Hands up if you have ever felt uncomfortable, vulnerable, or just “not your best” in a bathing suit? Us too! At Feelyn, we have created bathing suits that all women can feel comfortable in, providing a range of styles that work on all body types. In an industry that imposes the “perfect bikini body” as the ultimate goal, we want to share the pages we love, and who inspire us to do something different, in bringing more truth into this industry (heads up, they are all UK influencers as I wanted to bring a bit of my home to Feelyn!).
Firstly, the gorgeous Malin Andersson (@missmalinsara), is not only an activist for body positivity and loving your own skin, but also speaks about domestic abuse, grief, women’s rights, self-care, spirituality, and more. After a long struggle with her own body image, much of which perpetuated from her time on the reality TV show Love Island UK, she learned to accept her body instead of constantly wishing she could change it. Her instagram page is a complete breath of fresh air, as she is the epitome of self-acceptance, and someone who embarked on a tough journey of seeking self-love, and who has come out the other end as a confident, beautiful, strong woman. She stresses the importance of feeling comfortable in your own skin, which is exactly why we have made bikinis that we truly feel all women can “make their own”, feel positive in, and love wearing.
Next up we have the beautiful Chessie King (@chessieking), whose page is a light-hearted, funny, yet extremely inspirational page for all women. In particular, after recently having a baby, she encourages mothers to love their post-partum body, marks, scars and all! At Feelyn, we want all women to love our bikinis, as we truly feel they are flattering on all bodies, and therefore we encourage all mothers who may not feel as confident in their bodies after bringing their bundles of joy into the world, to check out Chessie’s page, and our bikinis! Chessie is extremely cheerful and witty, posting many “instagram vs reality” pictures, showing how she can make herself look completely different, simply by altering lighting, her stance, and angles. She tries to show that not everything we see online is the truth, and so aiming for this often unrealistic bikini body is a dangerous, and often impossible, trap. Everything she stands for represents our “why” and is the reason why we believe our brand accepts, flatters and supports everyone. We stand with Chessie to stop the self-sabotaging and negative thoughts, and to not let that stop us from living and making memories.
Finally, we have the fabulous Vicky Pattison (@vickypattison), who has appeared on I’m A Celebrity, Masterchef, and Geordie Shore, but who has gone on to transform her career to one that focuses on health, wellness, body positivity, and being real! Her honesty about the “period bloat”, instagram vs reality, her perfectly normal cellulite, and being so true to herself, is needed in an industry that is so focused on “the perfect life”. She has been through a challenging journey of self-love, as being in the public eye caused her to become focussed on her weight, what she ate, and working to always decrease that number on the scale. However, she has now found happiness, by loving herself, and truly is an inspiration for body positivity, being true to yourself, and accepting yourself for who and what you are. We really recommend everyone to check out her page, as her page provides that sense of reality, and “normal”, that we all know Instagram can lack sometimes!
These three amazing women are exactly the reason we love to do what we do! It is encouraging to feel supported in an industry that can sometimes be pervaded by self criticism, unnecessary comparisons, inaccurate representations, and a whole lot of negativity! Rock that bikini girls, love your own skin because it's yours and nobody else’s!
Accept yourself, love yourself, enjoy your life because you are perfect just the way you are! xx
Written by: Amy Stewart