Four Body Positive Influencers To Follow On Instagram

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Influencers on Instagram are known for having a big and dedicated audience in a particular segment like lifestyle, fashion, food, travel, etc. But then there are those who use the platform to spread awareness, body positivity, share their struggles or promote social causes in the hope that they will probably give hope and inspiration to that one person who is struggling to embrace their struggles, be it inward or outward.

Here are four Instagram influencers who are spreading body positivity by posting about the side of beauty that the industry never represents- vitiligo, acne, body size. things which should be normal because human beings come in all shapes and sizes, but unfortunately we only see the fair, slim, smooth-skinned models take the space in media when it comes to representation. As we feature some of their inspiring posts from their Instagram feed, we also wish more power to them. May their tribe grow.

Riya Agrawal

Instagram: rhea_agrawal

(Rhea Agrawal), 23-year-old vitiligo influencer from Mumbai, currently residing in London

“People are gonna label you. It’s how you overcome those labels, that’s what matters. All this time through vitiligo I’ve been trying to spread a message to not have a fixed notion of beauty. I’m not sure if I’ve failed or succeeded in doing so but aren’t we all better off custom-made?”

“My account has always been about being comfortable in my own skin. And there’s no denying that. But I just wanted to come here and talk about my low days. Days when I end up comparing myself, maybe unintentionally; days when I keep on playing ‘what ifs’ in my head; days when I overthink and don’t feel like sharing it with anyone. So I get it when you all send me messages sharing your tough times and asking questions about being confident. Guess I don’t have the answer to all of them and honestly, it’s okay to feel that way. But I do know that on these days it is so important to be content with yourself first.
Try and have an inner monologue that deflects negative thoughts. Let the true you, the flawed, the messy, the excitable, the uncomfortable, the inner and outer you, spread like wildfire. Just felt like sharing this because I don’t wanna change myself even a tad bit, do you?”

PARUL SRIVASTAVA

Instagram: iampaarul

Parul is a Digital creator, Recruiter, Traveller, Storyteller, and a Vitiligo Advocate from Lucknow who has a Podcast called Unfiltered By Paarul which is heard in 20 countries.

“I always preach one thing when it comes to vitiligo and that is: Vitiligo never defines who you are. Your worth and value are not determined by it. It takes years to be on self-love journey and I am so proud of all of you who are putting themselves before anything. I salute to even those who are taking a teenie tiny step towards self-love.”

Ishita

Instagram: missmakeuphoarder

Ishita is a Beauty Content Creator and an advocate for Acne/Skin positivity. She goes by the motto- Dream. Demand. Inspire.

“If you feel that acne makes someone “ugly” then the problem is with you. My acne is not “ugly”. It’s just there and it exists and I can assure you that we are doing enough to get rid of it because it is really hard to struggle with a chronic skin condition. To all my lovelies who call themselves ugly cause, they’re struggling like I have, as much as I know that we have been told since a very young age that if we don’t look a certain way, we are ugly and that’s what we started believing in, try not calling yourself that from next time. Your acne doesn’t make you ugly and if there’s anyone trying to make you believe the same, don’t let them hold that kind of power.”

“WE DESERVE ACNE REPRESENTATION! If today I grew up watching someone like myself, I probably wouldn’t have been self-loathing in front of the mirror most of my life. It’s mostly because of how you portrayed women is why a young child believed that she wasn’t good enough to fit in. You made us young girls believe that you need to look a certain way to feel beautiful and that we can never belong in the industry. I know that not much of it has changed but we NEED to work on it.”
Brands, just not on social media but also on television commercials, show us women with real/textured/acne/hyperpigmented skin. Women are constantly subjected to the stereotypical beauty standards, you can try to make a change.
For example, when you promote something for people with acne, get yourself a model who really has acne and not a small drawn zit on some big actress because it’s only benefitting your brand. What about the people watching you? Also not the ones that fit into your box of “looks cute” but the ones you know that might make someone feel uncomfortable because when you start to have conversations on normalising something, you know that it will make some people uncomfortable but it’s for the better. Don’t give us unrealistic expectations. Let us know that it’s completely normal to have acne. Show us real advertisements. Show us women with real skin conditions. We deserve it after all these years. Don’t fail the coming young generations. Change the narrative! I’m doing your part, when will you?

Diksha Singhi

Instagram: alwaysalittleextra

Diksha Singhi is a Digital creator who is Reclaiming her space in the fitness and fashion industry and is no longer at war with her body.

