Canadian influencer says she was at her 'lowest self esteem' when she was her thinnest

Sarah Nicole Landry is challenging societal beauty standards once again.

The Canadian influencer, better known as The Birds Papaya, took to Instagram on Friday with a carousel of photos taken with her husband, Shane Landry, on their wedding day and throughout their marriage. The photos showed how her body has changed over the years.

The first image in her post was a side-by-side comparison. On the left was a photo of Landry and her husband at their wedding, while on the right, a present-day snap of the couple.

In her caption, Landry took aim at the popular concepts of a "revenge body," "sweating for the wedding," and "bouncing back after baby."

She argued these phrases perpetuate the harmful idea that a person's desirability and worthiness in a romantic relationship is intrinsically tied to their weight.

"You must constantly pursue a smaller form, or one reminiscent of your past self," Landry penned. "Society says 'you’re expected to tend the home, grow the babies, raise the babies, feed the babies, keep your career, grow your income and shrink yourself."

She added: "Make sure your partners needs are met. Make sure no one feels your stress."

Landry shared her personal journey, revealing that even at her thinnest, she battled insecurities and felt compelled to constantly change herself.

"At my thinnest (seen on the left) I was 50/60 lbs less than I am now and also highly insecure. Everything about me was something to fix," the content creator admitted. "I was at my lowest self-esteem."

While Landry revealed she is still "working through" some of her former insecurities, she has no doubt that she is still just as worthy of her relationship with her husband now as she was when she weighed less.

Reaching that point of acceptance "took time," she wrote. "That took consistency, that took awareness and that took witnessing other relationships with changing bodies."

The only "expectations" Landry is required to meet are the ones established within her relationship.

"I don’t actually have to meet anyone’s expectations except the ones within my own relationship. Expectations of love and respect and support for each other," she explained.

Fans met Landry's inspirational post with praise for her vulnerability and effort to dismantle unrealistic beauty standards.

"It's so encouraging to see this post. Thanks for your openness about this sensitive subject," an Instagram user commented.

"Thank you for this. it's hard to discuss but a lot of women feel this pressure to stay thin, especially in their relationships 'cause they fear being less desirable by their partner and getting cheated on with someone younger and skinnier," someone added.

"I love this. We all need to hear this," another fan wrote.

Earlier this week, Landry shared another body-positive message about self-love, the lack of grace extended to new mothers and the pressure to bounce back to their pre-baby bodies.

"Postpartum compassion lasts for like two weeks and then it feels like expectation city," she penned, alongside a photo taken of her postpartum body after welcoming her youngest daughter in 2021.

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