B is for... Body Positivity | Lauren and the Books

Hello all!
Second in my alphabet series of STUFF is B is for... Body Positivity. I hope you all enjoy!
If you fancy being all kinds of wonderful and buying a book from Book Depository of which I will earn a small commission, then please use this link... www.bookdeposit...
Lauren
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[@LaurenAndTheBooks]

I cannot thank you all enough for your wonderful comments on this topic which is so close to my heart, you are all amazing and thanks for sharing your stories with me! xxx

[@MercysBookishMusings]

I love this. It's so great to hear your thoughts on it 😃 I think it's so difficult to get to the point you're at because the media shoves this image of body perfection down our throats. I mean most models on clothing websites are max a size 8 but usually smaller, the same with most female celebs. It just makes it near impossible to not compare yourself and think that comparatively even a size 12 feels like a bigger persons clothes size. It's something Jonny and I have chatted about for years because I think for men it's the opposite. The male bodies we see in the media are ridiculously muscled and toned and unless they spend loads of time in the gym it's impossible to achieve that. Jonny's always been really small framed - to the point when we were 18 and I was a size 8 and 2 inches shorter than him he weighed less than I did and could fit in any of my clothes. It was really difficult because whilst most people know it's rude to call someone fat they don't seem to think it's rude to do the opposite. So people would say he was stick thin and looked like he was ill etc when he was eating loads and just naturally had a smaller frame. I just hope we gradually see a shift in the way bodies are presented in the media because I think it will make it so much easier for people! Videos like this make a big difference too so GO YOU!! 🎉🎉🎉

[@LaurenAndTheBooks]

I completely agree about the way men's bodies are promoted, I feel like there is a real shame culture around men who aren't these big beefy gym bods, and also to those who are big, but aren't gym bods, SO MUCH CONTRADICTION. xx

[@NoelleMar]

I know this is months later, but it's really creepy about how men are supposed to be BIG and STRONG while women are supposed to be *thin and weak*. Yuk!

[@HannahHodgson]

It's hard to maintain body positivity but important. I became disabled/ ill a few years ago, and I've had to have a feeding tube fitted, wear a drainage bag and some other little bits. I have to say that I am positive about my body and slowly coming to terms with my altered image. This has taken a lot of soul searching, but I feel so much better for it now. I have found that other people have struggled with my altered life/ look more than me. People don't know what to say and so I don't have many real friends anymore. It's one of the reasons I started KZbin (feeling isolated) and I'm now surrounded by lovely online people who take me as they find me and enjoy hearing what I have to say, which is more than I could ever ask for. X

[@cynthiarosa1958]

Hannah Hodgson 🌹you're beautiful

[@LaurenAndTheBooks]

Thanks for your comment Hannah, I completely agree that maintaining body positivity is so important but still hard, I consider myself very body positive, but still have days where I think negatively about my body, but it's in these times that I remind myself to think more positively, even if others aren't thinking like this around me. I'm so pleased you are finding friends online and having a lovely time

[@TheNatsimard]

Thank you so much for making this video. It is such an important topic. About 10 years ago, I went through thyroid cancer and I lost 40lbs in about 3 months which brought me from about a size 16 to a 10-12 and I got sooooooo many compliments!!! I remember thinking how fucked up that was. I was fighting for my life, actually, trying not to die and everyone I ran into (who didn't know I had cancer) would exclaim how amazing I looked, congratulating me on the weight loss and asking me what diet I was on and how I had managed to lose the weight, etc... Oh how their jaws dropped and their faces blanched when I would tell them cancer was to be credited for the slim down... It was so messed up. I was even guilty of secretly thanking cancer(!) for my easy weight loss!!! WTF was I thinking?! So sick, literally. I am 43 now, ALIVE, back to a size 16, thyroid-less and cancer free, and I have my head on straight. When I see pictures of myself from that period, I do think I looked good, but did not look well and as hell not better than I look now. Anyway, thank you for this video.

