We are all trying to get used to this new world. With lockdowns seeming to have no end in sight, we are forced to adjust our routines and keep to the confines of our homes. For many of us, social media has been the only thing keeping us sane; however, with gyms closed and boredom eating on the rise, social media – for many – has become a huge source of stress and heightened insecurity.
The Covid-15, which references weight gain caused by increased sedentary behavior during the pandemic, is a highly joked about topic online. While light-hearted in nature, the joke can cause shame or additional stress, especially for women and those with eating disorders. With images of perfect bodies and filtered faces dominating Instagram’s feed, those suffering from Covid-related weight gain might shame themselves for a situation that is out of their control and become preoccupied with how they should look post-pandemic.
Thankfully, some influencers – such as Beauty and Lifestyle entrepreneur Negin Mirsalehi – are using their platform to let their followers know they’re not alone in their struggle with body-image and weight gain
Mirsalehi – a Persian-Dutch influencer with 4.7 million followers, nearly 250,000 YouTube subscribers, and a multi-million dollar hair-care brand – posted a photo on her Instagram showing her followers how her body has changed due to lifestyle changes caused by the Pandemic.
Her photo caption reads: “Pre-covid vs. now. Sharing this because I’ve been getting many comments about my face looking different in yesterday’s video. Some saying I look pregnant, others who say it looks like I had fillers done. While in reality, I just gained weight. When I shared this on my stories last night I received the sweetest messages from many of you (just shared my stories). You guys made me feel SO loved and now I wanted to hopefully with this make others feel loved too. To be quite honest, in the left picture, I did feel better: I was exercising regularly and felt good. On the right – me now – feels the opposite. But I also try to love this part of myself. It doesn’t always come easy but I still try to remember that everyone is going through stuff from time to time and that’s normal…”.
Mirsalehi’s post is a perfect example of how influencers can use their platform to show real female bodies and to let other women know they are not alone in their struggles with weight and self-acceptance.
Moreover, it is clear that Mirsalehi – who has been receiving a lot of comments about weight gain in her face – is not alone in her experience and is a further testimony to how female influencers are under a constant pressure to appear perfect.