Megan Crabbe has hit back at those who slut-shamed her Instagram posts, saying she’s worthy of respect regardless of what she wears.
Crabbe, who battled anorexia and is now in recovery, has found social media fame through her body-positive Instagram account bodyposipanda (she has 839,000 followers and counting).
The Colchester-based blogger shares inspirational messages as well as candid stories about her recovery - sometimes they’re accompanied by photos of her wearing underwear, sometimes she’s fully dressed.
But her decision to celebrate her body has been criticised by some people who don’t want her to “show too much skin”.
At the weekend, Crabbe shared two photos side by side: in the first she was wearing jeans and a top while in the second she wore bright pink underwear.
She captioned the first photo, “worthy of respect” and the second, “still worthy of respect”.
Crabbe said people comment on her photos saying things like, “we get that you love yourself but why do you have to be half naked?” or “I’m all for body positivity but this is showing too much skin”.
In the caption for the photo, which received over 94,000 likes, she laid down the law when it comes to respecting women and their bodies.
“Fact: the amount of skin a woman shows has nothing to do with how much respect she deserves OR how much she respects herself,” she wrote.
“Fact: a woman can choose to celebrate her body in its most natural state without it being for someone else’s sexual pleasure or gratification.
“Fact: thinking ‘SEX’ or ‘SLUT’ or ‘PUT SOME CLOTHES ON’ as soon as you see any kind of nudity is something that you’ve been taught by a culture that tells us women’s bodies are for the consumption of other people and never for ourselves. While hypersexualising female bodies at every turn it simultaneously teaches us that our sexuality is shameful and that our bodies are scandalous.”
The good news, she said, is that you can unlearn these attitudes.
She continued: “Flesh doesn’t automatically equal sex. Our naked bodies are not shameful. We are just as worthy of respect dressed or undressed and how much skin we show is up to us. Take your casual misogyny and slut shaming elsewhere, and I’ll just be over here celebrating myself however I damn well please.”
The post has resonated with her followers, many of whom agreed that attitudes towards women need to change.
“YOU ARE AMAZING!!! I have the same problem with that too,” one fan commented.
“People always tell me how I shouldn’t be wearing shorts or a crop top because it shows ‘too much’ skin. When really, I’m trying to love my body in clothes I’m scared to wear. Thank you for saying this!”
Another added: “You are an inspiration. You have helped me love my body and be proud of who I am regardless of my weight. Thank you!”