[@literarydiversions]

Yes. Just yes. I had an old friend come up to me after around two years and be like WHOA, you have lost LOADS and I was like ah hah hah. Hah. Nope. Gone up two dress sizes, kthnx. It was a horrible moment because I honestly was standing there evaluating my last couple of years based on someone who clearly had this huge memory of me being FAT. Uhm, hi, pal. I HAVE fat, I AM NOT made of fat. And I don't give a single shit. So proud of you for doing this. Xx

[@victoriahoyle-publichistor6986]

Thank you so much for this Lauren. Buying clothes that fit you is such good advice. I've listened to my mum tell me all about the clothes in her wardrobe that she's 'slimming into' my whole life and it seemed totally normal to me as a child to always be buying stuff too small in anticipation of weight loss. I'm one of those women who did chose to lose weight. I was a size 20 and was really very unhappy. It was impacting on my PCOS and I felt totally trapped. I decided to change my situation and it made me much happier. Not because my body is perfect, but because I can be positive about it.

[@dianacameron167]

This is the best video I have ever watched on KZbin. Thank you for this from the bottom of my heart. I went from being a size 8-10, to now being a size 18 & it’s affected my confidence & sense of self so much. But I love my life & am so happy & yet the sense of shame I’ve carried about not remaining a size 10 has been crippling at times. We live in a messed up world, & I hate how we live in a society where people’s bodies are up for comment! I’m learning every day to embrace how I look & not spend the rest of my life wishing I looked different. Love u Lauren x

[@AmyJaneSmith90]

Wish I could double like - this was BRILLIANT. So well put xxx

[@LaurenAndTheBooks]

Thanks so much my babe! xxx

[@Noorieke]

You are beautifull! Thank you for sharing your positivity.

[@LaurenAndTheBooks]

Thank you for your comment!

[@MercuryCalling]

This series is amazing! I love hearing booktube friends' thoughts on other topics! One thing I love about my body is my strong arms. I don't know if this is true, but I feel like I can lift lots of things, and I'm not afraid of manual labor at work. 💪 So happy to hear your thoughts on having a body and loving yourself, and I love the Inbetweeners anecdote. Yay!

[@InkandPaperBlog]

Thank you for this. Well said and so powerful. I think one should be adored for who they are - and you are adorable and amazing. So many feels.

[@katiejlumsden]

This is brilliant :)

[@susanoxburgh8835]

I work in a high end clothing shop and we do a lot of orders over the phone, and one day I was chatting to this lovely woman about the sizing of our cotton shirts - it turns out we both have big boobs so struggle to get usual sizes to fit, so I told her that although usually I have to go up a size in button-ups, I can fit into my usual size 14 in this style. She said 'Oh! You don't sound like a size 14, you sound like a size 8!' I just thought it was such a strange complement from a woman who couldn't even see me!

[@LaurenAndTheBooks]

This is so bizarre and I have shared your comment with a few people I know and people have said that they have also been on the receiving ends of comments like this! What a completely weird and irrelevant thing to say?

[@susanoxburgh8835]

There's just SO much to unpack about nice/thin, rude/fat, assuming that every woman wants to be thin or thought to be thin - but that's a rant for a different day

[@Georgesmomsu]

Great video Lauren. We are so focused on numbers - weight and size. As long as you feel good in your body and you are healthy who freaking cares? What size my jeans are shouldn't affect my self worth.

[@LaurenAndTheBooks]

EXACTLY!!! x

[@LeanneRose]

I love love love this!! Brilliant video :) I definitely relate to the acceptance of going up a size being really liberating. I used to constantly try and squeeze into size 10 jeans or shorts and would get really down when I couldn't get into them. Accepting I'm a 12 or 14 (the latter if I want to be comfy) on the bottom made me feel SO GOOD. I love my thighs and bum and the rolls on my tummy. I'm trying to get all my friends into crop tops cos I think EVERYONE looks amazing in one. thank you so much for this Lauren :)

[@KendraWinchester]

