Sometimes societal pressures can feel inescapable. They’re pushed upon us in the media, in advertisements, social media, billboards - we are constantly being told what we should look like, who we should aspire to be and how we should go about doing that.

Jameela Jamil is paving the way for self-love. Photo: PA

Jameela Jamil is paving the way for self-love. Photo: PA

In a world where body image pressure seems to be everywhere it can sometimes ruin the things we enjoy - like having a scroll on Instagram to catch up with what our friends and favourite celebrities are up to. We are often bombarded with intrusive photoshopped images of ‘perfect’ bodies, faces, and 'tips' on how we can cover up all our flaws to be just like these people.

If you’re just as sick and tired of seeing this as we are, make sure you’re following these celebrities, who all promote body positivity, self love and equality - no matter what our size, gender, sexuality, race, and encourage us to embrace who we are.

Fill your social media up with positivity, to make it a more enjoyable place.

Jameela Jamil

Jameela Jamil is doing fantastic work to encourage self-love.

She’s an actress, model and activist, and has contributed a huge amount to the body-love movement. She also runs the “I Weigh” campaign - a life-positivity focused campaign rather than a body-positive campaign, because there is more to life than our weight.

Through her vocal activism, her hard work taking down the fad-diet-promoting celebrities and influencers, and her dedication to improving the way we talk about, deal with and acknowledge our mental health, she has become one of the most empowering females of our time.

Ashley Graham

The stunning Ashley Graham is one of the top celebrities promoting body-positivity.

She is proof that you don’t have to be super-thin to be beautiful. The American model has featured on the covers of Vogue, Glamour and Elle to name a few. Considered a plus-size model, Ashley became the first size 16 model to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Ashley’s message of self-love shines through on Instagram, and that’s why we reccomend following her to make your feed a more positive and inspiring space.

Beyonce

Who doesn’t love Beyonce?

She has done endless work to promote equality, female empowerment and embracing our natural bodies.

She’s a creative inspiration; through her music, her videos, and her online content.

Anna Victoria

Whilst it can be hard to sift out the good fitness influencers from Instagram (there are so many these days) we can assure you that Anna Victoria is way more than just any other personal trainer using the ‘gram to help her business.

View this post on Instagram

I truly, truly believe confidence does not have a size. Some of the world’s most famous supermodels don’t believe they are beautiful. Some women who the world may not perceive as traditionally “pretty” have the happiest lives because they DO love themselves, regardless of what society or others think. YES, women who love themselves regardless of physical traits EXIST! And every. single. one. of. you. deserve to feel that way about yourself, too. . In response to this video I posted on insta stories yesterday, I received a DM from an FBG girl who said she hates her hips and gets uncomfortable when her boyfriend touches them, but then she saw my video and that I have the same hips as her, and she sees mine as beautiful, but not her own. If there’s one thing I hope for you girls to learn from me it’s to love your body at ALL stages and all sizes. . YES, I am a personal trainer and I believe working towards your fitness goals and taking care of your physical health is one of the best things you can do for your confidence and overall health, but I’ve always believed every person deserves to feel confident NOW. Not when they lose 20 lbs, not when they get to their “goal weight”, not when they can fit in their dream dress.... NOW. Because LIFE HAPPENS. You’re going to fluctuate in weight. And your worth isn’t dependent on your waist size or how much you weigh. You have SO MUCH more to offer than that. . There’s nothing wrong with wanting to achieve physical goals and I encourage you to go after yours because there IS something incredibly empowering by using your physical body to make change happen, to set goals and achieve them. I’m definitely still going after mine! My goals have just shifted from building muscle and losing body fat to simply keeping my body moving and enjoying the mental and emotional benefits of exercise. . Just know that this journey is not linear. Your goals will shift, your priorities will change, there will be ups and downs and weight loss and weight gain and muscle gain and muscle loss. Embrace it, own it, and shake what ya mama gave ya 😝💕 #fbggirls #morerealtalk #fbgcommunity www.annavictoria.com/fitbodyapp

A post shared by Anna Victoria (@annavictoria) on

Anna has always been open and honest about her journey, learning to love her body, and showing her followers that there is no one ‘right’ way to look - looking after our health matters more than shedding lots of weight...

Not only does she promote body-positivity, she is also normalising conversations on fertility. Her videos about her own fertility struggles have resonated with many of her followers, and are helping to inform more people on the difficulties some women face getting pregnant, whilst emphasising that this makes them no less of a woman. Go, Anna!

Jessie J

Jessie J is one of our favourite celebrities on Instagram at the moment.

She has frequently been taking down haters before they can bite - like in this post where she points out her ‘flaws’ before the trolls can.

The way she embraces all of her body, rather than just enhancing the ‘good bits’ is inspiring, and sets a great example for women and girls to do the same.


by for www.femalefirst.co.uk