Body Positivity....On Instagram These women are spreading self-love over IG.

By Caroline Tell | Photo by Hayley Garnett

Ya know how sometimes you go on Instagram and immediately feel worse about yourself? Like when you see that hot mom of three in a bikini lounging by her pool while you’re homeschooling your kids in sweats and attempting to get on your third Zoom call of the day? Same same. But, imagine our surprise when we noticed something of a stellar trend – the idea that you can actually show your REAL self over IG, along with every c-section scar, stretch mark and piece of postpartum fold. Check out these incredible women, each changing the narrative on Instagram and showing their truest selves in the hopes that we can all do the same.

As a mother of three (and with one more on the way), Sarah Nicole Landry created a narrative over Instagram that showcases her beautiful, unretouched body in all its preggo and postpartum glory, and speaks open and honestly about diet culture and her own body issues. She encourages women to hold space for change, whether physical or emotional, and reflects on her own eating disorders openly.

Like the name suggests, Rini Frey is on a mission to help women own it. Consider her your personal cheerleader, as she spreads the gospel of mental health and self love. She’ll also totally go there about cellulite, pregnancy weight gain and showing gratitude to our bodies for all of their hard work. “My page encourages women to stop feeling ashamed for being, looking or feeling “different” than what society expects of us,” says Rini. “I want to empower women to embrace and own who they are, because the inner peace and joy that comes with that makes for a much more fulfilling life than the endless chase of a perfect body or a perfect life.”

“Dear Unibrow: You used to define me, now I define you” is Shari Siadat’s Instagram bio. The eyebrow activist moonlights as a model, showcasing her unique style and bold look in selfies amidst powerful statements and other inspiring content. After plucking her eyebrows since the age of 13, Shari reexamined her identity after having her third child and decided to flaunt her natural unibrow in the hopes that her children and all people would want to let their truest self shine.

Hayley Garnett is on a mission to normalize and celebrate the postpartum life. Her powerful posts include imagery of her postpartum stretch marks and other sensitive body imagery, as well as quotes signaling her journey through her eating disorder recovery. “My goal on Instagram is to normalize NORMAL,” says Hayley. “To normalize change and growth and the visual representations that go hand in hand with this change and growth.  Not only are we more than a body, more than a flaw, more than just any ONE thing- but these things about us tell our story.  It’s raw, and real and deserving of respect rather than shame! WE ARE WORTHY.”

This mama-to-be speaks the gospel about self-love, body acceptance and how our self-worth isn’t dependent upon the numbers of a scale. She posts bold imagery like before and after pics, where the after is her proud, beautiful and happy body at its true size, and flaunts her adorable style to boot. She’s also the cofounder of the Mama Collective, which “inspire confidence, create meaningful connections, and build a community of like-minded, empowered women.”