This teen decided to take a few photos of herself in a bikini as she posed standing in her bedroom in front of a full-body mirror. After, she decided to share the selfies with her friends on Twitter. However, instead of getting positive reviews, many viewers noticed something in her pictures and decided to leave some disgusting comments.
In the age of social media, bullying is more rampant than ever. This is why it’s so inspiring to see a young woman like Sara Petty take a stand against body shaming. After posting a bikini selfie and receiving an onslaught of negative comments regarding her size, she decided to put together a photo series to prove that beauty isn’t determined by weight.
As a college co-ed, Sara was feeling confident in her newfound independence after high school. But before long, she realized that the drama doesn’t end when you reach adulthood. She posted a bikini selfie on social media in hopes of garnering attention – but instead faced backlash from people who thought she was too large for such clothing attire.
It wasn’t until Sara noticed what was trending on Twitter that she knew something had to be done – people were debating over what sort of clothing items “200-pound women” should never be seen wearing: bikinis, crop tops, leggings and booty shorts were all off limits according to these commenters. Taking screenshots of some of these hateful tweets, Sara posted them with side-by-side pictures showcasing her wearing each outfit in turn – and the response was overwhelming positive.
People began tweeting their support for this brave stance against body shamers everywhere.
The reactions from other internet users gave Sara the confidence boost she needed to keep fighting for her cause: “It was kind of scary because I knew I could possibly subject myself to a lot more body shaming and hate,” said Sara,” but I knew there had to be some empowerment in being vulnerable and proving to myself that no one else’s opinion of my weight matters.”
In addition, many girls have come forward saying how inspired they felt by Sara’s actions; seeing how confident she looked made them feel better about themselves too.
