Meet 7 Canadian Body-Acceptance Influencers to Follow Now
Updated: Jan. 21, 2021
We could all use more positive messaging these days. These seven Canadian body-acceptance influencers will bring some good to your Instagram feed.
We could all use more positive messaging in our feeds these days. After all, “body diversity is a fact,” says Toronto’s Rachel Molenda. “Bodies are meant to come in different shapes and sizes. … Your body is not wrong.”
Meet seven of our favourite Canadian body-acceptance influencers who you’ll want to follow, pronto.
(Related: 5 Things to Know About Body-Positive Advocate Meredith Shaw)
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Brittnee Blair
Instagram: @brittneecblair
What inspires your body-acceptance work?
I want to live so fiercely in my own skin that hopefully it inspires other to do the same. I have a desire to create transparency about my body and our bodies. Yes, I have stretch marks and I love them as they grow with me. Yes, I have cellulite and I still love my body and watching it move.
Who do you hope to reach?
I hope to reach people (men, women, non-gender conforming) who are in search of being inspired to love themselves. I would love to reach people who are in search of transparency, and who want to be uplifted when scrolling through their feed.
What do you hope your posts offer?
I hope to be that beacon for those in search of positivity. I want my followers to be inspired to think about their bodies in a positive light.
What do you do when you’re feeling low?
I try to tap into what brings me joy in that moment. It could be dancing around my house with my dachshund, Stephen, baking my favourite cookies, doing a boxing or HIIT class, going for a walk, or meditating. When I don’t feel like doing anything, I acknowledge that and allow myself some “me time” without worrying about not being productive.
What are your tips for warding off negative self-talk?
We all have an inner saboteur, that little voice that tells us all those things we really shouldn’t believe about ourselves. I practice appreciating one thing about myself daily, whether it is physical, emotional, or mental. I try to keep a solid foundation so that when that inner saboteur creeps up, I can shut it down and remind myself that I am so much more than those negative thoughts. When in doubt, I ask myself “would you talk to your best friend like that?”
(Related: 5 Ways to Accept Your Body and Love Yourself)
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Rachel Molenda
Instagram: @rachelmmolenda
What inspires your body-acceptance work?
I’m trained as a holistic nutritionist and I felt conflicted to be someone actively promoting health, who didn’t represent the “ideal” picture of health, which is defined by thinness. While I’m still technically in a “straight-sized” body, I’ve never been “the thin ideal” and wanted to show people that you can be curvy, have fat on your body, and still be healthy.
Who do you hope to reach?
Any and all identifying women who feel “not enough” or unworthy because of their body. I work with women ages 30-40 who have been in the dieting/health obsession cycle for a long time, and have lost years (in some cases, decades) of their lives in the pursuit of thinness or changing their body.
What do you hope your posts offer?
I hope it helps them to see that they’re not alone. Body diversity is a fact. Bodies are meant to come in different shapes and sizes. Your body is not wrong.
What do you do when you’re feeling low?
I make sure to wear comfortable, cute clothes that aren’t restrictive, and I self-care it up (moisturize my face, do my make up and hair). Then, I’ll focus on things outside of my body to feel good, such as going on a walk (hello, endorphin high!), listening to an inspiring podcast, dancing to some good tunes and eating food that I both enjoy and makes me feel good.
What are your tips for warding off negative self-talk?
A strategy I share with my clients is to picture yourself as a child. When you talk negatively to yourself, think back to that sweet photo of your younger self and ask, “Would I say what I’m saying to my adult self right now to my younger self?” This is a quick way to access compassion and be more gentle with yourself.
(Related: Walking This Number of Minutes Will Boost Your Mood)
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Liz Rozman
Instagram: @lizzrozman
What inspires your body-acceptance work?
I was craving more genuine connections online. I had been battling with body image issues for a large portion of my life and it felt good to finally be 100 percent transparent about the lessons I’ve learned throughout my wellness journey—and the response was incredible!
Who do you hope to reach?
I hope to reach anyone who feels as though they need to change their body in order to feel confident about themselves. Because you don’t! I truly believe that having fitness goals are great but you are able to enjoy the journey with any body.
What do you hope your posts offer your followers?
I hope everyone finds a sense of relief while reading my posts: relief from the need to look perfect all the time, to lose weight every day, or to hide who they are because of what they look like. I am also a certified personal trainer and I aim to use that knowledge to call out any toxicity within diet culture and the fitness industry.
What do you do when you’re feeling low?
For me, it’s more about what I don’t do. I refrain from starting any new diet or workout routine based on a negative feeling I have about my body. It’s important to remember that this feeling will pass and simple habits, like sleep and water, do more good than any 7-day challenge will.
What are your tips for warding off negative self-talk?
My biggest tip would be to ensure your social media feed is filled with content that affects you in a positive way. Body image issues can be created by damaging buzz words and triggering phrases. You are much less likely to speak negatively about yourself if you are not constantly shamed into it.
