Tag: body positive

  • These three celebrities are talking body image and I’m SO here for it

    These three celebrities are talking body image and I’m SO here for it

    Well, hello everyone. It’s been a bit since I’ve written a blog post… I’m excited to be back! Side note from this blog, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about my blog and how to spice things up and bring more updates to you all. Without getting into too much detail… get ready for more updates, more blog posts, and a whole lot more inspo, people.

    But back to the post… celebrities killing the body positive movement lately. Yes please. As you have probably noticed, I follow the celebrity scene pretty closely. Kind of a guilty pleasure? And since starting The Curve Confessions, I’ve realized now more than ever they are talking about body image. How cool for my blog, right?! Exactly what I was thinking.

    This Sunday, gather some inspiration from each of these amazing ways celebrities are supporting ALL OF US in the body positive movement.

    • Beyonce: Since I know there’s a lot of ladies out there who follow and love the Queen Bey, I think her recent interview and cover with Vogue was SO important. If you missed it, check it out. She talks about her post-partum body and how she’s loving her “FUPA” (her words, not mine!), and how she gave herself self-love and self-care, and embraced being curvier following her complicated pregnancy. Hell yeah, girl. In my opinion, the message here is listen to your body and rock it no matter what stage you’re at. And I’m so glad she could bring that message to the masses in this interview.
    • Emmy Rossum: If you aren’t familiar with the name, Emmy stars in Shameless (aka the best show ever). And not only is she an incredible actress, but I’ve also been catching that she’s an awesome person, too. Shortly after the whole Kardashian’s calling each other “so skinny” thing and talking about their weight (Kim saying on her Instagram story that she’s 119 pounds), Emmy has been promoting some crazy good messages about weight (and how it’s so not important). She wrote a series of Instagram posts asking her followers if they wanted to know how much she weighed – followed by an image of her with things about herself that had absolutely nothing to do with weight. She then encouraged followers to post their own photos – and directed them to an online community called “I Weigh,” which is a movement to look beyond the scale. I’m SO here for this and love Emmy even more now. I encourage everyone to follow both Emmy (@emmy) and I Weigh (@i_weigh) for more inspiration.
    • Amy Schumer: Okay, Schumer is always a proponent of telling women everywhere to rock the skin they’re in. I’m beyond late to the party, but I watched her movie ‘I Feel Pretty’ and it gave me all the feels. She basically breaks down society’s expectations of women and the pressure we put on ourselves, but sheds light on the fact that no matter how you look – EVERYONE feels their own insecurities. But beyond that, it encourages women to have confidence no matter what their size is (something I hope you all feel when following my blog!). In addition to her movie that I was completely late to the game on, she also recently spoke at the BlogHer 2018 conference, encouraging women to lift each other up. Basically, I’m just all in for Amy Schumer’s support of women and positive body image, and I hope you are too.

    These women are just a few examples of celebrities in the public eye talking about issues that are SO important for girls and women everywhere to hear and practice. This is the stuff I love seeing – and only hope to continue seeing.

    Question for you: Do you like the celebrity stuff? Do you want to see more of it? I hope so! But that’s also okay if not. Leave me a comment or drop me an email if you have anything specific you want to see me write about. thecurveconfessions@gmail.com. And if you’re not following me on Instagram, get going! @thecurveconfessions

    Have a kick butt Sunday, you all. Oh also, speaking of celebs, if you haven’t listened to Ariana Grande’s new album Sweetener, please go do that.

    XOXO, Kenzie

  • Why you Need to Drop Everything and Follow Celeste Barber on Instagram

    Why you Need to Drop Everything and Follow Celeste Barber on Instagram

    Wow guys, it’s been a while. The past few weeks have been INSANE (happy 2017?) and I have missed y’all. But I have the perfect post to keep things short and sweet today, so during the next coffee break you have at work – have a read.

    Per the title, no it’s not The Curve Confessions’ Instagram (but def follow that too). This post is actually all about one of the best people on Instagram ever, Celeste Barber. Celeste is an Australian comedian with a killer Instagram account – which in short, parodies celebrity photos (see Celeste’s Instagram here).

    As you’ll see in her feed, she’s got major body confidence, and I think this is something we should all take note of. The Instagram platform can make us all a little overly aware of how “perfect” we look (i.e., finding the right lighting, pose, background, filter), but Celeste’s complete mockery of it all just gets me every time. And not to mention, she reminds us that these celebrity photos can be downright outrageous, and completely unattainable for most of us in real life.

