Midsize Collective<\/a> \u2013 an Instagram account that reposted images of fashionable girls between UK size 10 and 18 who had been forgotten by fashion.<\/p>\nIf you think about it, scroll through your Instagram Explore page looking for influencers who look like they have a similar body to you at a size 12 or a 14, and all you\u2019d find are the size 6-8s or the sized 18, 20 and above. Not like there\u2019s anything wrong with being any of those sizes as all bodies are beautiful. But the rest of us, who ironically make up majority of the British population, were completely left out of the fashion narrative, especially by the fashion brands we love who may stock our sizes, but still divide us into \u2018Regular\u2019 and \u2018Curve\u2019 accounts online, leaving the rest of us with no home to go to. Till Midsize came along, that is.<\/p>\n
The page is a truly inspiring place not only because it allows you to discover influencers you relate to because they have body types that may look like your own, but because it urges you to experiment with new styles because you can see somebody with a similar body shape rocking it, without worrying about whether it \u2018flatters\u2019 her or not. She wears it because she loves it and it makes her feel good. And if she can do it, I can, too!<\/p>\n
We also regularly discuss issues surrounding body positivity and body image issues, because it is so important for us to have these conversations for the fashion industry, and ultimately the world, to evolve out of fat shaming and thin privilege and instead, move towards a world that is more body positive, accepting and encouraging of women.<\/p>\n
Since starting the page in July 2018 and growing to almost 20K followers since (the first 3K of which happened in the first 24 hours!), I have been so touched to have received messages from women telling me how they had been waiting for a page like this and that this is what had been missing from their lives for the longest time. That they finally felt accepted and celebrated, were experimenting with clothes they never thought they could wear and that it had done so much for their self-confidence and body image issues.<\/p>\n
Losing weight is not your life\u2019s purpose and, your weight doesn\u2019t define who you are. You are more than a number on a scale<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Perhaps the most emotional messages were those I had received from women who struggled with or knew someone who actively struggled with eating disorders or mental health problems stemming from deep-rooted self-esteem issues. A lot of them said that after following the page and seeing girls who looked like them leading normal, happy fulfilling lives without caring about what others thought about the way they looked, that they finally felt like a huge weight had been lifted off their shoulders.<\/p>\n
Six months on, I feel so privileged to have started the page and feel like it has given me and taught me more than I will ever be able to do for it in return. A lot of those messages turned into ongoing conversations that evolved into real friendships. And the lessons it has taught me are so invaluable, I\u2019m going to carry them with me for years to come. Here are some of the lessons in body positivity I learned from starting Midsize Collective, in the hope that you won\u2019t have to learn them the hard way like I did, at first:<\/p>\n
\nLosing weight is not your life\u2019s purpose and, your weight doesn\u2019t define who you are. You are more than a number on a scale<\/li>\n Pretty smart, pretty funny and pretty powerful are better qualities to have than fitting into society\u2019s conventional mould of \u2018pretty\u2019<\/li>\n You can wear whatever the hell you want. Who cares if it is flattering? Do it because it makes you feel happy and good about yourself<\/li>\n Nobody really cares about what your body looks like or whispers behind your back about it. If they do, it says so much more about them than it does about you<\/li>\n Treating yourself is as important for your mental health as eating well and working out. Maintain a balance and do it to nourish the body that does so much for you, instead of for what you look like on the outside<\/li>\n You gain some, you lose some – at the end of the day, it is only weight. It is a lifelong journey, so there\u2019s no point in stressing about it<\/li>\n Mind your language. There are lots people silently struggling with self-image issues around you, a lot of which are caused by people being callous with words. Remember, children don\u2019t just decide to hate their bodies, we teach them to. Be the change you wish to see in the world<\/li>\n Be your own kind of beautiful. I\u2019ve learned that daring to be unique and confident in one\u2019s own skin is the most powerful revolution in the world<\/li>\n Influencing needs to be more responsible, with more accounts that advocate body positivity, mental health issues and that are organic, transparent and down to earth so that audiences really relate. We need to remember that influencing is more than just about us, and also about the people that follow us and that influencing doesn\u2019t always have to be about pushing product, but using your voice to make a positive change in the world<\/li>\n When women come together and support one another, they can take over the world. I\u2019m so proud that Midsize Collective is the most supportive, encouraging space, and even though we\u2019ve had differences in opinion, all the girls handle it with class and dignity and most importantly, respect<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nI can\u2019t wait to discover the lessons Midsize Collective<\/a> is going to to teach me in 2019. But for now, I know that I\u2019m going to be striding into the year happier, more confident and more at-peace with myself than I ever have been. Now excuse me while I work my way up to Front Row Diva C in my own way \u2013 there\u2019s room for a little more bootay up there!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Anushka Moore is the founder of the Midsize Collective Instagram account, and blogs at Mascara Every Saturday.\u00a0Here she talks about how seeing mid-sized women on social media every day has helped her in her own quest for body positivty. It was my first day back at Zumba after the Christmas break and I couldn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":3788,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":[],"categories":[203],"tags":[202],"yoast_head":"\n
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