Body
How we feel about our bodies is constantly evolving. Here, Malin Andersson is joined by five other incredible women to discuss body image and how their individual journeys have impacted what they see in the mirror
What do you see when you look at yourself? Do you pick your image apart? Wish you could – with a swipe of your finger – smooth your skin, erase or add a curve? We live in a world of online optical illusions, so it’s easy to compare ourselves with a filter.Or maybe there are precious days you think, ‘I look good!’ The body confidence movement has, thankfully, made us aware of the myths we’re sold and championed the tremendous power of self-love. But the truth is, loving yourself isn’t always easy, and how you feel about your body will change. Month by month, day by day, hour by hour. We all go through journeys with our bodies. Childbirth and operations. We age. We lose weight, we gain it. How we look on the outside can be the exact opposite of how we feel on the inside, with our mental health and happiness playing a huge part in our body image. It’s an internal tug of war, one exacerbated by the conflicting #hotgirlsummer and #loveyourself messaging we’re bombarded with, particularly during the summer. So here is our antidote. It’s not a lecture. It won’t tell you to gain weight, lose weight, love your flaws-that-aren’t-flaws. It’s an honest conversation about the evolution of our body image, and a reminder that however you’re feeling about your body today – that’s okay. You’re not alone on your journey, and these six women are proof.
Malin Andersson
Before Malin, 29, appeared on season two of Love Island, she worked as an air hostess. Now she’s a body positivity advocate and the author of Positivity Is Our Superpower. In January she gave birth to baby Xaya, who was born through the same C-section scar that Malin’s first daughter, Consy, was in December 2018. Consy was born seven weeks premature and tragically died less than a month later. Both pregnancies changed Malin’s relationship with her body and allowed her to let go of years of self-hate.
Hairy vulva. Saggy stomach. Standing in the bathroom, naked and bleeding, my knickers around my ankles. My C-section scar pinching at my stomach. My partner bends down to change my pad for me. But I feel no shame.
This version of me is a world away from who I used to be, especially on Love Island. I feel sad for her. I look back at photos and she looks dead behind the eyes. I