    Which brings me to why I follow her:

    1. We should all take ourselves a little less seriously sometimes
    2. We should all be more REAL/flaunt our bodies proudly

    Thanks for always bringing that much needed humor into my days, Celeste. You make me want to try less (I mean that in the absolute best way possible). 🙂

  • The Downfalls of Social Media – and a Lesson Simone Biles Can Teach Us

    The Downfalls of Social Media – and a Lesson Simone Biles Can Teach Us

    When I was young, bullying mainly happened in person, or maybe over a computer on instant messaging. But today, it can happen a lot more places than that – like on social media. I just came across an article about Simone Biles, 19 year old olympic gymnast, who was recently body shamed on Twitter. Let’s not forget that Simone is NINETEEN. It sickens me that anyone has the audacity to make a comment about her body; but also sadly doesn’t surprise me. Thankfully, Simone was so mature with her response to these trolls, and tweeted:

    simone-b

    You all might have seen my post on Aly Raisman, too, and it’s the same type of thing. People judging people – and I’m sick of it. Aly and Simone’s stories are examples that are open to the public, ones that we all have access to; but think about the kid in the lunch room, or the girl on the high school basketball team that no one hears about. These people are being affected too – just silently.

    Simone is a nineteen year old celebrity who has to deal with this scrutiny in the public eye; which has got to be so hard. She’s so brave to put a tweet out like that, but do you think this won’t affect her? People’s comments about her body may stay with her longer than you think. I hope they don’t, but why do we live in a world where some want to put people down? Why does Simone Biles have to feel remorse over her body, or defend it for that matter, just because someone has a problem with it? Why does anyone have a problem with it in the first place? I have so many questions.

    Social media is a part of our every day lives, and we’re all pretty aware of it at this point. Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram – these are all some of the ways we stay in touch with our friends, the world, and what we’re interested in following. But sometimes it becomes too much, and we have to be reminded of the dangerous effects; like studies linking social media usage to poor body image and self esteem, or people being body shamed like Simone. The young kids really worry me most, because they’re at such an impressionable age, and in my opinion seeing way too much.

    Most of us might not be under this spotlight, and are hopefully not getting these types of comments or push back from our audiences, which is good. Thankfully, we’re also likely not the mean people making these comments. But this is a lesson to take a good hard look at your words and how they affect people. We need to stop judging people, and stop hiding behind computer screens and phones.

    We need to go out into the world and get some joy, some fulfillment, heck, give someone a compliment. We all as humans need to support each other, not tear each other down. Social media can be a positive thing; a connection, a way to keep in touch – but the more we’re using it like this, the more it makes me want to stay far away.

    Something that we’ve all experienced with social media is pressure; pressure over the amount of “likes” or positive feedback you’re getting on posts, or comparing yourself to the fitness models you’re seeing on your feeds. We all want to feel accepted for what we post, and we’re all going to run into things we’re slightly jealous of. And on the comparison front, Steve Furtick says it best, “The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.” So, focusing on social media as a way to feel valued, or as a means of comparison, is not going to get us anywhere.

    In this age of social media, we really need to focus on getting positive reinforcements, having positive moments, etc. out in the world. I don’t know about you all, but getting a genuine hug from someone I haven’t seen in a while, having a drink and a great chat with a friend, giving someone a real time compliment, is SO much more important than getting a bunch of likes on a photo. And like I always say, wishing you were someone else or comparing yourself to others is going to get you nowhere. Being you is enough. We need to remind ourselves of these things in a time where social media seems and feels so important.

    I digress. For real though, Simone Biles’ situation is something we all need to be mindful of. Everything we say to someone (especially publicly) can never be taken back, and can have more negative impact than you may know. And spending too much time on social media, comparing yourself, or measuring your success by the amount of praise (or lack thereof) you’re getting is just not a good way to live.

    So, make an effort in 2017 to stop obsessing over what you’re going to post – how many likes you’re getting – whatever it is (I will be doing it too). Enjoy the company around you, enjoy the little things, and be kind to others.

    And like Simone Biles’ tweet, stay true to yourself. Do YOU – that’s all that matters. Stand up to the bullies, be proud of yourself and your body, and do what you want to do for yourself. Which brings me to one of my favorite quotes: “Be you. Do you. For you.” Don’t do it for anyone else, y’all. ❤

     

     

     

  • Penn State Football Kicker’s Inspiring and Brave Body Image Story

    Penn State Football Kicker’s Inspiring and Brave Body Image Story

    Joey Julius, kicker of Penn State University’s football team, is a superb athlete. But what you may not know about him is that he has struggled with body image issues and binge eating disorder almost his whole life. If you’re unfamiliar, binge eating disorder is one of the most prevalent eating disorders among adults, characterized as recurring episodes of eating large quantities of food. This past weekend, I learned more about his inspiring story. Check out the video from ESPN here: http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=17797877

    The public isn’t always made aware of athlete’s struggles with body image, but Joey was strong enough to bring his issue into the public eye. Him doing so is moving – and will help others to realize that it’s okay to feel the way you feel, and it’s okay to admit you have an issue. But it’s also okay to change your life for the better, even if it’s scary as hell.

