A plus size influencer has opened up about her past struggles with body image, revealing she used to wear baggy jumpers and risk heat stroke in summer – but now she’s confidently “fat and proud”.
Julia Sena, famed for her shopping hauls, recommendations, vlogs, and candid discussions on being a plus size woman, has faced harsh online criticism. The 30-year-old, who has amassed a following of 127,000 on Instagram under the handle @jewlieahofficial, recently shared that some online commenters warn she’s “heading to an early grave” because of her weight.
Despite the negativity surrounding her size 26, 330lb frame, Julia has reached a point where she no longer cares about others’ opinions, although it wasn’t always this way.
“I was the type to wear big baggy hoodies in the middle of summer,” she confessed to What’s The Jam. “I was so self conscious of my body growing up, that I’d risk getting heat stroke. Just to avoid having my body perceived even more than it already was.”
The body positive stunner added: “I think, as a society, we need to be honest. Instead of saying ‘beach body’ people need to say what they actually mean; a thin or fit person in a swimsuit. The reality, though, is that a beach body should just be anybody at the beach.
“Hearing people say. ‘I’ve got to get fit before summer time’, sounds like a very unhappy way to live. If you have a body and want to go to the beach, regardless of your size, you have a beach body and you’re already summer time [ready].
“Spending time in the ocean, soaking up the sun and enjoying nature shouldn’t just be for smaller bodies.”
The lifelong battle against uninvited weight loss advice is all too familiar for Julia, who’s says she’s ‘lived in a larger body her entire life’ and has endured over three decades of unwelcome dieting ‘tips’. “I definitely won’t be listening this summer,” she firmly stated.
She opened up about the relentless social pressures, particularly on women, to meet certain beauty standards, which are often unrealistic and detrimental. . She confessed: “I have tried so hard to fit [into] what society expected of me for the majority of my life.”
Julia, hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, US, said people ‘think they have to change their appearance to be loved or accepted.’ She also touched on the pervasive message that people must conform: “[All because] the world is telling them, ‘You aren’t good enough the way you exist, so conform to what we believe you should look like’,” she said.
According to Julia, there’s been a concerning reversal in societal acceptance of diverse body sizes recently. She explained: “If I was asked a few years ago, I would’ve said that society is generally becoming more inclusive. But not so much anymore – there’s been a shift backwards.”
Her message is one of body positivity and self-love, imploring others to cherish themselves wholeheartedly. “Please show love to yourself; your body and mind are connected,” she said. “Speak positively about your body, regardless of how it looks or functions.”
Finally, she emphasised the importance of authenticity in a society fixated on aesthetics. “Stay true to yourself – you don’t have to change your body to be loved and respected,” she said. “Your weight doesn’t determine your worth.”
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