23 Instagram Models Who Are Leading the Body Positive Movement by Example

Brands such as Aerie have launched campaigns like #AerieReal that make it their mission to hire real women with real curves to model their lingerie (woo!) and leave Photoshop out of the picture entirely (double woo!). Iskra Lawrence made a name for herself as a model for Aerie, and she uses her Instagram to share the message that every body is beautiful with her 3.5 million followers.

That’s better than what I use Instagram for. I just post pictures of my dog. But he also has a beautiful body, so it’s OK.

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There’s probably no more famous model slash body activist than Ashley Graham right now. In 2016, she became the first size 16 model to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue, but that was a milestone she reached after years of cultivating an online presence as a confident, beautiful, outspoken woman who knows that beauty goes beyond size.

Life in the spotlight has afforded Graham the opportunity to engage with her fans and spread her message of love and positivity. She has her own clothing lines and a book and she’s my hero.

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“Just Do You, Babe!” is Allison Kimmey‘s motto. The professional speaker, author, and body image activist uses her Instagram following to shout from the rooftops, or, you know, social media feeds, that “We are not DEFINED by our bodies, or circumstances, or lifestyle.”

Sing it, girl.

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Olakemi is a model, body confidence activist, and founder of the #PlusIsDiverse movement. Not only does she promote acceptance and love of all body types, but she champions the cause of diversity in modeling and representation in media.

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She was “the first plus girl on TV in France” and she’s the co-founder of the advocacy campaign, @allwomenproject, which seeks to spread body confidence, positivity, and representation. They are dedicated to showing untouched photos of women of all sizes, shapes, and colors in their campaign, and they organize events and workshops with school-age girls to promote their inclusive message.

“We believe greatness starts with self-love,” their website reads, “and we’re dedicated to make [sic] every little girl convinced that she can do anything, regardless of her background or her body.”

That’s a message I can get behind.

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Jessamyn Stanley is a body positive advocate and writer who just so happens to be a badass yoga teacher. Her practice celebrates all bodies and focuses on making you feel good inside. That’s what fitness should be about, after all.

Stanley’s Instagram account is a ray of sunshine, and you need to experience it.

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There’s more than one way to be a body positive advocate, and model and America’s Next Top Model contestant, Winnie Harlow, proves that fact.

Harlow has vitiligo, a skin condition that causes patches of her skin to lose their pigment. After she took the modeling world by storm, she became an outspoken activist for body positivity in all its forms.

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Lena Dunham has always been an outspoken champion of women, whether in her work, HBO’s Girls, or on her personal Instagram. She’s raw and honest on there, especially about her struggles with endometriosis, in order to bring to the forefront issues of women’s rights and body confidence, especially when it comes to healthcare.

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Dunham is consistently reflective in her posts and often shares her experiences with body shaming in order to spread the message that your body is beautiful, but it’s also no one else’s business. In this post, she thanks Glamour magazine for publishing her untouched cellulite-sporting photo on their cover.

Women in positions of fame and power have a great opportunity to be positive forces in the body positive movement, and Dunham is doing just that.

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There’s no denying that this cover, fierce and un-Photoshopped, is sending a positive message about women and their bodies.

But I have to say, it’s setting unrealistic standards for high heel shoes. That’s just insane.

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Shay Neary is breaking all sorts of barriers in the modeling world, and she’s doing it all with a lovely message about body positivity and an adorable rescue pit bull named Pumpkin.

In 2016, Neary became the first non-straight-size transgender model to be featured in a clothing campaign. How amazing is that? Neary chronicles her journey of self-love and acceptance on her Instagram, which is full of positivity and puppy pics.

Who could ever ask for more?

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If you’re craving a bold, brave, powerful voice in body positivity, Fran Hayden is your gal. She’s a blogger and body positive activist whose confidence and self-love is totally infectious. For real, get you some Fran Hayden up in your Instafeed.

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Margot Meanie is a blogger and YouTube star who’s all about plus size alternative fashion. She’s the founder of #alternativecurves, which promotes body positivity and alternative fashion for all the plus-size women who don’t connect with mainstream plus clothes.

She and her turquoise lipstick are so ridiculously cool I kind of can’t handle it.

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Imogen’s Instagram bio reads, “A disabled woman’s journey through weightloss, eating disorders and into self love, self acceptance and body positivity [sic].”

Everyone deserves to feel good about themselves in all aspects of their lives, and this woman’s account, The Feeding of the Fox, goes beyond strict body positivity. She’s struggled so much with her view of herself, and each of her posts is intimate, inspiring, and totally free of judgment. The fact that she’s willing to share the emotional details of her journey of self-love is truly something special.