Love this so much! Especially, I wish the high school version of could have heard this (isn't that just the worst time for everyone regarding their body positivity? eh!). I really appreciated your comments about how people will just say "Have you lost weight?" like it's a compliment. I have an autoimmune disease where losing weight actually means I'm not doing well, so it's incredibly disheartening to hear people comment on my body. (Also the occasional "Have you lost weight? Your head looks too big.") I remember when I first got sick a bunch of my hair fell out, and some girl commented on it. There's no room for chronically ill people in the world's definition of beauty. So thank you for this wonderful video that celebrates the bodies we have, not just with weight, but everything about them! xx

[@frenchorchidea]

Thank you so much for this video.... Thank you so much!!!!

[@wordsofclover]

Lauren, what a fabulous video. I love everything you said. i go up and down with my body all the time - I used to be a size 8 in college and now I'm a size 12 and sometimes I' m happy and sometimes I hate myself. I, like you, am not a huge fan of exercise and I don't like dragging myself to the gym every evening (there's way too many books to be reading to do that) and I'm definitely guilty of taking a second slice of cake. Loving yourself is such a battle sometimes, and it's something that should be easy to do. Here's to continuing on the journey of self-confidence and loving our bodies just the way they are, jiggly bits and all!

[@chboskyy]

This was such a great discussion Lauren. I've been struggling with body positivity for a few years now, and go through bouts of feeling shit and bouts of feeling fine. I've been trying to lose fat for a while, and it's been very stop start, and I'm also very self conscious about my chest size. But tbh, I think I'm getting into a slightly better place now, healthy eating and all, and this was a great reminder to be more positive and just appreciate what my body can do and how it's getting stronger but can still be soft and round in places haha. You're brilliant babe, and you look fab! Oh, and I love my legs personally 😊

[@bethreads3294]

You're so amazing! ❤️ #selflove ..what I like about my body...I like that I am 5'7"..not short/not tall..I love that I have long fingers 😊 and long legs 😊

[@OliviaReadinglikeamadwomanPope]

Thank you for making this video. So good to hear how comfortable you feel in your skin, and so inspiring. I've been suffering with body image recently, but your wise words have given me a boost. Life really is too short.

[@SonjasMaschensalat]

You are a very charismatic woman and I love how you think about this subject! Thanks for sharing!

[@JennyKing]

well done Lauren this was brill. I Not long ago threw out loads of clothes. some of which id kept because if I managed to fit in them again I was winning at life. but I'm much better at accepting my body now and I have boobs now which I never did when I was younger and in my early twenties - straight up straight down. I still need to work on my body positivity though as I still find myself getting a bit down about it. I'll have to watch this video again when I start thinking like that!! xx

[@SavidgeReads]

I have no idea about my height either. You should fancy yourself more than you ever have done is because you're GORGEOUS inside and out. I'm still learning to embrace my 'bearish' figure after being a right skinny thing in my teens and early twenties. But I'm getting there. I got a 'oooh you look like you've lost weight comment' just this very week. I was wearing a really baggy top 😒 Loved this video because it was so positive about being who you are and embracing it and feeling happier in the skin you're, er, in. Love ya.

[@dulcemoonchild]

My weight was never a concern to me, when I start gaining weight and people started to criticize me I usually told them that I was happy with it and they were not carrying me. I'm on my highest weight right now, and certainly I need to lose weight, because I've been irresponsible with my eating habits and my health is paying the consequences, so yes, it's ok to lose weight and exercise if you do it for your health, not for look like a top model on a magazine

[@yvettemadelaine]

This was bloody GREAT Lauren, thank you xx I need to watch The Inbetweeners now...

[@AimeeReads]

Lauren, I just love you so much and this video means the world to me. You speak the truth, lady!

[@michaelalbaneseiii5158]

I've always thought that you are positively adorable and awesome.

