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You are not a BEFORE fighting desperately for AFTER. You are not a body that must CHANGE. A person that must SHRINK here or grow there or condense or shift or consume diet pills and diet products and then just simply, day after day, diet. You owe the world NONE of this. You owe yourself so much MORE. SO remember today. You are not a before. You do not need an after. You’re a glorious woman on a journey and that is, that has always been, more than enough. #feminist #talkingoutloud #selflove #quoteoftheday #bopo #bodypositivity #womenwhoroar #curatedbygirls #agepositive #agepositivevibes
We rarely teach little girls about consent. We tell them not to wear that dress. Not to show that shoulder. Not to slip into heels so high because those might send signals that say yes, always, now, even if the words are something different. But consent? This is complicated. Confusing. Poorly communicated. And so we have little girls stumbling through situations not knowing they have the right, they ALWAYS have the right, to say no. We have women doing the same. A horrifying 80 percent of assaults occur from someone the victim knows. And on trials, in court rooms, clothing is presented as a sign of consent. So today, to all of you, I want to repeat and whisper and shout a message I only really began to drink in after 30 years here: What you wear does not mean yes. Any man who tries to pressure you differently, who tries to poke and persuade and c’mon baby why are you being like that, they do not DESERVE you. Not for one second. Not for one MOMENT. Consent is a conversation, not an assumption. And you? You always, ALWAYS have the right to pause, or stop, or step away. Always. Always. (Image idea inspired by the incredible @_dotpigeon, who also did the barbie with cellulite I’ve shared before. Their work is powerful. Shot @carlyneave). #Feminist #consent #meufparis #iweigh #womenwhoroar #curatedbygirls #whstrong #metoo #whstrong
Growth is one of the most powerful things we can achieve as humans. Here’s to all the folks out there striving and struggling and trying and daring to risk, even just one step at a time. #quote #selflovequote #quoteoftheday #positivequote #growthquote
My first YouTube is up (linked in bio). It talks about me. About the girl I was. About the woman I’m fighting to become. About disordered eating and mental health and that battle, that painful, hard battle into something better. There is so much I didn’t say. But here, now, what matters most is this: There is help. Things can get better. If you are in the dark of it all, if you’re battling with yourself against clean eating or not eating or eating too much, if your mind is glitching over food and there’s something, something that’s not quite right, it can get better. The world wants you in it. You deserve to be in it. So never, ever give up. Joy, happiness, LIFE, love, these things are worth fighting for. You, baby girl, are worth fighting for. x #selflove #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #talkingoutloud #normalizenormalbodies #recovery #iweigh #whstrong #edrecovery
When did you go on your first diet? I asked the women in my FB group this today. Was it like me, age 13, when you bought shakes from a supermarket in hopes to slim down the shape of your thighs? Was it when you were 11, standing on the scale next to your best friend? Was it in eighth grade, when your mom commented on the size of your butt? Was it at 18? Was it last week? Adele has hit the news lately for her new diet. It’s one that involves 1,000 calorie days followed by 1,500 calorie days. It’s not sustainable. It’s possibly dangerous. But it’s sure as heck trendy. Today @LillySabri and I spoke about this in our live chat. About food. About wild diet trends. About how HEALTH is so often FORGOTTEN in lieu of fads. So today, I just want to say this: You CAN eat fruit. You CAN have carbs. And you CAN fight back against an industry that tries to sell you diets. All my love to you. Image @thewellful #TalkingOutLoud #feminist #quoteoftheday #iweigh #selflove #womenwhoroar #whstrong #projectbodylove #fitnessquotes #foodquotes #healthyquotes
Hats off today to those of you who are putting in the WORK. Whether it’s popping on that swimsuit even if your belly is saying HI BLOAT. Or it’s rocking that workout kit even though the gym is a wild place. Or it’s going after that GOAL, that JOB, that DEGREE that a little part of you worries maybe you won’t achieve, but an even braver part of you is saying TRY, and TRY again. Whatever you’re doing today. Whatever you’re RISKING. You’re fighting that hard fight toward self love or self acceptance or just simply being YOURSELF. You’re making yourself VULNERABLE enough to HOPE and DREAM and STRIVE for something better. And that? That’s pretty darn incredible. Not just incredible — that’s unbelievably brave. So yes, hats off to you. And you. And you. From one of the many, many women on the internet and around the world cheering you on. You’ve got this. x #talkingoutloud #normalizenormalbodies #bloatingisnormal #whstrong #feminist #iweigh #selflove #cellulite #glitterstretchmarks #projectbodylove #girlpower
I’m 33. I don’t have kiddos, apart from a fanged-tooth kittycat. And that’s ok. It’s ok to want children. It’s ok to not. It’s ok to be somewhere in between, confused or curious or waiting or exploring. It’s ok to just want one bubba. Or five. Or to decide the family life isn’t for you. Because we all have our own path. Our own goals and hopes and dreams. And sometimes, those dreams are full of lil baby feet. Other times, they’re just around being full ;). So remember to follow your own rhythm today, unique and magnificent as it is — food baby or real baby or no baby at all. x #iweigh #quoteoftheday #feminist #selflove #agepositive #feministquote #talkingoutloud #womenwhoroar
Peachy bumbum? Thigh gap? Tight abs? Say hello to HIP POPPIN. 😂❤️ This is basically where you tilt your pelvis back, squeeze your core and arch your back. A LOT. It’s not comfortable. But my gosh does it MAKE PHOTOS look GOOD. Just a daily dose of reality for you. Remember models and social media fitness folks know how to pose. And that’s cool, because we are all epic doing our own things. Popped hips. Or chilled hips. Or whatever makes you happy. Good luck out there. You got this. x #iweigh #highurbeautiful #projectbodylove #talkingoutloud #whstrong #popsugarfitness #normalizenormalbodies #instagramvsreality #photographytips #fitnessgirls
In changing rooms, it’s easy to find flaws. To find all the things I have been told I should hate. Especially when clothing doesn’t fit. Suddenly my thighs are too big - not that the pants are too small. My bum is too much - not that the jeans don’t have enough stretch. But here’s the thing: Bodies come in different shapes. Different sizes. Long torsos or short limbs or soft bits here or strong parts there. And that’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s everything to celebrate. So the next time you’re having that changing room battle, remember this: Your value has NOTHING to do with the number on the back of a pair of jeans. Your HEALTH is far more important. And your heart, your mind, your SPIRIT? These are things a stupid size or a silly number will never even scrape the surface of. You’re wonderful. And changing rooms? They don’t change a thing.
