How an Instagram Hashtag Helped One Woman Learn to Love Her Loose Skin

A body positive blogger has shared an empowering message about learning to love her loose skin [Photo: Instagram/omgkenzieee]
Body-positive blogger Kenzie Brenna has shared an empowering message about learning to love her loose skin. (Photo: Instagram/omgkenzieee)

When you embark on a healthier lifestyle plan, your goal weight is often the main focus. But what about when you get there? Sometimes it’s not just about reaching the magic number on the scale, but about learning to love your new body.

One woman who knows how this feels is actress and vlogger Kenzie Brenna. The body-positive advocate recently took to Instagram to share a picture of the body part she finds the hardest to love following her recent weight loss — her loose skin.

“This is a part of me I’m not changing. Not only do I not have the finances to change this part of my body, I don’t have the emotionality to change it,” she wrote alongside an image of her in a sports bra and underwear.

This is apart of me I'm not changing. ???? Not only do I not have the finances to chance this part of my body, I don't have the emotionality to change it. To actually undergo the surgery I've researched and phoned in about so many times, I can't do it. ? I don't blame others for going through it, it's just not something that I can do. I honestly don't even hate this part of me anymore, through #embracethesquish I have found more and more women who help me accept this part of myself. ???? There's nothinggggg to be ashamed of. A body part that doesn't look like the body parts you've seen PLASTERED in the media, doesn't make it wrong. Yes it'll feel wrong to embrace. Yes it's counterintuitive to love yourself as is. Yes there will be moments where you're not fucking good at accepting yourself. And you'll truck through all of them, just like you have with the last x amount of years of yourself. When I get messages from my friends, people from my city, women from other countries, on different continents, within different cultures that tell me I help them love themselves a bit better, I end up loving myself a bit more in the process. GOOD ATTRACTS GOOD. If what you're doing right now DOESNT feel good, STOP. Start doing something that might be a little scary (but may be a little fun) and try something new. Chasing yourself in circles fuelled by dislike, hate, negativity will NOT equal out to a positive, well balanced, harmonious, loving, soothing, body, mind or soul. If could all just embrace the squish a little more maybe we wouldn't be as rigid to ourselves and to others. #selflovebootcamp #selfloveisthebestlove #beyourownhero #beautybeyondsize ????????????????????

A photo posted by Kenzie Brenna (@omgkenzieee) on Jan 30, 2017 at 8:40am PST

Kenzie went on to explain that she took inspiration from the Instagram community built around the hashtag #embracethesquish, which has helped her learn to love her stomach, loose skin and all.

“I honestly don’t even hate this part of me anymore, through #embracethesquish I have found more and more women who help me accept this part of myself,” she explained.

“There’s nothinggggg to be ashamed of. A body part that doesn’t look like the body parts you’ve seen PLASTERED in the media, doesn’t make it wrong,” she continued.

“Yes it’ll feel wrong to embrace. Yes it’s counter-intuitive to love yourself as is. Yes there will be moments where you’re not f****** good at accepting yourself. And you’ll truck through all of them, just like you have with the last x amount of years of yourself.”

Now the actress wants to help encourage others who might be dealing with a similar body image struggle.

“Chasing yourself in circles fueled by dislike, hate, negativity will NOT equal out to a positive, well balanced, harmonious, loving, soothing, body, mind or soul,” she writes.

“If [we] could all just embrace the squish a little more maybe we wouldn’t be as rigid to ourselves and to others.”

Since she shared it, Kenzie’s empowering post has been liked tens of thousands of times and flooded with comments from users saying it has helped them with their own body image insecurities.

“Thank you so much for this post, I was crying about body stuff today and this really helped me,” one wrote.

“I freaking love this. I am so self conscious of my middle. Thank you for sharing and being so authentic,” added another.

Now see! That wasn't very hard! For those of you who don't know, here are the following statistics; 42% of girls in grade 1-3 want to be thinner ???? 78 fucking % of 17 year old girls are unhappy with their bodies ???? "Teenage girls are more afraid of gaining weight then getting, cancer, losing their parents or nuclear war." ???????????? In 2013 the American Medical Association created a policy that really didn't go anywhere, stating that the effects of digitally altering images to impressionable youth were so harmful they cause HEALTH PROBLEMS. HEALTH. PROBLEMS. One more time for those in the back of twitter who subtweet me; HEALTH. PROBLEMS. ???????????? For all you concerned about "health" couldn't this be something you jump on board for?? ???????? If magazines had disclaimers on bodies, it would start looking pretty silly flipping through 99% of the pages with a warning on it. I personally think it needs to happen. PARENTS AND SCHOOLS should and need to be teaching their kids that the bodies they see in the media may not look like theirs. Explaining that one is "whole" body and one is a "processed" body. Similar to what an organic whole food is to processed food. I don't get why this is so difficult to accept or why people battle it. ?????♀?Okay so you want don't want body diversity in advertisements? Then I'll have disclaimers on every image they alter. ???? And for those of you who HAVENT heard, cellulite is ???? NOT ???? an indication of health, wellness or quality of life. ?????♀????? It is the appearance of fat cells. It is a cosmetic issue in OUR culture and it happens to be on 90% of women. ???????????? YOURE COOL. STAY BEAUTIFUL AND LOVING. ???????? #cellulitesaturday #selflovebootcamp #beyourownkindofbeautiful

A photo posted by Kenzie Brenna (@omgkenzieee) on Jan 7, 2017 at 5:40am PST

It isn’t the first time the vlogger has taken to social media to spread some body-positive thoughts. She previously used the #cellulitesaturday hashtag encouraging users to proudly share images of their bodies, cellulite and all.

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