Canadian influencer Christine Laraine says it's 'empowering' to 'embrace' her body
Christine Laraine feels empowered to know her own body.
On Wednesday, the Canadian influencer took to Instagram with an inspirational message for her more than 43,000 followers about how liberating it is to know, accept and embrace your body. The body positive content creator paired the note with a carousel of photos, where she posed in a black Victoria's Secret bra, black underwear from Mary Young and a white cropped button-down shirt from Les.Basics.
Laraine explained that when she singles out her body, many will often assume she's fishing for reassurance.
"It is empowering to be real about your own body," the self-love advocate penned. "But when I talk about my own body, people automatically assume I am looking for reassurance, that I am not those things. As if what I accept myself to be is a bad thing.
"For example, to say you don't get as cold because you have higher body fat than another person and to be met with, 'No you don't!' just feels weird to me now. Like, I know I do, and that's OK! I know the way my body is now is the way it is meant to be — my own homeostasis."
Laraine pointed out that some people may seek validation by asking others about their appearance.
"There are many individuals in my life that complain about their body and look to me to deny it. But I know that my comments won't help them, besides a few seconds of validation," she wrote, before urging her fans to instead, "not make any sort of comment and switch up the conversation," if it happens to them.
"It can feel rude at first but it is the best way to break this cycle and it forces them to turn inwards and learn to soothe their own insecurities instead of looking outwards," she concluded.
In the comments, fans thanked Laraine for raising awareness about an important issue.
"This isn't talked about enough! I never understood why we choose to put ourselves down in front of others so that they'll reassure us otherwise," one fan commented. "Thank you for sharing and bringing awareness to this!"
"Ugh, yes! Love this," another added.
"Hell yes to this caption," someone else wrote. "Thank you for sharing. Reading that was everything."
One person commented, "Well said. I agree. I love your posts! You inspire me."
Last month, Laraine garnered more applause from fans after calling out a "dangerous" social media trend.
In the post, Laraine wrote on-screen text that singles out how the trend promotes "toxic" diet culture.
"The amount of food every individual eats and needs in a day varies considerably," penned the Vancouver-based content creator. "The wellness and fitness industry is very saturated with those who secretly struggle with eating disorders or who are in remission.
"I have seen many influencers share their diets. It ends up being some combination of a smoothie, small snacks, and a very large salad. The perception of this lifestyle can be turbulent to those who struggle with eating disorders, are in remission or feel great shame for always being hungry."
Laraine concluded that while the trend seems "harmless" to some, for others, it "only further validates their skewed perception" of their bodies.
"It is a tricky topic to promote, and will continue to be with eating disorders being still so prevalent," she wrote.
Let us know what you think by commenting below and tweeting @YahooStyleCA! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
