How an Instagram hashtag helped one woman learn to love her loose skin

When you’ve set your sights on losing the pounds, your goal weight is often the main focus. But what about when/if you get there? Sometimes it’s not just about reaching the magic number on the scales, but learning to love your new body all over again.

One woman who knows just how this feels is actress and vlogger Kenzie Brenna. The body positive advocate recently took to Instagram to share a picture of the body part she finds the hardest to love following her recent weightloss – her excess skin.

“This is a part of me I’m not changing. Not only do I not have the finances to chance this part of my body, I don’t have the emotionality to change it,” she wrote alongside an image of her in a vest top and knickers.

Kenzie went on to explain that she took inspiration from the Instagram community built around the hashtag #embracethesquish, which has helped her to learn to love her stomach, loose skin and all.

“I honestly don’t even hate this part of me anymore, through #embracethesquish I have found more and more women who help me accept this part of myself,” she explained.

“There’s nothinggggg to be ashamed of. A body part that doesn’t look like the body parts you’ve seen PLASTERED in the media, doesn’t make it wrong,” she continued.

“Yes it’ll feel wrong to embrace. Yes it’s counterintuitive to love yourself as is. Yes there will be moments where you’re not fucking good at accepting yourself. And you’ll truck through all of them, just like you have with the last x amount of years of yourself.”

Now the actress wants to help encourage others who might be dealing with a similar body image struggle.

“Chasing yourself in circles fuelled by dislike, hate, negativity will NOT equal out to a positive, well balanced, harmonious, loving, soothing, body, mind or soul,” she writes.

“If [we] could all just embrace the squish a little more maybe we wouldn’t be as rigid to ourselves and to others.”

Since sharing, Kenzie’s empowering post has been liked more than 14.3K times and flooded with comments from users saying it has helped them conquer their own body image insecurities.

“Thank you so much for this post, I was crying about body stuff today and this really helped me,” one wrote.

“I freaking love this. I am so self conscious of my middle. Thank you for sharing and being so authentic,” added another.

It isn’t the first time the vlogger has taken to social media to spread some body positivity. She previously used the #cellulitesaturday hashtag encouraging users to proudly share images of their bodies, cellulite and all.

Think the Body Positive movement just found itself a new leader.

What body part do you have to learn to love? Let us know @YahooStyleUK

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