The Best Body Positive Influencers To Follow On Social Media
Keep your mind and body feeling all kinds of positive with these incredibly inspirational (and REAL) influencers...
There are so many incredible things that follow an engagement - parties, celebrations, the wedding planning journey itself! Something else that unfortunately tends to run side-by-side with getting engaged is the pressure to look 'perfect' on your wedding day. What does that even mean?
For some reason, no matter how happy and confident you are in yourself, you get engaged and suddenly the pressure of social media, celebrity influence and other people’s wedding day looks start to sink in. Then bam - the insecurities land.
As Alex Light once said, you don’t need to lose weight for your wedding - nor do you need to grow your hair, perfect your skin or change anything about you.
We’ve all been exposed to photoshopping, image editing, Insta-perfect portrayals of peoples lives and sometimes, if we’re being honest, it can be a lot. Self doubt, bad body image and insecurities are things that almost everyone will face at some point in their life and unfortunately for some people, weddings are a catalyst for negative feelings - but there are things you can do to shift this...
So how do we stay body-positive during wedding planning?
It’s easy for people to say, “Just be confident”, or “Love yourself” - but the actual concept of self-acceptance and self-love is more complex than that. If you’re submerged in the world of social media, you’ll know that following the right people who promote body positivity, positive mindsets, self love and self confidence can have a huge, and overall positive impact on your own mental health.
And it's not just us that have noticed a spike in insecurities around body image in the lead up to one's wedding. A recent survey conducted by Beauty Daily by Clarins found that more than 50% of UK brides revealed that social media made them feel even more pressure to look perfect. The biggest insecurities included weight or how their figures looked at 21%. (Survey of 2,000 British nearlyweds)
21 Incredible Body Positive Influencers to Follow on Social Media
I’ll never forget the first time I heard Victoria’s Secret by Jax. It echoed everything that I (and no doubt many others) had been internally screaming for a really long time. Sat here with a cup of coffee and that song on repeat, I feel so grateful that there are so many influencers out there who are doing everything they can to make the gram a happier, healthier and kinder place.
So, to help you gain, and maintain, a body-positive mindset in the lead-up to your wedding, I’ve put together a list of influencers who have devoted their platforms to positivity and sharing their true, authentic selves.
They’re honest, relatable and most importantly, they are real! If you’re looking for some new friendly faces to follow in order to maintain that self-love and positive mindset during wedding planning, these are some accounts you need to check out.
1. Nelly @_nelly_london
Now Nelly (aka the girl with the hip dips) understands what it means to keep it real on the 'gram. Nelly bares all for her followers, and girl, we’re here for it! Regularly reminding the world that all bodies are beautiful and should be celebrated, she is someone I really admire.
Her love of gorgeous lingerie and bikini trips to the beach are a love letter to the female form. Nelly has been on a journey with breast corrective surgery and has also shared her experience with eating disorders and it’s her honesty and openness that make her such a great person to follow.
From #bakingsundays and updates on her areal hooping career to adorable snaps of her partner B and reminders of what skin really looks like, Nelly is someone who’s content always puts a smile on people’s faces - thank you for keeping it real!
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2. Lottie Drynan @lottiedrynan
Bringing bloating to the forefront of conversations, Lottie Drynan has paved the way for people everywhere to stop feeling bad about their bloat. She sheds light on what it’s really like to live with IBS and has also recently shared her experience with being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult.
As well as posting gorgeous outfit inspiration and real bloated wardrobe reviews, Lottie is relatable in other aspects of her life, too. There’s something so trustworthy about her content - you watch her stories and genuinely feel like you’re having a chat with one of your friends over a glass of wine.
Nearlyweds worried about IBS affecting their wedding day and those looking for some relatable content will absolutely love Lottie’s feed. She’s also recently given birth to her first child (congrats!) and we have no doubt that her parent content will be just as real.
3. Alex Light @alexlight_ldn
We couldn’t talk about body positive influencers without mentioning our pal Alex Light. It really is true what Alex says; you don’t have to lose weight, diet, change your appearance or allow society to define how you should look on your wedding day.
