Ignore Pandemic Fat-Shaming — And Follow These Body Positive Instagram Accounts Instead

At some point during the ongoing COVID-19 lockdowns, you've most likely seen article headlines and social media posts about combatting "pandemic weight," and although staying healthy is important right now, the fact of the matter is that gaining a little weight truly does not matter. We are currently undergoing a global crisis, and staying inside is absolutely mandatory — that said, for the sake of our mental health, body positivity is crucial.

During these trying times, gaining weight is practically inevitable, and putting stress on the matter is completely unnecessary; actually, in many cases, it can be seriously harmful to our mental health. So instead of commiserating with body-shaming headlines and giving in to influencers who are trying to sell you fit tea, follow these body-positive Instagram accounts.

Author, creator, and blogger, @stephanieyeboah, is self-described as "an awesome, fashionable fat bitch." She posts incredible plus-size fashion tips, daily musings, hilarious social commentary, and more, often referencing her self-love journey, and how she finally started feeling comfortable in her own skin after years of lacking confidence. She also wrote a book last year called Fattily Ever After, which we're absolutely dying to read.

Freelance writer and disability activist Melissa Blake (@MelissaBlake81), rose to fame after writing an anti-Trump story for CNN, when she found that hateful people were commenting on her looks and weight. Blake, who is disabled due a genetic disorder called Freeman-Sheldon syndrome, fired back with a defiant and incredibly positive tweet attached with confident selfies that went viral. Moving forward, she continued posting selfies to Instagram and Twitter that will are seriously heart-warming.

Yogi, author, and the creator behind @mynameisjessamyn, Jessamyn Stanley, is famous for her incredible yoga classes, and for speaking out about inclusivity in the yoga community. She had always found that yogis were portrayed as thin, white athletes, but when she fell in love with the practice, she wanted to prove that it isn't necessarily the case — yoga can come in all shapes and sizes. Her words are incredibly insightful, and her graceful poses will definitely inspire you to start stretching.

Mik Zazon (@Mikzazon) is a health and fitness coach, public speaker, model, and creator who hails from Columbus, Ohio. For years, she had suffered from various eating disorders, before she realized something needed to change. She aims to combat unrealistic beauty standards for women, and teach people that it's entirely possible to pursue a fun and healthy lifestyle, without focusing on losing weight and maintaining societal expectations.

Curve model, activist and creator, Remi Jo (@remibader) gained fame for posting hilariously realistic clothing hauls to TikTok, according to Vogue. Over the summer, she went shopping for a test shoot, and found that everything she ordered looked nothing IRL like it did online. So, she started making videos to show how sizing varies, reveal unrealistic media expectations, and that getting something that isn't sized as advertised isn't the end of the world. Her Insta shows her modeling shots, which are amazing.

Stevie Blaine is an LGBT and body positivity activist, as well as the creator behind popular Instagram account @bopo.boy. He aims to shut down negative body image in every possible way, by detailing his journey to body positivity, revealing the negative thoughts that so many of us can relate to, breaking them down, and explaining how society has forced us to think this way. 

J Aprileo is a trans activist, travel enthusiast, and body positive activist. They started the Instagram account @comfyfattravels after breaking out in the Tumblr world, to show off their travels, teach about the intersectionality of plus-size and queer identities, and to give fellow non-binary and LGBT travel enthusiasts travel tips, according to Dia. Their posts are beyond inspiring and incredibly informative.

Megan Jayne Crabbe is the gorgeous and confident creator behind @bodyposipanda. Megan first dove into the body positive movement three years ago, and she says it changed her entire perspective on life. She started feeling more comfortable celebrating her curves, and ultimately decided to try encouraging her social media followers to do the same. She also wrote a book called Body Positive Power which is available on Amazon — it's a total must-read, if you haven't picked it up already.

You may recognize Sean Taylor (@heyseantaylor) from Netflix's social media-centric reality series, The Circle. She's a New York City-based reality star and creator who's all about showing off her adorable outfits, giving skincare tips, calling out major companies for size discrimination, making drool-worthy recipes, and more. A trip to her page will inherently make you feel a little extra confident, we guarantee it.

The lovely creative behind @callmeadventurous, Sam, loves to travel and spread body positivity, wherever she goes. Her theme is all-pastel, all the time, and it's truly a soft gal's dream. She also has incredible tips to stay mentally grounded, which — during the "panorama," as she jokingly says — is crucial right now.