How does it feel to be singled out as you’re - to put it politely- ‘larger than others.’ Not very encouraging. Body shaming is rampant and I am glad it is. If not for it we wouldn’t have come across, Miss Universe Canada, Siera Bearchell. Her body positivity has warmed our hearts.

Check out her inspirational Instagram post.

"It takes discipline to have the body of a Miss Universe." It also takes discipline to be accepted into Law School. It takes discipline to run a marathon. It takes discipline to be true to ourselves in a world that is constantly trying to shape us into something we are not. People have asked me if I changed my body to prove a point. No. Our lives are fluid, dynamic and ever-changing. So are our bodies. To be truthful, I restricted my food intake intensely at previous pageants and was miserable, self-conscious and I never felt good enough. No matter how little I ate and how much weight I lost, I constantly compared myself to others and felt like I could still lose more. My mental perception did not match the physical body I saw in the mirror. There were days I would eat a protein bar, workout for hours and struggle to fall asleep because I was so hungry. My body is not naturally lean and that's okay. I am healthy. I am fit. I am confident. I am me. This is who I am right now and I'm okay with it, so you should be too. My fellow ladies, remember that true beauty, and validation starts from within. ???? #confidentlybeautiful#missuniverse

Watching skinny beauties walking with straight faced expressions on ramps, our idea of a model has become constricted and uni dimensional. Well. let’s rewind and go through some of the famous super models pictures.

Tyra Banks

Cindy Crawford

Naomi Campbell

Madhu Sapre




Bo Derek

All these super gorgeous women are by no means skinny. They are well toned, given the demand of the profession they belong to. But, setting an unrealistic expectation to look waif-thin, regardless of the make and frame of a body, is dangerous.

Miss Canada was asked by one of the judges to cut down her weight as she was losing out on her points. Have a look at the ‘fat Siera.’

Phew! That’s some chub (pun intended)

Are we losing our humane side. Tough love is not about being condescending. Being tough doesn’t come with the license to be unkind.
 

Beauty is believed to be a relative term. Why not keep it that way.

Siera took a bold step and defied the beauty norms of the fashion industry. And only a gutsy person, who is at ease with her body will go against the platform she’s competing on.

There are many setbacks to this bold step. Miss Canada might have not won the crown. But, she has definitely won many hearts.

Glad that we are living in the times where women are coming out and doing something substantial to affect change.

Ashley Graham grabbed headlines last year in 2016, for smashing beauty notions, peculiar to the fashion industry. She has featured in various ads and a music video too.

Since making headlines after appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue, she’s been on a path toward global stardom. 2016 was a year that saw her walking Paris Fashion Week as part of H&M’s Fall 2016 Studio show, utilizing her millions of social media followers to share a message of body acceptance, and succeeding Tyra Banks as the resident model mentor on the reboot of America’s Next Top Model.
 

Body positivity is not just about preaching to accept your body, but being truly positive about your image too. There are times when all of it sounds preachy and since there’re so many people ready to make you feel bad about your inadequacies. It is indeed difficult to maintain your sanity.
 

But if these ladies can shut the trolls by being super confident and comfortable in front of the camera. What is holding you back?

You hear many things, but you don’t have to listen to all of it. Specially not take action on it, if your intelligence stops you from doing so.
 

So go on and  munch that chocolate you had buried in your handbag. Take care of yourself and be proud of who you are and how you are. That’s the best way to handle trolls and naysayers :)