[@Swamplandia]

Awesome video, thank you Lauren! I'm 32 & like you worried about my weight/body constantly in my early 20's..I lost a LOT of weight when I was about 19 and I felt awful! When I got pregnant at 29 I started appreciating how awesome my body is and now I couldn't give a stuff what people think (mostly!) I grew a baby and am scarred and wobbly..but I've never been happier! :) x

[@ginathomas237]

Love love LOVE this!!! I'll be watching again when I start saying to myself "I should lose a few pounds before my son's wedding because my ex will be there." What the fuck do I care what he thinks, I definitely don't want him back, he's a complete asshole!!! You are beautiful, in every single way friend Lauren.🤓

[@xxjuiciixx]

Bodies are freaking spectacular!! My journey to body positivity looked something like 1. Realize that beauty standards change all the time, this goes to show just how influenced our ideas of beauty is by society. This means you can learn and unlearn what is beautiful and what is not. 2. Suddenly everyone is beautiful. Wrinkles, fat, bones, scars it's all so amazing, so human, so beautiful! 3. This means I'm beautiful too!

[@smittenforfiction]

I lost 50 pounds, and everywhere I went people kept saying how great I looked, and I thought...Well, didn't I look good before too? And if my kids were with me, I made a point to say, "well, I already looked good but now I feel healthier". I don't want my kids, especially my daughter, putting so much importance on her body like I did growing up. I HATED my body growing up. I was always dieting, starving myself, exercising incessantly. It wasn't healthy at all. When I had my babies I gained a lot of weight, and still haven't lost it all. Thankfully, my husband is freaking amazing and honestly couldn't care less how much I weighed. He went shopping with me last week and helped pick out new pants, I was feeling horrible because none of the pants were fitting properly, but he just kept saying how great I looked and managed to help me find some rocking purple plaid pants LOL I'm getting better at acceptance my body image. LOVE this video Lauren. You rock ♥ ♥ ♥ P.S. What I love about my body is that it gave me two beautiful children.

[@TheAbbieScreams]

Lauren this IS SO AWESOME!!! THANK YOU. Your joy and body positivity are infectious. The "you look like you've lost weight" so called compliment is a periodic experience of mine. And I'm like, do I need to lose weight to look good? No. Not that's there's anything wrong with doing so. But I'm always told it at a time that if anything I've gained, which sends me into a conflicted moment of accepting the compliment or kind of calling the person who said it out. Your story is so similar to mine and honestly hearing it made my day. I'm going to come back to this video when I need a positive pat on the back.

[@KikiLynnie]

I love you so much!! I mostly don't give a shit about what others think about me, except when it comes to my body. I'm 38 and I still struggle with accepting it. I need to get over that!!

[@janechan1914]

I love my freckles! I'm a ginger person lol with brown hair!! My dad was a red head and I inherited his freckles! I'm covered. People think I have an amazing tan, I don't it's one big freckle joined up. 😂 I'm a size 14 and love it. ❤️ and at 45 I've earned my battle scars from having kids and yo yo dieting No I'm like you Lauren couldn't be happier!! Great video x

[@deannafranklin9995]

Omg thank you so much. You are amazing. I have always been thin. but God has jokes for the 52 year old me. I carry weight good which is luck. I an 5'7" and I am up to 234 pounds. Clothes are too tight. I feel huge. my husband says don't worry he adored me no matter what. I looked awesome at 188 but now the belly and the bubble handle bars disgust me. You just made me feel so good. thank you

[@msimbelmyne]

This video is an absolute gold. I'm loving this series. Thank you, Lauren!

[@Petra888]

Great video!! I'm a big girl and love my boobs and everything that just makes me function! I recongnise the thrill of clothes that fit, especially the ones that bring out your personality. I must buy more dresses... NOW!

[@jennifertenerowicz4231]

Women Power for sure. I love what you said about trying not to ask people if they lost weight and mean it to be a compliment. The stories that you hear about being healthy doesn't mean a women has to be a bean pole. I love this positive body imaging and wish that is what the media focused on, just being healthy regardless of your size. And Lauren....your makeup looks fab DAHHHHLING.