“Fat women have also been sexually abused massively, because offenders feel that it’s easy to lure a fat woman, because again, who else is going to have sex with her, anyway.And because of this, so many of us don’t feel attractive enough. We don’t take full-body pictures. We feel under-confident. But why?
Our Indian goddesses were always well-rounded. Did they not find love or were single all their lives? We have such a distorted perception of beauty. We can either wait for us to #loseweight and then find love for ourselves or we can start living our lives right here, right now. There are people out there who will find you attractive with those curves. Who will laugh with you at your jokes and who would want to marry all of you including your double chin. But for that, you need to be open to love. Choose a #healthyrelationship, where your #health matters. Not the way you look. Don’t hate your body. Don’t love your body either. Treat it like a body. Love your complete self. And don’t ever change yourself or your weight just because that will help you find love or getting married!|

Images and quotes courtesy of the respective Instagram accounts.

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People with disabilities are the largest minority population in the world. Give this a thought. There are people with disabilities in every country, every gender, every religion and in every social and economic level. But in spite of this, have we been able to create a world which makes them feel included in the society? The answer is a clear No.

Understanding Disability

Based on what we have been taught and experienced, we tend to stick with the standard definition of disability – a problematic condition which interferes with, or limits a person’s ability to engage in certain tasks or actions or participate in typical daily activities and interactions.

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), a framework introduced by WHO, provides us a with a different approach to view disability.

According to ICF, Disability isn’t actually a problem that a particular individual has to deal with.
Disability is a condition imposed by the environment.

Hmm… a little confusing, right? Let’s try and understand this a little more.
Let us think about a wheel-chair user in the United States. There are a lot of activities that the individual can do with little to no discomfort like attending school/college, traveling, taking up jobs, going to the movies, exercising and shopping.
Now let us think about the life of a wheelchair user in India. Can we imagine a person doing all these activities with the same ease? For sure, life is a lot tougher for a person with the same disability in India. From inaccessibility to buildings to no sidewalks on streets to limited schooling and job options, the barriers are many.
This is exactly the difference that ICF emphasizes on.
The problem is not in the person. The problem is in the barriers that prevent that person from fully participating in the world.
It’s now the time to identify these barriers and remove them.

Government Initiatives for Accessibility Improvement

Recognizing the challenge of accessibility, the Government of India has initiated the Accessible India Campaign with the intention to achieve universal accessibility for Persons with Disabilities.
The initial target of the campaign is to convert at least 25-50 most important government buildings into fully accessible buildings in 50 select cities.

Disability — ^{Source:Travel without Limits}

The campaign target also includes converting airports, railways stations and public transport carriers to be fully accessible for persons with disability. This will definitely be a big leap forward in creating an inclusive society.

What can we, as a society, do?

When we think about improving accessibility for people with disabilities, the first thought that probably comes to mind is the infrastructure. Though it is an extremely important factor, it is not the only factor that limits accessibility of persons with disabilities from being an active part of the society.

The one major factor that stops people with disabilities from indulging in social activities is the lack of sensitivity of the people they interact with. They are often made to feel that they are a hurdle or a hindrance to others around them. It is time for us to open our hearts and minds and create a feeling of inclusion for people with disabilities – a feeling that they belong right among the rest of the crowd.

“The worst thing about disability is that people see it before they see you.” – This is a common feeling experienced by people with disabilities. We need to be able to see beyond the disability in a person and interact with them for the person they actually are, keeping aside the disability factor.

You may also like to read: This Lady Designs Adaptive Clothing For People With Disabilities.

To bring about any long-term change in the society towards disability, the change in outlook towards persons with disabilities needs to be imbibed from childhood. Disability Awareness programs introduced at school level can help children be sensitive towards their friends with disabilities and also grow up into more inclusive and accepting citizens in the future.

Many times the immediate family and caregivers of a person with disability feel overwhelmed. A good support system can help them in adjusting and adapting with the situation. In addition to professional help, the support of the society can ease things for them. Just the feeling that they are not alone and can reach out for help if needed, can go a long way.

Good infrastructure, access to public transport, public awareness, support system and most importantly sensitization towards persons with disabilities will help them lead a better life and give them a feeling of belonging in the society.

Let us do our part in removing the challenge of Accessibility from Disability.

_{Note: There are several different types of disabilities, such as physical, cognitive, sensory, mental health, and learning disabilities. Each one comes with its own challenges and struggles. This blog focuses on a few of the challenges faced by persons with disabilities. There are many more barriers that we need to identify, understand and overcome.}