She’s released a book titled You Are Not a Before Picture, and has been known to call out just about anyone who says different - she's such a strong advocate for everything body-positive. Anyone who is feeling the pressure to slim down or ‘get into shape’ ahead of their wedding celebrations will love the work Alex does.
She makes it very clear that we’ve been conditioned to think that a certain aesthetic is what we should all desire and actually, being happy in your own skin is the only thing that people should work towards. You can read the article Alex wrote for Hitched here.
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4. Izzie Rodgers @izzierodgers
Izzie is a skin-positive Instagram influencer who proves that having acne or any form of skin condition shouldn’t hold you back.
She’s shared details of her journey to becoming comfortable in her own skin. In her own words, “Having acne is absolutely NOTHING to be ashamed about, you are not your acne, it’s a skin condition not a personality trait!!! SO KEEP BEING YOU THROUGH IT ALL” - I couldn’t agree more.
As well as skin-positivity posts, you’ll also find incredible makeup looks, unreal nail art, body positivity videos, product recommendations for people with acne and so many other types of realness on Izzie’s feed. Nearlyweds who are concerned about breakouts and skin conditions on their wedding day could use a dose of Izzie.
5. Stephanie Yeboah @stephanieyeboah
Podcast host, author of 'Fattily Ever After' and content creator Stephanie Yeboah is everything on Instagram. Her body positive content has the most incredible message - everyone is worthy of being loved.
She reinforces the importance of knowing and recognising your own worth and the insecurities and struggles that can arise while you’re on the journey towards self-love and self-acceptance.
As well as the amazing message Stephanie conveys in her content, she also shares some unreal fashion inspo. This girl can DRESS! It’s a two-for-one when you follow Stephanie - you get amazing emotional inspiration, as well as looks you want to replicate immediately.
6. Sophie @sophiethickfitness
First thing's first, congratulations are in order for newly engaged fitness influencer Sophie. She is a powerhouse on Instagram - I literally can’t get enough of the realness on her feed. One of the most refreshing things about Sophie is her honesty and transparency and what's more, no topic is off limits.
She conveys some really important messages that I wish more people would shout from the rooftops.
It’s okay to be bigger than your partner. It’s okay to eat more than your partner. You don’t have to wait until you have the ‘perfect body’ to enjoy life. You haven’t ‘failed’ for gaining weight.
Sophie echoes all of these messages and many more on her feed and now that she’s engaged, I'm so excited to watch her continue to share these messages with other nearlyweds who may be feeling the pressure.
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7. Hayley Madigan @hayleymadiganfitness
Fitness content can often induce anxiety in social media users, even more so when you find yourself having a bad body-image day. But Hayley Madigan is different. She has been so open and honest with her audience about the struggles she’s had with pressures of an eating disorder, her fitness career and an unhealthy relationship with both food and exercise.
What Hayley’s done with her struggles is so admirable - she’s taken any pain and hardship she’s experienced and used that to fuel her body-positive content which is nothing short of inspiring. Hayley shares what it means to her to have a positive relationship with exercise and often reflects on her past difficulties within the fitness industry.
You can find fun fitness videos, gym reality reels and hilarious snaps of her and her partner attempting yet another couples challenge. She also sheds light on the dangers of toxic relationships and things she’s learnt from previous heartbreak which is such an important topic of conversation and one that's rarely highlighted on social media.
8. Danielle Catton @danielleisanxious
Body positivity isn’t just about what you feel like on the outside. As pretty much everyone on the planet knows, anxiety and other mental health conditions play a *huge* part in how we view and feel about ourselves and Danielle Catton is someone who has been so open in speaking about this on social media.
She’s a body confidence and mental wellness influencer who’s plus size fashion content is not to be missed. As well as fashion tips and swaps, Danielle is super transparent about her mental health. She recently shared a post highlighting the ‘two sides of Instagram’ - something which so many people can relate to in this day and age.
“It feels wrong to come online and show up with a smile when I’m falling apart on the inside. I know you want to be inspired. I know you like happy Danielle content. I know you want to learn how to love your body. And I promise I’m all about that still. But the truth is, I can’t be everything for everyone 24/7. It’s impossible. I’m doing the best I can, and that’s all that matters.