[@jng66]

You are so gorgeous Lauren in every sense of the word - especially your sparkling green eyes! It makes my heart sing hearing you talk about body acceptance. I'm 50yo and am only just beginning to accept myself as I am - it's been hard living with a husband who is a fitness/health fanatic and, yes, I'd love to be 40kgs lighter although, not for anyone else, just for me. Diversity is becoming the new norm and it's absolutely bloody wonderful. Blooming wonderful video xx

[@iamviccckkk]

As someone who has been 18 1/2 stone and also 5 stone I absolutely love this. I was bullied for being big, developed anorexia, and then bullied for being skeletal. I now maintain a healthy BMI and have studied to become a dietitian so I can help others struggling with different weight issues. I had all of those feelings thinking 'If i lose weight people will like me more' - and I can tell you first hand, they don't. There is no weight where you get a sudden 'ping' moment and everything in life is perfect. You got to love yourself and love the things your body lets you do! I'm still working on loving my body but at 25 years old you start appreciating more the amazing things your body can do including running, laughing, dancing, reading, swimming, hugging etc. Every human is unique and that's freaking awesome! Love your message and this video! xx

[@SydneyKav]

I am just filled with so much warmth and joy for you and for this video. I've been looking forward to it since A for Anxiety and it is everything I wanted and more!

[@reesesurace6904]

Thank you Lauren! You made me feel better about myself. I'm a size 20 and I haven't let anyone take a photo of me for about six years now coz I'm always embarrassed of how I look. Tomorrow I will do myself up the best I know how and take a pic with my husband. The thing I like about my body is my squishy soft belly and my husband loves it too. 😊

[@MichaelMilton1]

This isn't even a video about books, Lauren, but I loved it, I loved everything about it. I have four nieces, and I don't know how they feel or will feel about this subject, but I'm so happy that there are people/videos like this out there counteracting all the ridiculous media (and social media)-served bullshit. I originally trained as an actor and was once told by a teacher at drama school that I wasn't good-looking enough to get leading roles (I didn't even want leading roles, I wanted to be a character actor!). The worst part was how much attention I felt I had to pay to my appearance. When I quit acting, I remember the sense of relief that came with not having to give a shit about what I looked like, and honestly, just like you said about finally buying clothes that fit, I don't think I'd ever felt so handsome as when I stopped caring about what people saw on the outside. *YASSS*

[@emmarobert412]

I don't get asked if I've lost weight, but whenever I have something new on I always get told that "you look so thin in that!", like it's another way of saying "Wow, you look great wearing those clothes". It's pisses me off that thin = good looking. 1. You can be good looking no matter what your size is. 2. Being good looking isn't really top priority.

[@munglejoela]

So true! Someone the other day said to me at lunch at work when I was eating leftover veggie curry "Think of the calories in that!" and I just said "I don't really care about the calories in it". But it can be hard when that's what surrounds you. I have definitely found in my 30s I've cared less about having a go at myself for the way I look, it's so counter-productive. I've also found since I started yoga 4 years ago I spend more time being impressed with what my body can do that focusing on its "flaws" and that's been brilliant.

[@marcellabrukx9349]

Thanks for reminding me my body is great! I always feel weird when someone asks me if I have lost weight. I happened twice last month. I don't know what to say, because I don't actually know if I lost any weight because I don't have scales in the house. So maybe I have, but then again I just ate half a batch of choc chip cookies, so probably not ;) So yeah, especially when Im not trying to loose weight, or watching my diet or excersising more then I really don't know what to say to that. I think I'm on my way to being body positive, but not quite there yet. I think for example I still happier if I had a shirt that had a label size M in it then a label XL, even if the shirt was exactly the same size..

