Instagram is a slippery slope of insincere body positivity influencers just trying to promote vitamins, shakes, or detox teas. But when you clear the fog of the shady salesmen, there is an astounding group of genuine influencers who are wholeheartedly promoting body positivity. These are 13 Instagram accounts you should be following to encourage your journey of self-growth and self-love.
We’ve watched her through the limelight for years, and have seen the roller coaster of her struggles with her body. These days, though, Lovato seems to be in such a body positive place that serves as an absolute inspiration. She is a force to be reckoned with and is taking the world by storm. Her voice is angelic, but she’s got some wicked curves.
She admits to retouching her photos in the past in an Instagram post revealing an unedited bikini picture. She proudly flaunts her bum and says “I want this new chapter in my life to be about being authentic to who I am rather than trying to meet someone else’s standards.” All hail queen Demi.
Candice is a plus-sized model who has made countless headlines throughout her modeling career, though her love affair with running is what made her skyrocket in the world of body positivity. She broke size barriers on the runway, but her passion project is empowering women to start running. Project Start wants to inspire women to take the first step in getting active and taking care of their bodies.
She posts real-time photos of workouts and features other bad ass women who have joined her movement on the project’s IG, @psyougotthis. She reinforces that working out isn’t about losing weight or making yourself miserable; it’s about embracing all that your body is capable of and feeling powerful. Not to mention, Huffine also founded a line of athletic wear that comes in a plethora of sizes.
The gorgeous fitness model is a breath of fresh air for athletic women who are afraid that their muscle tone isn’t feminine enough. She posts, “lifting weights won’t make you masculine, I promise. Oh & eating carbs won’t kill you.” Most people initially associate body positivity influencers with plus-sized women, but every body type deserves to have its own advocate. Pridgett is dynamic in championing a lean, chiseled figure.
Furthermore, she often rocks her natural hair with no makeup; she is proof for girls that you don’t need to change your appearance into something that it’s not. You gotta work with what ya got.
Ashley Graham has an online presence that cannot be ignored. In 2016, she made history on the cover of Sports Illustrated and hasn’t stopped since. She truly trail blazed the path for plus-sized models and was a catalyst of the body positivity movement.
She has her own swimwear line, judges on America’s Next Top Model, and it seems like there isn’t a mountain she can’t climb. But she’ll be the first to tell you that she was not always bathed in success. She faced years of being told no and turned those rejections into a sky high career that has changed the influencer industry forever.
Harlow is a stunning model who made waves in the beauty industry with her uniquely pigmented skin. She has a condition called vitiligo which causes white patches of skin on various parts of the body. She raises awareness about the condition and is a radiant example of embracing the beauty in your differences.
She is now gracing an insurmountable number of high fashion runways and had a recent collaboration with Kim Kardashian. The knockout is unapologetically herself with limitless potential.
Gina Susanna uses her social media platform to open up about overcoming eating disorders and learning to love herself. Her Instagram includes many anecdotes and personal details alongside inspirational quotes and resources.
Eating disorders are too often swept under the rug or painted with taboo. Susanna normalizes talking about when you need help and recognizing unhealthy behaviors within yourself. One of her most relatable post talks about learning to dress your body once you’ve made peace with it. We too often buy clothes that hide what we don’t like, regardless if we even like the clothes at all.
Susanna reminds girls to take care of yourself from the outside in.
Head to this girls Instagram if you need a good laugh along with your dose of body positivity. She’s quirky, fun, and totally upfront. She began in the modeling and fitness competition industry, until one day she got sick and tired of being told she was “too” this and “too” that.
Her confidence is unparalleled. She spreads her message and contagious smile across social media on a mission to erase the notion that a roll here or a dimple there is the end of the world. King wants women to have a healthy relationship with their bodies and shares her story to help them get there.
London-based Ford is a jaw-dropping beauty. But even a girl as gorgeous as her has insecurities. When she began to suffer from adult acne, she was transparent with the world about the severity and the impact that it had on her self esteem. She launched the #redefinepretty campaign in which she joined with a neuroscience consumer response company as a study on the way women see themselves.
She’s also responsible for ‘You Look Disgusting,’ a YouTube film in which she addresses the facade that social media creates and the uphill battle that we are up against with idealistic appearances. Ford basically put her beauty industry career on the line by exposing it as a perpetrator of millennial insecurity. She has so much courage, and deserves to be endlessly applauded.
Bring a little brightness into your day by giving Celeste Barber a follow. She recreates shots of celebrities, models, etc. in a real life way that makes her feel exceptionally relatable. Her “fails” are sure to crack a smile while reminding women that photo shoots and magazine pages are not what they seem.
Barber also has a book on the basic trials and tribulations of being a real woman, which furthers her credibility as a body positivity influencer. She may even inspire you and your friends to do some silly photo shoots of your own.
Callie Thorpe is an utter ray of sunshine. She lives a vivacious lifestyle that can only be described as #goals. She writes on her blog about equality for plus sized fashion, including being a plus sized bride. She travels the world and inspires women to not let their size stop them from creating the life they want.
The only thing that might be more captivating than her smile is her impeccable style. Thorpe knows all the go-to brands for curvy attire and her IG feed should be used as a sounding board of inspiration the next time you style an outfit.
Shalom’s story will make you burst with pride for this woman, even though you’ve never met her. She was severely burned as a little girl as a part of a kitchen accident, leaving her scarred on her face, head, and shoulders. After battling bullying and depleted self worth, she rose above the adversity. She began to believe in herself and created YouTube makeup tutorials specializing in covering scars.
Blac stands for women loving themselves and realizing their worth, regardless of physical appearance. While its important to embrace who you are, there’s also something so special about someone who helps you love what you see in the mirror.
After a car accident when she was 15, Bone became paralyzed from the waist down. She overcame depression to become a beam of positivity and began her YouTube career with motivational videos. She later combined that passion with makeup tutorials and has launched a huge following on social media platforms.
She’s absolutely gorgeous and has used living with a disability to reach a community of people that thrive off of her uplifting spirit and beauty tips. She’s even caught the attention of Kylie Jenner!
Ericka Hart calls herself a “racial/social/gender justice disruptor” and her Instagram career is dedicated to bringing awareness and social change to the world. She is a breast cancer survivor and has no shame in sharing her scars, because they’re a part of what makes her who she is.
She identifies as part of the QTPOC (Queer and Trans People of Color) community and is giving a voice to underrepresented groups through activism and progression. Her impact on society is invaluable and she isn’t afraid to speak the truth.
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