Iskra Lawrence Wants You To Know Your 'Fat Rolls' Are Beautiful
By Chelsea Stone. Photo: Courtesy.
It's no secret that Aerie model Iskra Lawrence is body positivity #goals. But in a new YouTube video and Instagram post, the Brit is getting extra honest about accepting your body—belly rolls and all. Lawrence also discussed the reasons we don't often see body imperfections in modeling campaigns for swimwear and lingerie.
On Instagram, Lawrence posted side-by-side shots of herself wearing a lilac bralette and underwear. In one of the pics, she's sitting up super straight in an effort to show how models stretch their midsections to make their stomachs look flatter, and in the other, she's in a more relaxed pose—bearing her belly as it naturally is.
"Your fat rolls are beautiful," Lawrence wrote in the caption. "And the reason we have been led to believe they aren't is because we don't see them...unless someone's being shamed for weight gain or ridiculed for their body. This is NOT the truth and not OK. Having rolls of skin/fat that are soft/squidgy or big/small does not define your beauty. I wanted to show you how my body looks when I'm relaxed and when I'm posing right next to each other so you can see how easy it is to manipulate how a body looks."
The model also explained that working in the fashion world conditioned her to believe that rolls are something to hide. Lawrence said the photos of her that are chosen to be featured in campaigns are never ones that show how her stomach really is. Instead, companies always select shots of her in which her tummy is flat, prompting her (and other models) to pose in way that eliminates bulges and makes their midsections look smooth.
But Lawrence says that things are finally changing within the industry.
"I remember the first time I saw curvier models in editorials with their rolls and back fat," she wrote. "And I remember the first time I shot with Aerie and they wanted me to not pose, but be real and just myself. Then when I saw my first campaign with them...pics with rolls/back fat—I'm not gonna lie, I was shocked. That quickly turned into joy because they made me feel good enough and knew that those 'flaws' didn't mean I wasn't beautiful. In fact, showing that their models didn't have to be 'flawless' was incredibly empowering."
In addition to her Instagram, Lawrence posted a YouTube video in which she demonstrates exactly how models often position their body to hide their rolls. She says that not only are these rolls completely normal (because we're all humans who, you know, move and bend), but she's also grateful to Aerie for being the first brand she's worked with that wasn't afraid to show hers off. Finally, Lawrence pledged to personally make more of an effort to show off her own rolls.
"If I have some rolls showing or whatever, I'm not scared to post that," she said in the video. "I'm not scared to sit here in my underwear and make this video for you guys, because this is my body. You know, it really doesn't matter. I just wish we saw more of it, I guess. Because I think if I had growing up, I would have known that it was OK."
Check out Lawrence's inspo-filled Instagram and video.
Related:
Aerie Model Iskra Lawrence Embraces Her Webbed Toes In This Empowering Video
This 'Biggest Loser' Trainer's Photos Show Why 'Stomach Rolls' Are Totally Normal
This story originally appeared on Self.
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