[@flippinpages6550]

wonderful, wonderful message. One thing I know is that as I get older and older my body gets larger. I was thin up until I reached 40, I was fine with gaining some weight. I exercised and was fine. la. la. la. la. la. Then low and behold life changes. I had my mom move in with me and she had Alzheimers and I had to sit with her day in and day out. I worked really hard creating meals she would and could eat. I spent a lot of time cooking wonderful things but before I knew it I gained 20 more pounds. Not so easy to get rid of once we are older and someone dies and grief sets in, partly because I found out I didn't care about anything. I thought I would lose the weight because I was so unhappy but it didn't happen. Now I am going on 68 years old and I don't want to worry so much about weight while living in a very body conscious California. Plus, I am having lifestyle illnesses because of being sedentary for a few years. I am working hard getting my body back into a healthy place and I am making great strides at it. Can't seem to get all the weight off but I have lost 18 pounds. I don't care so much about losing much more weight but I am happy not to look and feel bloated. It took a couple of years of low grade grief before I realized what was going on. Now I am playing catch up. Not Ketchup.

[@girlfriday9939]

I love this! Sizes are so different in varies stores,,it's ridiculous! I also like that you say that with age you start relaxing a bit about how you look, I also started not giving a fuck what people think about me or what I like, so liberating! I hope some day we'll stop using plus size as a term!

[@mss7570]

Thank you for doing this! I recently went through the same thing you describe about going one size up - I've always been thin my whole life, and I've found as I get older and my body changes, it's hard to accept going up a size when it feels like part of my identity is being thin after growing up underweight. I'm working on accepting that it's OK not to be underweight anymore even if it means being on the higher side of "normal" and working on exercising more for health. If I get a bit bigger because I gained muscle, I want to be OK with that. If I get a bit smaller because I lost some fat, I want that to not be the goal. Still working.

[@EmEliz8]

Such an inspiring attitude to put out on KZbin! The celebratory, kick ass, empowerment of loving your body as it is is something people truly need to share and pass around. This video made my day! I never comment, but I just had to on this one ❤️

[@tammynovo5989]

I love watching your videos! This one was fantastic, as usual, great message to be sending. You are always so cheerful and enthusiastic and entertaining. Keep it coming!!

[@hollycockerham5933]

This video was wonderful! I've always been a bigger gal and struggled with it. And this made me just want to love myself!

[@le_soph]

I already liked this video and I just tried liking it a second time. Thank you for making this. I'm happy you exist & share your thoughts on the internet with us :)

[@Veronica.Roni.V]

Very empowering video. I could not agree more. Enjoy life the way you as a person want to live it. So refreshing to see someone as young as you are that "gets" it and just lives. I also want to add please enjoy eating whatever you want because you never know when your health will change and you are forced to be on a diet that takes some fun out of life....YES happenned to me and it sucks...lol ...Great video!

[@throughtheenchantedportal6617]

I turned this video up a couple notches hoping my daughter would absorb it. 😉 I am fine with how I look but I want my body to be healthier so I can DO the things I want to do. I'm working on that. However, I am grateful to be alive at all after having a blood clot in my leg last September. It is going to be a lifelong struggle but I'm working to take care of my body so something like that doesn't happen again.

[@Moonpome]

Wonderful video, you are an inspiration, I sent this one to my daughter XO

[@trishamccullough8377]

Love it! thank you. we need more positivity. I'm big, and as long as my hubby loves me I don't care. I'm here to make me happy not them. 😆

[@hannahro9967]

Really enjoyed this video and love bodi-posi panda too :) I used to be complimented for my weight loss even when my organs were shutting down because of starvation. It is a funny world! I think, and hope, you are right about things starting to improve as far as body image and the media is concerned, although there is still a long way to go.

[@Tabata774]

Thank you so much for this video and for sharing your thoughts with us. When I was a teenager I wanted to be thin like the girls I saw on the covers of the magazines I was so stupid.. My family taught me how important was to accept myself, to live a healthy life and that body and mind go on together. I learned to give the right importance to ALL the things. Being happy does not depend on the weight.

