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In a world that often emphasizes unrealistic beauty standards, influencers like Abby Bible play a crucial role in promoting self-love and body positivity.
Despite facing occasional negativity, the 25-year-oldâs commitment to maintaining a positive attitude and celebrating her love for fashion sends a powerful message to her followers.
The 6-foot-1 woman, and size 22 influencer, often explains on her Instagram that she refuses to conform to societyâs âtoxicâ expectations.
âAs a teen I had accepted that I would never be seen as âfeminineâ because the media tells us we must be small, dainty, cute and soft-spoken. Over the years it had been ingrained in me, that to be feminine meant to be desirable and to be worthy of a good life,â writes the New York-based woman. âIâve slowly freed myself from these toxic thoughtsâŠâ
Appearing on Dr. Phil to talk about body positivity, Bible explained she struggled with weight since her childhood. âAt the age of 14, I was about 200lbâŠI had this personal trainer that was not very nice. Theyâd tell me if I wanted friends, Iâd need to lose weight, that no-one would ever love me if Iâm fat.â
At one point, Bible shares she lost 100 pounds and weighing in at about 235 pounds, she says it âdidnât solve any of her problemsâ and she was still unhappy âhaving the body everyone wanted.â
Now, the woman whoâs in a loving relationship, is on a mission to remind others that plus-size bodies are âhotâ and âlook good in a bikini.â
âLook awayâ
In a recent TikTok video thatâs hit the eyes of more than 82,000 netizens, Bible is seen wearing a red string bikini, responding to a troll who says, âfat people shouldnât wear string bikinis.â
âIf you donât like it, look away,â she captions the clip, where she playfully gazes into the camera and mouths, âIÂ donât care.â
Some fans were overwhelmingly supportive, expressing their gratitude for the inspiring woman. âI bought my first [bikini] because of you. Seriously,â writes one. A second shares, âYou look amazing, wish I had body confidence too.â
Tucked between the messages of support are the online trolls, many suggesting she lacks self-respect.
âWell, you should care, thatâs disrespectful to yourself,â writes one. A second asks, âWhereâs your self-respect?â And another offers some advice, âIâm a big [woman] and I say, just because they make it in our size doesnât mean [you] need to wear it. have some respect for yourself.â
Crippling complications
And though the âunapologetic fashion loverâ consistently wows her followers with her fabulous fashion, she continues to be the target of trolls âhating on individuals with larger bodies.â
But it might go deeper than people simply body shaming the lovely woman, whose weight makes her vulnerable to a host of medical problems.