Matilda Djerf is no stranger to having all eyes on her. With an enormous following of 1.5 million on Instagram, the influencer doubles as a body positive guru. Djerf redirects the conversation about body image and mental health and uses her voice to help relieve the standard societal stigma that floats around keeping your mental health in check. Djerf fills her feed with posts of uplifting clips and brief messages reminding us to not feel guilty for taking care of yourself first. The conversation of therapy is becoming less taboo as time goes on, but still sometimes carry a cloud of shame around it. Djerf links her followers to other videos posted by actual therapists and motivational speakers in an effort to point them in a healthier direction.
It’s important to make sure that you are your number one priority. Djerf encourages her followers to remind themselves of things they’re grateful for, to keep a journal in an effort to keep up with yourself and to listen to your body when it needs rest. In today’s age, emphasis is constantly being placed on “the grind” and it’s not always a healthy mindset to have when going about life. While it’s important to keep and maintain healthy goals, reaching them means nothing if you don’t take care of yourself in the process. Matilda Djerf’s platform shows that focusing on bettering ourselves is the new way to connect with others even if it’s from an online standpoint. We have one life and one body, and taking care of ourselves is the first step in living a fulfilling life.
Another influencer with a platform full of body positivity is Candice Huffine. Huffine, a model turned activist, uses her page to encourage her followers to listen to their bodies and to give them the activity it needs and asks for. She’s the creator of the movement, P.S. You Got This, which encourages people to spend more time looking after themselves and getting outside to exercise. Because of her affinity for health, she created her own line made to be completely inclusive for all bodies, shapes and sizes, called Day/Won.
At the end of the day, you take yourself with you everywhere that you go. It’s important to keep your well-being in check, no matter what aspect that involves. And for some, it’s taking time to maintain a healthy mental state.
You have to start somewhere; Start with you.
By: Hannah Coursey