Throughout 2021, Good Housekeeping will be exploring how we think about weight, the way we eat, and how we try to control or change our bodies in our quest to be happier and healthier. While GH also publishes weight loss content and endeavors to do so in a responsible, science-backed way, we think it’s important to present a broad perspective that allows for a fuller understanding of the complex thinking about health and body weight. Our goal here is not to tell you how to think, eat, or live — nor is to to pass judgment on how you choose to nourish your body — but rather to start a conversation about diet culture, its impact, and how we might challenge the messages we are given about what makes us attractive, successful and healthy.
Instagram is known as the place where people post the highlights of their lives — adventures in faraway lands, engagements on mountaintops and perfect-makeup selfies. That makes it easy to get down in dumps as you endlessly scroll and think you’ll never stack up to the influencers that are being touted. Thankfully, there is a growing body-positive movement that embraces humans of all shapes, sizes, colors, strengths, abilities and disabilities, and you can inject that positivity into your own newsfeed by following the accounts below. Some show us the amazing things our bodies can do while others offer tips on how we can be more accepting both of our own bodies and the bodies of our fellow humans.
Shira Rose, L.C.S.W.
Shira is an eating disorder therapist who helps people battle the same issues she’s faced herself. She’s now on a mission to help dismantle stigmas around fatness and enable people of all shapes and sizes to get the treatment they deserve from society.
Photo: @zoedealphoto
Laura Iu, R.D.
Laura is an anti-diet dietitian who focuses on intuitive eating and body liberation. In addition to providing real, tangible tips on how to embrace your body the way it is, she uses her account to discuss how diet culture works against people who are already marginalized in our society.
Michelle Elman
By the time she turned 20, Michelle had undergone 15 different surgeries to address a variety of health issues from a brain tumor to an obstructed bowel. She hated the scars those procedures left on her body and it took years for her to realize they were proof of survival — a journey she details in her memoir, Am I Ugly? One Woman’s Journey to Body Positivity. Now, Michelle uses her Instagram to help others embrace their own unique bodies for all the things they allow us to do.
Alissa Rumsey, M.S., R.D.
The author of Unapologetic Eating, Alissa is a dietitian spreading the word about fatphobia and how there’s nothing wrong with our bodies — our society is the thing that needs to be fixed. Her account is packed with tips we can all benefit from as well as useful resources like the ones pictured here in case you want to take things up a notch.
Jessamyn Stanley
We’re often bombarded with images that reiterate the idea that only thin, white bodies are capable of active endeavors like yoga, so when Jessamyn’s book Every Body Yoga came out a few years ago, it was a real breath of fresh air. Now her Instagram account helps push for body-inclusivity across all areas of life, not just in the yoga studio.
Photo: @cornwhizzle
Kai Wes
You might have seen Kai on TV before — he’s a transgender actor who identifies as non-binary and uses the pronouns he/him as well as they/them. On Instagram, Kai is very open about the ups and downs of his transition and his mental health. Here’s to hoping his vulnerability can help bring awareness to trans issues and give someone else in similar shoes a boost of confidence knowing they’re not alone.
Jill Grunenwald
Self-described as a “fat-positive writer in Cleveland,” Jill uses her skills with the written word to help normalize bodies of all sizes. In fact, her memoir Running with a Police Escort: Tales from the Back of the Pack details her journey of becoming a runner and how she found joy in the sport even if she never won a race.
Kellie Brown
So many fashion-forward Instagrammers focus only on clothes for small bodies, which reiterates the idea that plus-size fashion can’t be beautiful and isn’t worth showing off. Every post of Kellie’s proves that theory is wrong. For even more stellar content, check out her YouTube channel, And I Get Dressed, which has over 66,000 subscribers.
Ragen Chastain
Ragen is a dancer, marathoner, A.C.E.-certified health coach, and champion against fatphobia. Her Instagram posts provide regular reminders of how we all can fight for body acceptance.
Sylvia Mac
When Sylvia was two years old, she experienced third-degree burns on her back, legs and stomach. It took her more than 30 years to accept the scars left behind, but eventually she started Love Disfigure, a campaign to empower people to show off their bodies and overcome the shame of perceived imperfections.
Photo: @mrelbank
Amy Moreland
Amy is “trying to change the look of fitness.” After other people in the industry told her she was too fat, she took things into her own hands and launched AMPD Strong with her husband. Their goals are to help anyone of any age exercise and to train fitness instructors to be inclusive of all bodies.
Kadeeja Sel Khan
Kadeeja has struggled with acne since she was in high school and went to great lengths as a makeup artist to cover up blemishes. When a video tutorial revealed her bare skin and went viral in 2017, she realized she had a platform she could use to help normalize acne, show how much effort it takes to cover up and empower others to be more comfortable in their skin.
Allison Kimmey
Allie is all about self-love, being confident in your body and living life to the fullest. Whether she’s posting about a fun new outfit or getting real about emotional struggles, her Instagram account will bring a warm, relatable feeling to your newsfeed.
Alexis Conason, Ph.D.
A psychologist based in New York City, Alexis wants to enable people to mindfully cut their ties with toxic diet culture. If you’re looking for gentle reminders that you are much more than the food on your plate, her account is for you.
Stevie Blaine
Women aren’t the only ones who suffer with their body image. Stevie doesn’t take himself too seriously and he wants us all to be more accepting of the bodies we have and his posts are like little doses of optimism that hit you when you didn’t know you needed it.
Anna Sweeney, M.S., R.D.N.
Anna is a dietitian who specializes in eating disorders and intuitive eating. She also happens to be disabled, but acknowledges she has other privileges that other people don’t. Anna’s Instagram posts are like having someone whisper in your ear in those moments you forget that “thinness is not fitness” and “your body is not your value.”
Graphics: @jengalvin
Stephanie Yeboah
Stephanie loves fashion. That’s clear by just glancing at any of her Instagram posts. But she also discusses the the struggles of dating as a plus-size person, the legacy of colonialism that exists in the way our society treats different skin tones as well as what it’s like to have dissociative identity disorder. If you love her account, you’ll probably also like her book, Fattily Ever After: A Black Fat Girl’s Guide to Living Life Unapologetically.
Photo: @fordtography
Access-Centered Movement
The aim of the Access-Centered Movement is to enable people with disabilities and chronic illnesses to engage in movements that facilitate healing. There are a variety of ways they make this happen, but their Instagram account is a great resource for anyone to learn more, whether or not you’re dealing with a disability.
Kaitlyn Pirie
Sr. Editor
Kaitlyn started her career as a reporter in the research department at Real Simple and went on to become a health editor at Family Circle before joining the Hearst team.
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