[@elizabethsspookyshouseofbooks]

your right about that, I used to love walking and taken pictures, but then I just started hated it , because all I could think about was I have to stay at 214 ponds because I was about 280 some ponds, and thinking that I started having anxiety attacks.becouse of that it's so hard to believe in myself​ . but after watching this and listen to it , I knew that if I just take it one day at a time I'll start to love how I look again.

[@thebritishbookworm]

This was amazing Lauren. Totally agree with you regarding clothing sizes. I'm a size 16-18 and for a long time I was ashamed of that (especially when I looked at my Mum who's a trim size 8-10) but one day I just realized that it's just a number and no one else is going to know except me. Like you say, it DOESN'T MATTER. Your confidence and positivity shines through here, it's so inspiring!

[@cynthiarosa1958]

Hey Lauren, thanks for sharing! My weight has always fluctuated and I think right now I am the biggest I've ever been. There are always moments where I am my worst enemy which isn't solely my fault because of the media, etc. sometimes I get so disgusted with myself that I question my relationships and wonder why this other person wants to be with me when I look the way I do. Obviously I have more going for me but it's hard to see these things and be positive when all you see is thin thin thin or people you know hit you up to try to sign up to use these new weight loss wraps or sign up and join their workout plan. Tell me this isn't just happening to me. I constantly have to remind myself that I am beautiful and that the way I look is fine. It's a daily struggle to be body positive but I hope one day it'll be something that comes with ease. 🌺

[@itsallieperry6019]

Bloody hell Lauren you are amazing! I went to Tesco last night at 9 pm to quickly buy clothes that fitted me properly and that were not sweltering hot lol I was desperate to make myself feel better about the way i look and its all because the people i'm around are constantly mentioning my weight, either saying I've put loads on as if its the most terrible thing in the world; or 'complimenting me' on my weight loss that hasn't happened in years! You made so much sense in this video and even though I don't want to give a shit I do because as you say its ingrained in us. I am however trying my hardest to become body positive because I am sick of waiting to enjoy my life or do things when I'm thin!

[@meganbarton5290]

I love that my body has brought 2 beautiful children in this world. and i love that those children now tell me that i'm the softest, squishiest, cuddliest mommy ever. it's not the body i had before kids by far but it's mine and i love it! *It took me a LONG time to get here*

[@maggiechatsbooks9045]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! There is no woman more beautiful than one who is confident in their own body. Excellent video!

[@dejectioncatreads1758]

Such a powerful message! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this! Love your videos :)

[@mariannasou9701]

Your accent is AWESOME!!

[@BetweenLinesAndLife]

YES!! To everything but especially to the "Have you lost weight?!" compliment!! It ruined my body positivity so bad and I had to re-gain it. I did the same with the clothes size and it helped wonder! Also when I get more into make-up and got better at it, getting more experimental. I just looked at my summer clothes and some of them I had them for ages so they obviously didn't fit me anymore, I got a little obsessed, but now HONEY this means new space for new clothes 🎉🎉🎉 I'm also a huge fan of the instagram account bodyposipanda, she's just brilliant. I am totally in the position where I don't really want to lose weight if I do, that's cool, if not, that's cool too. I just recently posted a picture of me in a swim suit on instagram and that was a huge step for me. I'm a size 16 by the way, I think it is in the UK 😄 I love about my body that I feel like I have like an hourglass shape and I just think that looks awesome 😄 loving it 😄😆🎉

[@bookinwithdebra]

I know you made this video a long time ago but it's still incredibly relevant. I just wanted to comment and say how fantastic your video is. Very inspiring and really important. Well done. Thank you for your honesty.

[@katieha12345]

Love this!! I've been chubs all my life which as a teenager seemed the shittest thing in the world but since discovering body positivity and especially fat positivity it's changed everything. I completely feel you on the 'when I'm thin' stuff. I wore a bikini the other day for the first time in maybe a decade and I looked great tbh. I work in a majority female environment and they talk about diets and the weight loss all the time, it can be difficult not to get caught up in it. Its all so internalised and I once had a great convo with the most diet-y colleague about society and the media and how losing weight is bullshit and she already agreed with all of it but still diets now. Wish there was a more mainstream way to get all this great social media stuff to more people, it's hard to give up the ideas initially but once you start its soo freeing!

