You can’t control what other people post on social media, but you can control the people you follow. If you find yourself scrolling on Instagram and questioning your self-worth, it might be time to do a detox — and no, I’m not talking about a juice cleanse. Start unfollowing toxic accounts and start filling your feed with these authentic, body-positive Instagrammers:
@danaemercer
Just a year ago, Instagram influencer and Journalist Danae Mercer, was pretty much just like every other social media blogger. She posted pictures of herself looking her best; however, she didn’t feel like she was expressing her true self. The truth is Mercer had a lot of insecurities about her body and overall appearance, which stemmed from a past eating disorder. In 2019, Mercer made the difficult decision to start posting pictures that laid bare her deepest insecurities: her cellulite and stretch marks. Fast forward to today and her Instagram is flooded with hundreds of pictures of Mercer, not just posting but, in fact, celebrating her stretch marks and cellulite. She also exposes how models pose to achieve the “perfect” Instagram picture. Her mission is to use her platform to normalize things like bloating and body rolls while also showing women that not everything on Instagram is as it seems.
@thebirdspapaya
Blogger and mother Sara Nicole Landry is no stranger to body image issues. Landry gave birth to three kids by the age of 25, resulting in significant changes to her body. Unhappy with the way she looked, Landry began her weight loss journey and lost over 100 pounds. Even though Landry lost weight, she was still not satisfied with the way she looked and social media was only worsening her body image. Landry realized that her weight wasn’t the root of her problems, but rather the way she was treating herself. After unfollowing toxic accounts on social media, Landry decided to go one step further and post vulnerable pictures of herself on social media. Revealing her unedited body was not only a freeing experience for Landry, but for thousands of other women who were impacted by her vulnerability. Now Laundry uses her Instagram as a way to help others discover their self-worth and love their bodies the way they are.
@mikzazon
If you’ve ever seen #NormalizeNormalBodies then you are probably familiar with Mik Zazon. She is the founder of the Normalize Normal Bodies movement on Instagram which was created to give women with “normal bodies” a safe-space to use their voices. This movement has reached women all over the world and has given them the opportunity to share their truth. Zazon uses her Instagram to amplify the movement by sharing stories about her disordered eating habits, as well as raw pictures of her body and skin. She encourages her followers to embrace every aspect of themselves and to understand that their bodies are completely normal the way they are.
@tiffanyima
Tiffany Ima struggled with her body image for 15 years. Ima was convinced that changing her physical appearance would solve her life problems, but instead, the changes only served to create a toxic relationship with herself. With her body image at an all-time low, Ima made the critical decision to prioritize her mental and physical health and get her life back. Through journaling, Ima was able to transform the way she views health and exercise and she has made it her life mission to help others do the same. Ima uses Instagram as a platform to spread body positivity to her followers through the use of unedited pictures and inspirational quotes.