Ok so I’m curious: what’s your fav food? Bonus points for emoji usage. Also! I talk through posing positions used here in my stories. For food, mine is 🍉 and probably 🥜 🧈 (peanut butter). Snapped @chiclebelle at @resplendentceylon @ceylonteatrails #srilanka #visitsrilanka #resplendentceylon
I found myself at 30 - and I didn’t even know I was lost. What have you done at a your own age? #quote #dailyquote #talkingoutloud #womenwhoroar #selflove @theangrytherapist
We do not have to be PERFECT to be worthy of LOVE. It took me years to learn this. In a way, I am STILL learning this. Still discovering how important being VULNERABLE is to connecting with other people, and how critical it is to be OURSELVES, not just the glossy, shiny, glamorous version of a mask that we can pretend to be. I remember the first time I spoke with someone about my eating disorder. There was part of me, a large part of me, that worried they would no longer love me. Because who could love something so broken? Yet when I opened up, my world changed. I found support. Strength in others. Kindness in others. And a kind of acceptance that I didn't even know I needed. And I remember what it was like to be with someone who only loved my body when it looked a certain way. Thin. Fragile. How that began to tear bits of me apart. How that began to whisper I would never truly be worthy of love. And how wrong, SO very WRONG, that voice was, that situation was. This Valentine's Day, this month, this YEAR, I want you to repeat this again and again to yourself: you are WORTHY of love. Broken bits. Strong bits. Posed. Imperfections. Whatever weight. Whatever size. Whatever shape or style or form. All of YOU. Because humans are complex. YOU are complex. And that, that is powerful, wonderful, LOVABLE indeed. (Shot by, as always, @chiclebelle) #Feminist #selflove #Normalizenormalbodies #valentinesday #mentalhealth #iweigh #meufparis #womenwhoroar #iweigh #whstrong #grrrlarmy
This today, for all of us fighting against all of those who shout and shout everything we must be. #quote #feminist #dailyquote #selflove #strongertogether #normalizenormalbodies #selflovequotes #whstrong
How fitspo hide BLOAT while adding in those ‘SLIM THICC’ curves. Heeeere we go! Other things that help here: ▫️Camera is slightly lower than waist height (makes legs look longer). ▫️ Sunrise light (trust me this will always be the best for photos / videos, especially for the female body). ▫️ Swimsuit bottoms pulled high (again long legs and hides the bloat a bit). This is partially a reminder that SOCIAL MEDIA is not REAL. And partially a lil guide to help you take a killer photo if you fancy. Because wanting reality is great. Wanting to feel fierce about a picture is great. Whatever you want, just do you. Bloated or curvy or posing or relaxed or all in the same breath. You’ve got this. x #womenirl #fitspo #selflove #normalizenormalbodies #photographytips #whstrong #meufparis #feminist #celluliteisnormal #glitterstretchmark
Unless your reality is as a model - then the struggle is all real all the time 😂😂😂 Just one of those fabulous lil reminders for all you folks. And, hey, it made me laugh. By @eto.luz who is incredible. #selflove #instagramvsreality #socialmediavsreality #beautystandards #bodypos #fitnessquote
Hands up if you can relate! 😂🙈🙋‍♀️ For real though, my bloating has been all OVER the place lately. Part of it is my lovely lady time has come (oh hello period bloat! And allll the water retention!). Part of it is because I’m doing a plant-based challenge for the month (aaaand so many veggies in my belly!). And part of it is just, well, me. My gut. My tummy. Parts of me I’m still trying to understand and heal but even as I do, I treat with LOVE and KINDNESS and FORGIVENESS. Because our bodies are wonderful. Our bellies are strong. Our minds are galaxies. And all of that, all of that is enough to make me feel, oh yes, #blessed. ❤️ #selflove #bodypositive #womenirl #normalizenormalbodies #strongertogether #bloating #instagramvsreality #bloatingisnormal #whstrong
What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received? #quoteoftheday #quote #selflovequote #positivequotes #inspoquote
Cellulite is normal. Wobbles are normal. Strength is normal. Curves are normal. Different bodies attached to different women with different health and wellness goals, all that’s NORMAL. SO much of what we consume tells us we are FLAWED. Weird. Broken. Too big here. Too small there. Not soft enough or full enough or toned enough. And gee, don’t we want to BUY this THING to fix it. But humans are varied. Different goals. Different bodies. Different minds. That’s not only NORMAL. It’s incredible. Interesting. And most of all, it’s wonderfully, powerfully human. Snapped with @ameniesseibi, the incredible MENA plus sized model. #strongertogether #womenirl #feminist #bodypositive #normalizenormalbodies #womenwhoroar #stretchmarksarebeautiful #selflove

Danae Mercer

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