina (other than her stunning trademark 1950s pinup look) is how she demonstrates that you can be body positive, full of self-love and self-acceptance, and still be into fitness. A lot of people equate body positivity with obesity and an unhealthy lifestyle, and that's why they criticize the body positive movement. But loving yourself and loving exercise aren't mutually exclusive.
12. Iskra Lawrence (@iskra)
Aerie Model and NEDA Ambassador Iskra Lawrence has continuously been outspoken about her support for the body positive movement and her no-tolerance policy for body shamers. Her work for the National Eating Disorders Association has helped raise awareness of and support for the non-profit organization that helps individuals and families affected by eating disorders.
13. Meghan (@sundaesforthesoul)
I fell in love with Meghan after diving down the rabbit hole of her Instagram. I see someone who knows exactly what it's like to suffer the hell of an eating disorder, make it through to the other side, and then struggle being on the other side where you're sure as hell better off than you used to be but still not where you want to be. I see someone who wants so desperately for nobody to have to endure what they did; someone who genuinely cares about others. I see someone who will never stop fighting, no matter how hard it is to keep from falling off the road to recovery. I see myself.