    Like Joey mentions, guys and athletes have an expectation to just “be a man” or “rub some dirt on it.” As a guy, admitting he had an eating disorder was likely not easy – but his honesty and willingness to make a change got him the help he needed. Additionally, public speaking in itself is terrifying – and Joey doing so on such a personal level is incredibly brave of him.

    It’s so important to acknowledge that body image issues don’t solely apply to women – but men can be affected too (and like Joey, guys or athletes shouldn’t be afraid to get help or admit they’re struggling). Same goes for us all – we owe it to ourselves to improve how we see, talk about and treat our bodies. And if that means asking for help, so be it.

    Men and women everywhere have an immense pressure on ourselves to look a certain way. But guys, six packs and zero percent body fat aren’t the reality. The way you look is perfect, and if you don’t see that, I hope this post (and my blog) can help you.

    Whether you’re struggling with an eating disorder, the way you see yourself in the mirror, or whatever the case may be – there’s one answer to help all of those things. And that is change. Joey’s change was seeking a treatment center, but yours may be therapy, amping up your exercise routine, making a point to be healthier, or just simply changing your thought process to accept yourself.

    Whatever your story, or even if you’re a bystander of a friend going through issues – we all have a part in the body image movement. Here are a few things you can do today to help:

    • Be nice to your body. Exercise as much as you can, eat healthy, and always remember to tell yourself positive things about you and your body.
    • Accept others bodies and praise them, don’t be jealous or mean. Everyone’s on their own journey. So reconsider the next time you make a fat joke, get jealous of a celebrity’s body, and try making a point to praise others and tell them they look great. Remember, you look great too, and everyone deserves to be praised.
    • If it’s feeling like you can’t do it alone or these issues are affecting your overall well-being, seek help. Whether that’s therapy to talk through your thoughts, a treatment center, or confiding in a friend – do what you need to do to feel better. Positive self talk and the strategies above are great, but they may not be enough. And that’s okay.

    Thanks to my amazing Dad for sending me this story. I love you! And thanks to Joey Julius for being so open and inspiring. I don’t know you personally, but you are truly an inspiration.

    Photo credit: Nick Knouse

  • Refinery 29’s Moving Campaign: #SeeThe67

    Refinery 29’s Moving Campaign: #SeeThe67

    Meet the invisible majority. 67% of American women are plus-size (considered size 14 and up), but they make up less than 2% of the images we see in mainstream media.

    Refinery 29 is making an effort to change that. If you’re unfamiliar, Refinery 29 is an online lifestyle site focused on fashion, beauty and style. Just recently, they launched a campaign called the 67 percent project. In short, it’s their pledge to feature plus sized models on their site, in their newsletter, as well as on their Instagram and Snapchat channels 67% of the time – from this point on.

    The mainstream media is consistently promoting stick thin models, but in reality, this is not what the majority of us look like. Refinery 29 wants people to see themselves depicted when scrolling through their content, or at least people who look more like the average woman, and this project is making that possible. Not only that, it’s pushing other media outlets and people everywhere to #SeeThe67.

    I can’t express enough how important this movement is – and how proud I am of Refinery 29. It’s not easy. It’s different – and it’s hard. But it’s beyond needed in this world. People need to be constantly reminded that they are beautiful no matter the size. And the more the media can promote this message, the more people like you and I will start to believe it.

    This past week, I got the opportunity to meet with top-tier lifestyle media outlets for a work event in NYC, one of them being an editor at Refinery 29. It was a super cool office, and an exciting moment for me in my career. But my visit there was meaningful in more ways than one. It was most definitely a great opportunity for me to meet with an editor of this caliber and get face time on behalf of my company. But it was also incredibly special to be there on behalf of The Curve Confessions, since their #SeeThe67 campaign is admirable and inspiring (and what The Curve Confessions is all about).

    Taking a stance like this is no easy feat, as the publication has been planning for months and faced hardships already, stating, “Not only have we faced practical challenges, but we’ve had to reckon with deeper issues of bias and prejudice along the way.”

    Refinery 29 bringing this issue into the public eye makes them a top publication in my book. So all I can say is thank you, Refinery 29. Thank you for taking your public forum and using it for good – and validating all those people out there who don’t feel worthy enough, or question their size due to the pressures of our society.

    Your message and campaign means a lot to me, and it also means a lot to women everywhere. But this campaign is only the beginning, and I’m damn proud to feel like I’m a part of it.