(Related: Are Our Social Media Habits Harming Our Self-Worth?)
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Raia ‘Coach’ Carey
Instagram: @coach.carey
What inspires your body-acceptance work?
I have always been my authentic self. Self-love and self-care are so important to me, and I work at it every single day.
Who do you hope to reach?
Anyone and everyone that may just need a little extra support. For me, social media is all about IMPACT over numbers.
What do you hope your posts offer?
My hope is to always inspire and create a safe space for us all to learn, grow, and share together.
What do you do when you’re feeling low?
Typically I dip into what I call my “toolbox”—the things I know typically refuel my energy, such as, swimming, dancing, music, mediation, stretching, cooking, or just jumping on a ZOOM with loved ones.
What are your tips for warding off negative self-talk?
M 2 biggest tips are: First, get curious, ask how much of this is true? And second, use affirmations and mantras. When we speak to ourselves with empowering words, over time it starts to absorb into our subconscious. Then naturally, this combats negative self talk. My go tos are: I love you, I honour you, you are more than enough.
(Related: Learn about the power of positive thinking.)
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Kenzie Brenna
Instagram: @kenziebrenna
What inspires your body-acceptance work?
I happened to stumble across some accounts a few years ago and I quickly became really entranced and totally in love with the message. Everything started to make sense, and I turned my weight loss journey into a self-love journey. I started to post about how you didn’t have to lose weight to feel beautiful and worthy.
Who do you hope to reach?
Anyone who doesn’t feel good about themselves and who doesn’t know how to begin to love who they are.
What do you hope your posts offer?
Inspiration, boldness and curiosity.
What do you do when you’re feeling low?
I talk to my friends, I open up, and I try to honour my feelings and not shove them away. I meditate, write, and watch The Office.
What are your tips for warding off negative self-talk?
Practice is important—you’re not going to get it done over night. For every one negative thing, try saying three positive things about yourself.
(Related: 10 Ways to Get Rid of Negative Energy)
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Sonia Jhas
Instagram: @soniajhas
What inspires your body-acceptance work?
When I first launched myself into the world of social media, it felt like there were two versions of me: the online version who only showcased curated images of a perfect face, body, and life, and the real-life version who was just living the way all people do – flaws and all. As my personal journey evolved, so did what I shared on social media. From posting about my IVF journey to sharing raw images of my postpartum body, my hope was, and continues to be, to inspire others to embrace and openly “own” their struggles.
Who do you hope to reach?
As someone who spent most of her life believing that happiness was always 10 pounds away, I know what it’s like to be bogged down with a negative narrative that ultimately feels soul-sucking. Because of this, I hope to reach anyone and everyone that’s struggling to feel like they’re good enough.
What do you hope your posts offer?
I hope that my posts inspire others to approach the journey of self-betterment from a place of self-love instead of self-hate. Do I believe that it’s okay to want to look and feel your best? Sure do. But I know how exhausting and unfulfilling the chase can be, and I don’t want others to make the same mistakes. I want my followers to have a whole lot of love and compassion for themselves.
What do you do when you’re feeling low?
Sometimes I need to force myself to work out to feel recharged and in-control again. Other times I just need play a self-help audio book in order to move me out of my funk, and other times I need to get into bed with a muffin and a terrible yet satisfying movie.
What are your tips for warding off negative self-talk?
Writing in a journal first thing in the morning really helps me offload my fear-based thoughts and negative self-talk, and practicing gratitude throughout the day makes me more positive. Also, affirmations and self-help audiobooks can help override a lot of the negative narrative we all deal with.
(Related: “Confidence Is Currency”—How to Crush Your Fear and Find Your Inner Strength)
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Nicole Zajac
Instagram: @nicolezaajac
What inspires your body-acceptance work?
In late 2017, I started openly talking about my mental health, specifically my struggles with anxiety, as well as managing poor body image after coming out of a toxic relationship. I started to use my page as an open journal entry, for people to take whatever they wanted from it.
Who do you hope to reach?
Anyone who struggles to see their worth and beauty from within. Especially women, as media and diet culture target us and are constantly making us feel like we need to change to feel beautiful.
What do you hope your posts offer?
I hope my posts offer a sense of normalcy, as I think so many of us relate and go through the same feelings and emotions. I also hope my posts help to normalize things that just make us human—our “imperfections” make us perfectly unique.
What do you do when you’re feeling low?
I usually get outside or get active. Finding things that ground me as well as clear my mind have been so important for my mental health.
What are your tips for warding off negative self-talk?
YOU ARE YOUR BIGGEST CRITIC. I often get asked why I’m so confident, and I usually tell people “to be confident, you just have to act confident.” Negative self talk stems a lot from the media and diet culture. Instead of continuing to tell yourself you aren’t enough, aren’t worthy enough etc, start telling yourself you are enough, you are beautiful, you do deserve happiness and love. I promise just these little things will start to help with your self image.
These interviews have been edited and condensed.
