Blogger is Attempting to Change the Cellulite Conversation

Photo: Instagram/Bad Yogi
Photo: Instagram/Bad Yogi

Almost everybody has cellulite, and one yoga blogger is tired of the idea that cellulite doesn’t happen to thin people. “Change in perception starts with US. It starts with YOU! I’m super petite and when I move in certain ways, I totally have cellulite and a few stray stretch marks from having a body that changes over time,” Erin Motz, aka Bad Yogi, wrote to her 107,000 followers in a Facebook post. “These are not things to be ashamed of! It’s like having eyebrows or ears. They’re just there! If you have a body, you have these other things too.”

Can we talk about cellulite? A friend of mine is a graphic designer and he’s friends with a photographer. The photographer took some photos of a model for a fashion website (who *might* be a size 4, by the way). When the model got the photos back, she was insecure about the fact that there was cellulite on the back of her leg and asked my graphic designer friend to edit it out before they were published. Look, I know that the “media” publishes a lot of images that give us unrealistic expectations about what bodies look like. But who perpetuates them? Do we see our own dimples and “imperfections” (I’m hesitant to use that word, but for lack of a better one, I’ll use it) and cringe? What if we saw these “perfect” images and saw them for what they are: edited images intended to highlight an item or idea, NOT represent what a body should look like. My point is that change in perception starts with US. It starts with YOU! I’m super petite and when I move in certain ways, I totally have cellulite and a few stray stretch marks from having a body that changes over time. These are not things to be ashamed of! It’s like having eyebrows or ears. They’re just there! If you have a body, you have these other things too. Here’s an interesting perspective: the Frenchman is pretty ingrained in gym culture and works out 5 or 6 days a week. He walked into the living room after a workout the other day, proudly flexing his biceps and said, “See that?” and pointed to a stretch mark on his shoulder. He goes, “That’s NICE!” I was totally dumbfounded and said, “You WANT stretch marks? Like, where people can see them?!” And he goes, “Hell yeah, it means I’m putting in the work. Every guy who works out wants that, it’s like a trophy.” I can get on board with that perspective Your entire body is a trophy. Be proud, always! #badyogi #badyogisunite

A photo posted by Erin Motz (@badyogiofficial) on Nov 28, 2016 at 11:58am PST

Motz was upset to hear that a thin model asked her graphic designer friend to retouch a photo of her before publishing it. In the photo, the model had a bit of cellulite on her thighs that made her feel insecure. Upon hearing the story, Motz decided to show her followers that even she has cellulite. She blames the unrealistic, overly edited images published in the media for making women feel that their cellulite is something to be ashamed of. “What if we saw these ‘perfect’ images and saw them for what they are: edited images intended to highlight an item or idea, NOT represent what a body should look like?” Motz wrote. She wants to change the conversation about cellulite, instead viewing it and your entire body as a trophy to be proud of.

Motz isn’t the first to speak out in an effort to normalize cellulite. Read on to see what your favorite celebrities have to say about the cellulite on their bodies.

“I have cellulite. So what! I’ve never claimed to be perfect. It’s crazy anyone should assume that just because you’re in the spotlight, you’re flawless. Sometimes I pig out and I still feel great, and think, ‘That was so worth it!’ That’s how I feel a lot of the time. I think, ‘See this little dimple of cellulite here? It was so worth it for that cookies ‘n’ cream ice cream!'” — Kim Kardashian

“I felt free once I realized I was never going to fit in the mold that society wanted me to fit in. I’m never going to be perfect enough for an industry that defines perfection from the outside in … rolls, curves, cellulite — all of it. I love every part of me.” — Ashley Graham

“I obviously have plenty of imperfections on my body, but I’d rather have a little bit of cellulite and go do a food trip and try every ice cream place in the South.” — Blake Lively

“Barbie should make dolls with cellulite!!! After all, around 95% of ALL women have it!!!” — Demi Lovato

“It’s important people see celebrities, or see me as well, go to the beach and have cellulite and know it, like I’m cool, I’m okay with that and I still feel confident.” — Iggy Azalea

“I look like the people that walk down the street. I don’t have perfect boobs, I don’t have zero cellulite — of course I don’t — and I’m curvy. If that is something that makes women feel empowered in any way, that’s great.” —Kate Winslet

“I have a belly. And I have cellulite. And I still deserve love.” — Amy Schumer

“I’ve had my cellulite circled, when Dax [Shepard] and I were in Hawaii. When I saw it I started to sweat, going, ‘Oh, my gosh, someone doesn’t like me.’ Then the more I looked at the pic, I thought, ‘I look great!’ I’m sorry for having human legs, made of muscle, skin and fat. Oops. Like I should be apologizing for that! If I had an extra pound on me, forgive me, but I was happy enough with the picture that I was like, ‘I like my body. I have cellulite. Deal with it.’”— Kristen Bell

“We all have cellulite. So do supermodels! I’ve been to the shows, and I go, ‘Stick figure has some cellulite!’ It’s nature. Without it, you’re not human.” — Sandra Bullock

“In our business, I’m a size 2 and considered curvy. It’s important to remind young women, ‘Listen, even skinny girls have cellulite, even Halle Berry has cellulite, and what you see in photos isn’t totally real.'” — Sophia Bush


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