"If people don’t like it, they are free to leave. The pressure I put on myself to be on game 24/7 is exhausting. So I just want to be me again.” Putting yourself out there as an influencer for all to judge and comment is a scary thing to do, but it’s people like Danielle that make real people who don’t feel happy all the time understand that they are not alone.
I have so much respect for what Danielle is doing on social media right now. If you're struggling with anxiety and wedding planning, we have a guide to help you.
9. Joanna Kenny @joannajkenny
When you’re getting married and you’re feeling down about your body image, who better to bring you back to that positive place than Joanna Kenny. Giving serious big sis energy, Joanna's authentic and relatable voice on social media is all the pep talk you’ll need.
Her content encourages all forms of body positivity, specifically around IBS, mental health and skincare. Along with her body image content, Joanna is also so relatable as a woman - from boob sweat and period pads to facial hair and sagging boobs - here’s an influencer who keeps it 100% real, 100% of the time.
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10. Georgie Clarke @georgie.clarke
Georgie Clarke unofficially started the trend of ‘before and after’ pictures that aren’t actually before, or an after. Busting the myth of Instagram influencer posing, Georgie gives her followers an insight into what goes on behind the scenes of an influencer picture.
Her Instagram vs reality videos show just how malleable and easy-to-distort the human body is, and how easy it is to showcase a completely unrealistic and unnatural angle of your body for the benefit of Instagram likes.
She also shares the reality of influencer posting, penning: “Influencers share only the best shots out of hundreds they've taken, their images are curated of good angles and lighting then followed by editing to the perfect image”.
Content like this is a real breath of fresh air, especially for nearlyweds or anyone else who may be feeling bogged down by the pressures of perfect imagery on social media.
11. Jessica Millichamp @jessontheplussize
Plus size nearlyweds looking for body positive content and some serious fashion inspiration will adore Jessica Millichamp’s feed. This fun and fabulous Geordie has bags of style and shares all of her most fabulous looks on the gram.
She’s done a fair few collaborations with fashion powerhouse In The Style (who do amazingly cheap bridesmaid dresses) and encourages her audience to be themselves, love the skin they're in and most importantly, 'wear the damn bikini' no matter what your size tag says!
READ MORE: Our Favourite Plus Size Wedding Dresses
12. Betty Traore @bemusebybetty
Skin is something that triggers anxiety in so many nearlyweds and we get it - but someone whose mission is to normalise normal skin is Betty Traore. I absolutely love what this influencer stands for and her makeup content is nothing short of stunning.
Posting bright makeup looks and celebrating her gorgeous natural skin, Betty has shared her own journey to becoming skin and acne-positive, along with all the beauty products you need to do the same. Whether it’s a bold makeup look on your wedding day or a bit of support on your journey to loving the skin you’re in, Betty is someone you definitely want on your feed.
13. Bella Davis @isabelladavis6
Bella Davis has branded herself as ‘your self love hype girl’ and she’s not one bit wrong about that. It’s hard to define exactly what it is that Bella advocates for as an influencer because her incredible content spans across so many topics relating to body image. The best way I can describe her is an all-round body positivity and body acceptance advocate, and all-round great person really.
Her goal is to encourage users to embrace and feel confident in their own body and she challenges notions and expectations on body hair, stretch marks, weight gain, cellulite and has even addressed the effects that low self-confidence can have on intimacy and your relationships.
If you’re feeling bogged down about body image in the lead up to your wedding, or ever, Bella is an incredible person to have on social media.
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14. Sare @thatgirlsare
The societal expectations around body and facial hair has been at the centre of so many discussions in the last few years. The expectation that women and men should shave, wax and remove hair in certain areas of their face or body to fit into society’s expectations of them is something that Sare challenges through her social media platforms.
She is a plus size influencer who shares her experience of living with PCOS, shedding light on the often misunderstood symptoms and causes of her condition. And the best thing about Sare? She celebrates every inch of who she is and refuses to apologise for it.
Advocating for both PCOS awareness and plus size fashion, Sare encourages her followers to break the mould and not to let societal standards of beauty stop you from being authentically you!
