Blogger demolishes major body positivity myth with unexpected before and after photo

Scroll through #BodyPositivity on Instagram and you’ll be met with a lot of wise words and inspiring messages encouraging self love, but you’ll also see a lot of something else: skin.

It’s the skin that body image blogger Lexie Louise — @soworthsaving on Instagram — has noticed lately and she wants people to know it’s OK if they don’t want to bare all in the name of positive body image.

“There’s this misconception that in order to be Body Positive, you must ‘bare it all’ on social media,” Louise wrote on Instagram.

“I want to let you know that you do not have to post more ‘revealing’ photos of yourself to participate in Body Positivity. I have noticed that my more ‘revealing’ posts get way more exposure and likes and comments. I think that’s a flaw in the system; it is visual that we get drawn into quickly,” Louise wrote.

The “flaw in the system” as Louise calls it means that many who aren’t quite ready to post the bra-and-panties selfies get lost in the clutter because people react to seeing so much skin.

Louise said it took a lot of personal bravery and growth for her to start posting “revealing” photos of her body online. For years she couldn’t even post an unedited picture of her face on her personal Facebook page, she said. Now she posts many photos of herself, some while sporting cute outfits and more than a few in her panties, too.

 

There’s this misconception that in order to be Body Positive, you must “bare it all” on social media. I choose to post more “vulnerable” photos of myself because I feel empowered to do so. To be honest, it took me some time to get to this place. I used to be terrified of posting even an unedited selfie of my face on my private Facebook page. It took me time to get more comfortable with this. And that is okay. I want to let you know that you do not have to post more “revealing” photos of yourself to participate in Body Positivity. I have noticed that my more “revealing” posts get way more exposure and likes and comments. I think that’s a flaw in the system; it is visual that we get drawn into quickly and we see it as brave to show our bodies as they are. I personally think it is brave. I have struggled with my body image for countless years and I know for myself that posting photos like the one on the left is brave for me. The “flaw in the system” I’m speaking to isn’t around our bravery; it’s about putting so much of the focus on our bodies. There can also be bravery in our words. There can be bravery found in the photo on the right if for years I was too scared to post a photo of my whole body. This is for the people who have messaged me about this dynamic in the community. This is for the people who feel disheartened because they feel like they cannot make as big of an impact without posting something they aren’t ready to share. You can inspire others fully dressed. You can inspire others half naked or naked. I think the flaw in the system isn’t ever going to go away, and that’s okay. I wanted to take some time here to acknowledge it though because I think it’s important. I may inspire you through me posting photos similar to the one on the left. I am also inspiring through my actions, my words, my story, my struggles, and my strength. You are enough as you are and I commend you if you post more “vulnerable” photos like I do. And I also commend you if you aren’t comfortable with doing so yet or at all. Come as you are and do what feels comfortable and empowering for you – not for others. ⭐️

A post shared by Lexie ✨ (@soworthsaving) on Apr 4, 2017 at 10:10am PDT

While that’s obviously changed for Louise, she recognizes that not everyone is there emotionally and not everyone wants pictures of their half-naked bodies floating around in cyberspace, and she says that shouldn’t matter. Bravery comes in many forms, after all.

“This is for the people who feel disheartened because they feel like they cannot make as big of an impact without posting something they aren’t ready to share. You can inspire others fully dressed. You can inspire others half naked or naked,” she wrote on Instagram.

Though she recognizes the “flaw in the system” probably isn’t ever going to go away, Louise said she wanted to at least take the time to acknowledge it.

“I may inspire you through me posting photos similar to the one on the left. I am also inspiring through my actions, my words, my story, my struggles, and my strength,” she said.