Embracing you for YOU is one of the one of the most important steps in your Body Love Journey, however Social Media platforms like Instagram and Facebook can play a pivotal role in how you reach this level of Body Love. Whether you are at the beginning stages of your Body Love Journey or a seasoned Body Love Expert, how you use and consume all forms of Social Media will define your experience and growth both online and offline. 


In a world where filters and photoshopping apps are readily accessible to ANYONE, the need to learn to embrace raw and natural selves has never been stronger. Whether you only spend only a few hours a week or endless hours a day scrolling on Social Media, what you consume in that time is detrimental to your Body Love Journey. At the same time, the way you participate in using Social Media can influence how Body Positive the space can be. Whether you have thousands of followers or just a couple, you can also be a Body Love “influencer”. Here are 5 ways you can promote and participate in more Body Love across Social Media platforms. 

1. Go Filter Free


Social media is the birth right to the Selfie and one of the best ways to embrace Body Love is by ditching the filters. Although it is so easy to chuck a filter on that makes your eyes & lips bigger, nose smaller, skin smoother etc, every time you use it, not only are you negatively impacting your own Body Love, you are influencing others to do the same. You are hiding your real self and supporting the idealism that only certain body features are aesthetically attractive. If you constantly use these shape shifting filters, you are body shaming yourself by telling yourself that you are not enough to go filter free (ps. you are!). There is no way, the constantly using filters will have anything but a negative impact to your Body Love Journey. By choosing to post filter free selfies, it is a breath of fresh air that everyone needs. It will certainly promote Body Love for yourself and it will be the inspiration someone else might need to do the same. 


2. Consciously Consume 


Social media has become a part of our daily lives. It has grown from just being about connecting with friends to be able to get direct content from strangers, celebrities and brands. While we are scrolling, we are consuming all the data posted and subconsciously, we are contributing to how we feel about exercise, clothing, food, self-care, health, and most importantly the connection we have with our body. This isn’t a hidden fact either. There is literally people who are full time Influencers and they take advantage of this. However you can choose how and who influences you.


As you scroll in your feed or follow a new person, really ask yourself “does this support my Body Love Journey?”. If the answer is no, it's time to remove them from your feed (or at least mute their posts). If you find yourself constantly comparing yourself to certain people then it’s time to remove them too. If you are reading this, you have permission to remove anyone who doesn’t support your Body Love Journey.


You can also choose to add the right people to your feed. Follow people who embrace themselves, who show up in their feed without filters or photoshop, and who are an inspiration for you. Social Media is full of influencers so you can find the right ones for you. For example, if you are learning to embrace your acne, its as simple as following body positive acne Influencer. Let them show you how to embrace you and be unapologetic about it. If you are looking for a good place to start, click here


3. Engage in Encouragement 


If you’re not too familiar with how social media works, in a nutshell it’s all about engagement. The more people engage with a post, the more its shown in other people’s feed. If you are not ready to embrace yourself on your own posts, encourage those who do! Whenever you come across any posts that are supporting what you want to see in your Body Love Journey, take the time to drop some love. Not only will taking the time to compliment someone else leave all parties involved feeling good, the more Body Positive posts you interact with, the more they will be shown in your feed.


4. #bodypositive


When you run a Social Media account, you rely on Hashtags to increase the chances of your target audience seeing your post. Whether you are building your platform or trying to find the right accounts to follow, by searching for certain Hashtags, you can directly find the right accounts and online community. This will have a positive impact on you, your feed and your Body Love Journey. When you upload posts, use these hashtags too. By doing this in your content, you are actively participating and supporting an online community that encourages, accepts and promotes Body Love. You can also follow specific Hashtags too. This means that any posts that are performing well using that Hashtag will show up in your feed whether you are following that account or not. Using the right hashtags in any way will mean that you will end up with more Body Love in your feed. 


5. It’s not just about the pictures 


Sometimes interacting with accounts that just share pictures of bodies can be really hard for some people, especially at the beginning stages of your Body Love Journey. But exposing yourself to accounts that post pictures of diverse bodies isn’t the only way to create more Body Love in your feed. The powerful thing about Social Media means that anyone can have an account. This means you could follow accounts by, for example, artists and poets that create and share art and quotes that encourage more Body Love, self acceptance and body positivity. Sometimes the right piece can have more influence on how we perceive ourselves than what another person can.

Social media often gets dragged for being detrimental to how we view ourselves but by using these 5 tips, you will be a part of a Body Positive movement that social media needs. By posting pictures and words of encourage that promote Body Love, you are showing others that its okay to do the same. By following artists, influencers, brands and people who’s values align with yours, will continue to be inspired you, even on the hard days. Social media is a place where we can and should spread Body Love and you have the power to that.