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Who said body positivity is only for women? Kelvin Davis, the face and bod behind the NotoriouslyDapper Instagram and fashion blog, is making strides for men’s body positivity.

Davis describes himself as a “Body Positive Gentleman Author, Blogger, Model, Dancer & Activist,” and we absolutely love it.

He models dapper fashion with a body positive goal, encouraging everybody, and every body, to be loud, proud, and love the skin they’re in.

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Megan Jayne Crabbe, a.k.a. BodyPosiPanda, is not just a rainbow-haired body confidence warrior. She’s also a survivor of anorexia and a cheerleader for anyone experiencing a tough time on their way to loving themselves. She’s goofy, damn proud of her butt dimples, and full of smiles without being unrealistic about the struggles we all face every day to love our bodies.

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If you want to be jealous of a body positive life full of fun, travel, and cute puppies, London Andrew‘s Instagram account is for you. The plus size model is constantly on a new adventure, sharing her body positive experiences from all over the world. The phrase “hashtag goals” comes to mind.

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Model and single mom, Denise Bidot, founded the No Wrong Way Movement, which seeks to spread the idea that there is no wrong way to be a woman. She’s created a beautiful safe space on the Internet for women of all types to be able to be their authentic selves without fear of judgment.

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Meghan is chronicling her recovery from an eating disorder on her body positive Instagram account. Her honesty and her reassurance that it’s OK to be OK but that it’s also OK to not be OK is refreshing, helpful, and relatable on a deep level. Ignoring how you really feel is never the answer. It’s about letting yourself wallow, and then letting yourself realize how beautiful you truly are.

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Alessandra Garcia Lorido is a model and a face of Lane Bryant’s “This Body” Campaign. She also happens to be actor Andy Garcia’s daughter. You saw her on the runway as a model for Christian Siriano in New York and for Dolce & Gabbana in Milan. She’s pretty much taking the modeling world by storm. Not only that, but she’s also part of a group of models that fight the prevalence of eating disorders in their industry. Fight on Alessandra!

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Matt Joseph Diaz is a body positive advocate, writer, and public speaker. By the time he was 18 years old, Diaz weighed almost 500 pounds. Through a series of lifestyle changes, he dropped a bunch of weight, gained a bunch of confidence, and began using his platform to motivate others to have healthy relationships with their bodies.

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Gabi Gregg, on Instagram as GabiFresh, is a former InStyle contributor, fashion blogger, model, and designer who vocally pushes for high-end brands to recognize women of all sizes. She collaborated and modeled for Target’s Ava & Viv collection, which makes stylish clothes for women sizes 14-30.

Her swimsuit collection from 2013 had a campaign slogan I just love: “New Year, Same You.” Embrace the you that is because that’s the you you got.

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Candice Huffine is a fierce model with a silly side, which is totally evident on her Instagram account. She encourages all women to be and love themselves. She founded Project Start/@PsYouGotThis, an initiative to inspire women of all kinds to start a running journey and prove that the size of your body doesn’t inhibit your ability to take part in physical activities to promote healthy living.

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You want to talk gorgeous, bold, and fierce models? Let’s talk Sabina Karlsson. After being a straight size model for some time, she rejected the strict, unforgivable body standards of modeling and found success as her true, beautiful self.

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Lane Bryant simply can’t get enough of Precious Lee. She’s one of the faces of three of their campaigns: “I’m No Angel,” “Plus Is Equal,” and “This Body.”

The gorgeous model has made history several times over as the first black plus-size model in Vogue and the first plus-size model ever to get her own page in Sports Illustrated. She’s constantly breaking new ground in the modeling industry and serving as an inspirational example of body positivity.

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This surfer and model broke down a unique barrier as the first non-straight-size contestant on The Bachelor. She may not have lasted long on the show, but her modeling career shows she’s in it for the long haul.

Bo Stanley is an outspoken advocate for representation of all body types in surfing ad campaigns. While she’s an athlete herself, she doesn’t believe women should be pressured into exercising to make their body fit some unrealistic beauty ideal.

Basically, Bo Stanely gets it.

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A fashion, lifestyle, and beauty blogger, Danielle Vanier subtlely promotes body positivity on her seriously stylish Instagram account. She was InStyle’s Best Curve Influencer of 2016, and it’s easy to see why. Her luxurious life and effortless style make me swoon.

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San Francisco-based yoga practitioner and self-described “radical self love enthusiast,” Valerie Sagun, is the founder of Big Gal Yoga.

According to her website, “Valerie’s yoga practice is about learning to love yourself physically and mentally through yoga. Learning to listen to your body, to know when to push it and when to protect it.”

That sounds like a mission every person could get behind.