The body-positivity influencers you want to follow

You may be seeing more posts popping up in your feed that celebrate bodies from all different walks of life, bringing visibility to different shapes, colours, abilities, sexual identities, genders and life stages. This is no coincidence. With the global movement toward racial justice and social awakening, we have started to see the amplification of previously underheard and underrepresented voices in social media, in the news, and in public spaces. However, the body-positivity movement, in particular, is not new to the scene. In the 1960s, body positivity started as a fringe idea that some termed, “the fat acceptance movement.” Once it hit the mainstream, this marketable idea ultimately led to the success of Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty, which originally launched in 2004. Right before that, founded in 1996, The Body Positive organization began its mission to teach people to listen to their bodies, learn and thrive, in hopes that their work would help “end the harmful consequences of negative body image.” Women, whose appearances have been scrutinized and judged for centuries, have been leading the charge against unrealistic body image ideals, the Photoshop-obsessed media, and the sizeist fashion industry. Plus-size models are disrupting the industry at fashion shows, on magazine covers, and in every touchpoint of mainstream culture. Now that so many systems are being challenged, the promotion of self-love and body-positive messaging has started to find its rightful place in our feeds, reminding so many of us that we are worthy, beautiful and powerful just the way we are. This empowering message not only does wonders for mental health, but also fuels the movement toward creating and nurturing more equitable, inclusive communities. Click through this gallery for body-positivity influencers you want to follow.