Fitness blogger Ashlie Molstad, a.k.a. Foodie Girl Fitness, wants you to know that perspective is everything. Molstad took to her Facebook on Friday with two very honest photos that show how the same body can look very different, depending on the angle.
Molstad posted what she deemed a more flattering photo of herself (standing up, with her arms behind her head) next to another photo of herself (in the same clothes, sitting down). "Same girl. Different angles," she wrote in the post, "If I'm going to show you the posed, put together, professional sides of me, I'm gonna make damn sure you see the not so flattering sides too."
Molstad wanted to give her followers an unfiltered, unedited look at her real body — and to let them know that loving your body starts with accepting yourself exactly as you are, not with any expectations or pressures to attain the impossible.
"Contrary to what society has taught us to think, our worth isn't measured by how many belly rolls we have, or how many dimples on our booty, or how much jiggle hangs out on our arms," she wrote.
Molstad said that she knows all too well what it's like to struggle with embracing your body, but she also knows that "the real magic happens when we embrace who we are, at every angle and size."
She also hoped that her honesty would inspire others to remember to embrace their bodies too — and if the comments on her post are anything to go by, it looks like she succeeded. The post (which has now been shared over 30,000 times) clearly resonated with her followers, who chimed in to let her know how empowered and inspired she made them feel.
"This is exactly what young girls need to see," one user commented. "And even at 25 I needed this reality check."
Accepting and loving your body may be easier said than done, but as Molstad said, we should all remember that we are worthy and beautiful at any size.
"Our bodies aren't broken," she wrote. "The message society is trying to tell us (by airbrushing everything, erasing dimples and rolls and fluff) is."