[@hello79712]

Cannot agree with you more about the "have you lost weight?"- the weirdest thing was that question would always kind of bug me even if I had/that was what I had been wanting to do. It left this feeling like did I not look good before?

[@alyyemily]

Your personality has always reminded me of Adele :) xx

[@nicolemcorbett1948]

If it's possible, I'm even more in love with you now Lauren x

[@MeSimoneI]

Wow... just wow. This video was what I needed right now. I love that you're not preaching but you're celebrating and I think that's what we need as humans! I'm a size 20 and feel negative about my body most days but I forget that I have lost 4 stone in the last year so in comparison to how my body was, it's more how I want it to be and I should love it now. I appreciate your views on the topic; although I'm a way away from being confident and happy with my body, I know I can get there! Thank you :D

[@katiesolomonide5481]

Your confidence is infectious! I really love this video and will come to it when I need a reminder to not give a shit! Xxx

[@treebranch2066]

Great video. I agree it's drilled into everyone's head that thin is the goal. I don't think the media has changed on that point at all. The models are looking more gaunt then ever. It's refreshing to see some people with a positive feeling towards themselves though. Forced diet and exercise is plain torture!

[@wordsoftheroses]

Thank you so much for making this video! I think I went on my first diet for my grade 6 graduation - which I realise how insane that was because I would've been a size 14 which wasn't unhealthy it's was just a few sizes bigger than my friends at the time. Also, it's so crazy how many people will say "you look great, have you lost weight?" Every time I see my grandma she comments on how my back looks slimmer- which is a weird thing to notice. It's taken me a while and yes there are still some day where I struggle with feeling positive about my body but just as you said being thin or losing weight isn't a priority for me, I have other things that are more important and there is no way I could stand going on another fad diet. Again thank you so much for making this video. Bodies are amazing and they should be celebrated no matter how different they are to one another!

[@trolareca]

Very inspiring video! We need more voices like yours, so fresh in this image obsessed society.

[@gracetaylor7351]

Yes I have had that said to me have you lost weight in which I haven't but I have moved around as much being winter here atm . I get that abit but only some people not everyone who can't think much else.

[@sharonmead4830]

Thank you Lauren for this video xxx

[@RogersReads]

I got a "Have you lost weight" yesterday. I hadn't seen the person in probably a year and I have lost a little weight, but still it's like... that's the first thing you can think of to say?

[@throughtheenchantedportal6617]

Oh and by the way I think you are gorgeous and I'm glad you do too. 😊

[@siriuslysnape83]

absolutely love this video. thank you x

[@MsJustwatchin]

This video is fucking amazing!

[@LauraRodriguez-Peace]

Great video, Lauren. Bravo! Well done! :)

[@audreyh7892]

Love it! You look gorgeous as always!

[@nuraitheodora]

I am LOVING this series!!

[@AtelierAhb]

You rock you amazing woman!

[@HelenRiggiBrumfield]

This was awesome!!

[@jennifercahill7397]

I'm size 16-18 (US) and 5 foot 3 and will be 31 this year. While I still struggle with body acceptance (finding clothes I like seem to be the real issue), I have found that like you, I don't care as much about being thin as I used to. I still strive to be healthy and to lose weight if I can (a health issue really makes this difficult) but I have also put being thin at the bottom of my list. At this point, I will never reach that level because of my bone structure. I think it's more important to love yourself whenever possible and strive for being healthy. Maybe if we had been taught by media and others to focus on health vs looking a certain way from the beginning, we'd all be better off, especially mentally. Being expected to look a certain way has only seemed to cause more problems IMO. Thank you for sharing your experience!

[@jennifercahill7397]

And I had the same thoughts about how much better I would be at things if I was "thin." Sad that it held me back!