A woman in recovery from an eating disorder has shared an important lesson in self-love and body confidence, by posting a photograph of herself with and without Spanx.
Olivia, who preaches to 16k followers on Instagram with the username ‘selfloveliv’, shared two selfies - one in which she’s wearing the underwear to “slim” her figure and one in which she’s rolled down the material so she could “breathe again”.
She said that Spanx is not only uncomfortable, but completely unnecessary.
“I bought some Spanx about a year ago, hoping it would slim my figure and I could wear body con dresses,” Olivia wrote.
“Do you know how uncomfortable these things are? Breathing was not an option! I felt tight, uncomfortable and restricted in the first photo. The relief of taking them off was amazing!!”
Addressing anyone who feels compelled to use Spanx underwear, she wrote: “You don’t NEED them. I feel totally fine in the second photo, and I can breathe again!
“You don’t need an item of clothing in order to love yourself. You don’t need to wear a tight piece of material in order to wear a dress or top. WEAR IT ANYWAY.
“You are FABULOUS. You are FLAWLESS. You are BEAUTIFUL. Don’t let any f***er tell you otherwise. Love your damn self!”
Her post has received more than 30,000 likes on Instagram.
It’s not the first time Olivia has shared a lesson in body confidence to her followers. She previously shared a photo with her stomach on display, advising people to not be “fooled” by angles or Photoshop.
“Embrace yourself,” she wrote. “I have squish, I have fat, I have rolls and I love them all! I spent years abusing my body and for what? A skinnier, unhappier me? Never again!”
She has also previously spoken out about the “addictiveness” of bathroom scales and discussed why they are “bullshit”.
“Everyone who’s ever had an eating disorder will know how addictive and terrible scales are,” she said.
“I spent so many years checking my weight HOURLY to check I was losing weight. Those scales were my bible. My everything. They would determine if I could be happy during the day.”
But not anymore, she added.
“The number doesn’t mean anything. It just makes you miserable. The scales no longer define me.”