15. Kelvin Davis @kelvindavis
I don't need to tell you that it's not just women that can suffer from insecurities around their appearance - it’s something that unfortunately effects everyone. Someone who completely gets that is Kelvin Davis aka Notoriously Dapper - this guy can dress!
He’s a body positive model who is literally bursting with joy and positivity. His feed is all things happy and positive - but it also sheds a light on the insecurities that men can suffer with around body image. I love the work Kelvin has done around this topic - more of this please...
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16. Stevie Blaine @bopo.boy
LGBTQIA+ and body acceptance activist Stevie is someone that should be on everybody’s follow list. Getting married and committing yourself to someone requires complete acceptance of yourself and of your partner and there’s no one who celebrates that ethos more than Stevie.
“There’s no such thing as a bad body,” pens Stevie - can we get an amen? This influencer encourages body confidence and body acceptance with every fibre of his being. Having been on a body acceptance journey himself, he knows it’s not as easy as just saying, “Right, I’m going to like my body now” - it takes so much more than that and that’s what makes him so real and relatable.
17. Jess @nevertooobold
Jess, who goes by the handle Never Tooo Bold has gained her influencer following from sharing her journey following her diagnosis of alopecia.
Having alopecia can trigger a number of anxieties within an individual, and I love the way that Jess has been so open in sharing her own experience. In doing so, she has inspired many other people who have been diagnosed with alopecia who can relate to what she’s experienced.
“Let’s normalise the parts of us we find harder to love so other people in the future find it easier” - this quote really resonates with me, because as far as I'm concerned, that’s what makes real influencers so powerful. Their content has such a positive impact on those who can relate to them because it makes you realise other people have the same insecurities and worries as you.
18. Riccardo Onorato @guyoverboard
Someone who is creating some incredible body positive content on Instagram is Riccardo Onorato. Describing himself as a fat-shionista, Riccardo is every bit as fashionable as he is fabulous. His feed is bursting with beauty and fashion inspiration for men, as well as bags of body positivity and self acceptance advice.
Riccardo believes that “The more we learn to look at different bodies to discover the normality of their being, the easier it becomes to start a path of non-judgement towards bodies” - he has such a way with words and makes the concept of self-acceptance sound so simple. I love the unapologetic approach he has to his content - keep it coming Riccardo - people need more of you.
19. Georgia Alice @georg.alice
Aside from the incredible message she portrays on social media - Georgia Alice’s feed is quite frankly one of the most colourful and beautiful ones I’ve set eyes on. The bold colour palette alone is enough to brighten up your day.
But more than that, I love the fact that Georgia has taken to social media to give her followers a glimpse into the life of someone living with a chronic illness. Chronic illnesses come in all forms - some visible and some not - all of which, however, have a huge impact on your daily life. The positive, colourful tone of Georgia’s content is something everyone could do with a slice of.
READ MORE: Planning a Wedding with a Chronic Illness
20. Claus Fleissner/Extra Inches @extra_inches_plussizeblog
Plus size model Claus Fliessner started a plus size men’s fashion blog and boy is it good. The content, colourful and positive, all has one overarching message, “Accept your extra inches, love yourself” - something everyone could do with listening to, especially when you’re having a bad body image day.
Not only is this a safe space to enjoy relatable and upbeat content, it’s also somewhere men can go to find incredible and stylish men's fashion inspiration that isn’t based on the cookie-cutter model.
21. Dr Joshua Wolrich MBBS MRCS @drjoshuawolrich
Can we all just take a minute to appreciate the amazing work that Dr Joshua Wolrich is doing for diet culture and body acceptance?
He is the author of Food Isn’t Medicine which addresses the dangers of diet culture and the damage it can have on your relationship with food - something that is, unfortunately, so prevalent with nearlyweds and engaged couples who feel pressured to change their appearance ahead of their wedding day. He’s up to his eyeballs in qualifications and offers hybrid advice based on both one’s mental health and physical health.
To all the influencers out there who are devoting their platforms to creating a more honest, positive and real discussion around body image, thank you for embracing your true self and encouraging others to do the same!
As well as following all of the right people, another way to take care of your wellness during wedding planning is to have a well-earned break. It's time to plan a date night with your partner. Here are some fun questions for your next date night!
