'Don't wreck yourself': Model's message of body positivity is mandatory reading

We grow up listening to people telling us to be a certain way, to look a certain way. We learn that beauty is something we need to attain by maintaining a fitness regime and keeping a close check on your diet. The pressure builds as we grow up as it doesn’t stay limited to parents any longer. From friends to neighbours, everyone expects you to look pretty, that is, be thin. And God forbid if you happen to be a model or in the show-biz. The same pressure of being body shamed and declared unfit to be a model is what drove American model Khrystyna Kazakova to depression. However, now she seems to have found a new aim, to spread the message of body positivity, and she’s happier than ever.

Khrystyna now calls herself a ‘Body Positive Activist’ as she hopes to rid people of this unending desire to be thin. In a recent post, she recalled the time when she would cut down on her meals and spend long hours at the gym, all to add on to her suffering. “I thought I wasn’t small enough to be a fashion model and technically i have never been small enough. Even back then with all the dietary suffering and daily long hours at the gym I was at 37.5 hip size, a bit too thick. Was I happy? Absolutely not,” she writes. “I did not care about my happiness nor mental health, it was all about getting the next gig.”

In 2013 I thought I wasn’t small enough to be a fashion model and technically i have never been small enough. Even back then with all the dietary suffering and daily long hours at the gym I was at 37.5 hip size, a bit too thick. Was I happy? Absolutely not. I did not care about my happiness nor mental health, it was all about getting the next gig. I found myself depressed going through identity crisis. I gained more weight, hated myself more and more until I had no more energy left within me to hate anything. But exhaustion was somehow freeing. Freeing from thoughts. Blank brained, I looked at this newer but older me. No more striking judgments. Why? Why should we ever wreck ourselves? For career? parental approvals? romances? or fame? Why did I? Why would you ever? TRUST the NOWEST you, trust that this is deserving of all your love. It really does. —- yours, Newer but older Khrystyana — 1. Photo by my good friend @danrappa 2. By @stephgeddes #allBodiesAreGoodBodies #bodypositive#effyourbeautystandards#iamsizesexy#teamcurvy#embraceyourcurves#beautybeyondsize#noshame#bodypositivity#honormycurves#curvymodels#ilovemybody#bodylove#bodyacceptance#selfconfidence#bodyimage#curvymodel#bopo#thisbody#bopowarrior #boldncurvy#celebratemysize#goldenconfidence#AlternativeCurves

A post shared by BodyPositive Activist (@khrystyana) on Sep 12, 2017 at 8:06am PDT

But, when she gazed at herself in that state of utter exhaustion, she found acceptance. She says, “Why should we ever wreck ourselves? For career? parental approvals? romances? or fame? Why did I? Why would you ever? TRUST the NOWEST you, trust that this is deserving of all your love.”

THE “F” WORD Have you ever been called “FAT”? If you say ‘yes’, has that person tried to shame you and make you feel guilty, ugly, or sad if they called you so? Have they succeeded in their attempt? Did that person make you believe that the “F” word is negative? They did in my case. Before I discovered my power and that I actually can reverse the negative into positive, should I chose to. FAT can be my sweetest compliment of the day, I can thank the bully, can’t I? Imagine their mind blown. It’s like they try to bully you by calling you “Beautiful”. YES . You can use your power to turn what’s meant to be negative into something positive. Call me crazy, but I’ve tried it. I’ve been called “fat this” and “fat that” , and I thanked them genuinely. Their faces were priceless. Thoughts? – khrystyana photo by @victoriajanashviliphoto for @chic_cartel

A post shared by BodyPositive Activist (@khrystyana) on Aug 28, 2017 at 1:29pm PDT

What must we gain from torturing ourselves to take control of something uncontrollable? Not everyone is meant to be skinny and not everyone should be either. People have different body types and they should not feel coerced to fit into the society’s beauty norms. One must feel comfortable in their own skin. Khrystyna’s message of health and happiness is urgent especially today when impressionable teenagers pick up diets to look pretty.

GUT FEELING I am gut feeling I’m breathing your hunger for truth Witness you kneeling Before misleading illusion of youth Knife of rejection Knife of repetitive cycles of stuck Pain of collection Attachments and wishing for luck I am gut feeling I ought to pretext you though all Whispering healing Listen, I’m you, I’m your soul — khrystyana photo by @marcharrismiller wearing @nunude_official

A post shared by BodyPositive Activist (@khrystyana) on Aug 22, 2017 at 12:30pm PDT

To be fit doesn’t just mean to look thin, but to feel love towards self and we thank Khrystyna for braving in the face of beauty stereotypes.

Extra push up bra by V secret shot by @iammarinaray #curvyfashion#dareToWear #bodypositive#effyourbeautystandards#iamsizesexy#teamcurvy#embraceyourcurves#beautybeyondsize#noshame#bodypositivity#honormycurves#curvymodels#ilovemybody#bodylove#selfconfidence#bodyimage#curvymodel#bopo#thisbody#bopowarrior #boldncurvy#celebratemysize#curvesarein#curvyfashionista #curvesfordays#fullofcurves#stylehasnosize#lifethrowcurves#andigetdressed #fashionista extra push up bra by @victoriassecret

A post shared by BodyPositive Activist (@khrystyana) on Aug 19, 2017 at 9:36am PDT

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