Hands up who’s ever looked at an Instagram photo and thought “I wish I looked like that?”
Yep, we’ve all been there.
And this Mental Health Awareness Week, we’re bringing our #BlendOutBullying challenge back (in association with the Diana Award), focusing on this year’s theme of body image to help eradicate online hate.
Over the past year, #BlendOutBullying has blown up across social media as influencers and us ordinary folk alike, have joined forces to end beauty-shaming and encouraging people to learn to love themselves both on and off line.
#BlendOutBullying involves highlighting the worst thing anyone’s ever said to you online and owning it by putting it on your body and blending it out.
Whether you use the words as contour, write a word on your lip and blend it in, write across your body, or use concealer to cover up ink, it’s all about taking back the power from the bullies and creating an inspiring video to encourage others to do the same. Here are the inspiring women who have joined us and we want YOU to do the same…
Kelly Knox, @itskellyknox
Kelly Knox is a model, mother and Instagram queen who’s saying a massive f*ck you to beauty standards. Born without her lower left arm, Kelly chooses not to let her disability hold her back, but instead to embrace it to show others that you really can do what you want, and inspire brands to make positive changes when it comes to using unconventional models.
Despite this, Kelly has revealed that being a size 10 has been a bigger barrier than her missing arm when it comes to getting booked, after she was praised for being used front and centre in a Primark campaign in 2018.
“This is a message for Glamour UK readers who feel powerless in reclaiming and owning their own beauty or do not have confidence due to unrealistic expectations.
You do not need anyone’s permission or approval to feel beautiful in this world.”
Sarah Nicole Landry, @thebirdspapaya
@thebirdspapaya AKA Sarah Nicole Landry, is a mother, writer and creator, who uses her platform to show what life as a parent is really like, and proudly shows off her post-baby bod to her 279,000 followers.
After years of practising self-love, Sarah is finally the level of body-positive we all aspire to be, and she’s saying a big no-no to fad diets.
“On the path to being vulnerable and freeing myself from body shame, I was met with both praise and resistance. Blending out the words that others tried to brand themselves on me, was a reminder that my truth will always be more than these lies.”
Michelle Elman, @scarrednotscared
Michelle Elman is a five-board accredited Body Confidence Coach and an award-winning body positive activist. Yaas. She is most known for her campaign Scarred Not Scared and her TedX talk, Have You Hated Your Body Enough Today?, has been viewed over 35,000 times and her debut book, Am I Ugly?, has just been released.
