This Instagrammer's body shaming post is going viral for an important reason
Amongst staged photos of vloggers, and images of avocado toast, your social media feeds are likely littered with a slew of tanned, lithe and long-limbed women, who are perfectly retouched and filtered. And though we can purchase products and employ the help of makeup artists - we will, inevitably fall short - because in this day and age, who actually meets society's unattainable beauty standards?
Not even some of the most popular Instagrammers, it seems. Sarah Tripp - who is known under the moniker @sassyredlipstick on the photo-sharing platform - shared a post where she highlighted the varying degrees of body shaming that can occur on Instagram, and it seems like no-one, not even the most conventionally attractive of folk, are exempt.
Sharing a snap of herself and her size 0 friend - fellow influencer, Dani Austin, in the same bikini - Sarah went onto explain how both of them have been victims of internet trolls for two very different reasons.
"BODY SHAMING IS NOT OKAY!! It’s time for a couple of sassy gals to get real with you," Sarah began. "This is my friend @daniaustin. she’s a beautiful size 0 and one of my favorite ladies to follow here on IG. because of her naturally thin figure she tells me she often sees comments like 'she’s anorexic', 'looks like she needs to eat', 'look at those chicken legs', etc. how sad is that?!"
"One thing i know is that this beautiful woman is strong, healthy, and more importantly... much more than her body! Dani is an incredible female entrepreneur. she has the kindest heart and is one of the most genuine bloggers i know. she and her husband @jordanjramirez have a wonderfully supportive relationship. she is so strong yet vulnerable, opening up freely about her faith, her trials, and her real life offline," she continued.
"I’ve been shamed this same way for years, but on the other end of the scale. Strangers online are constantly telling me i’m 'overweight', or 'unhealthy', or 'a terrible role model' because of my size. But i know better. because i know this size 12 body of mine is curvy fit! I know that these bootylicious curves makes me sexy, strong, and stylish! i also know that my self-worth does not depend on the size of my jeans or what other people say about me. Please remember, body shaming is never okay!! and we should all speak kind words to each other online and in real life. your words have power and meaning. and we could all benefit from spreading a little more love and positivity."
"I’m sure we’ve all been hurt by something that was said about us or maybe we have a little voice inside our heads telling us we aren’t pretty, smart, or successful enough. Sarah and I believe that we are ALL so much more than what you see on the outside and the truth is, we don’t need the approval of others to find our self worth. The ultimate form of girl power is self-confidence," Dani corroborated on her own Instagram account.
We couldn't have put it better ourselves.