PEOPLE, SOCIAL ISSUES | 11 HOURS AGO
[Photo: jacoblund/iStock]
BY Denis Tymulis and Rokas Laurinavičius
Clara Guillem from Nashville, Tennessee, is 24 years old but she's already become a body #confidence role model to hundreds of thousands of #people. And this series of videos is the perfect reason why.
"I remember I was in the car driving somewhere and I started thinking about how people only show outfits when they feel like their stomach is flat," Guillem told #BoredPanda. "I was thinking about a video I saw that said people see a flat stomach as an accessory and decided it would good to show how #cute outfits are still cute after you nourish your body!"
Posing in the same clothes before and after a meal, Clara has posted numerous #TiKToks celebrating her 'food babies' and has successfully proved time and time again that a full belly is a happy belly. #BonAppétit!
As you can probably already tell, Guillem is super confident in her own body, which is quite inspiring not only on #socialmedia but in real life too. The good thing is, it's #contagious. Amy Slater, an associate professor at the University of West England, #Bristol, published a study in 2017 where 160 female undergraduates viewed either "#fitspiration" (images that feature #beautiful people doing exercises, or at least pretending to), self-compassion quotes, or a mix of both, all sourced from #real accounts on Instagram. Those who viewed only "fitspiration" scored lower on self-compassion, but those who viewed the compassionate quotes (for example, "You're #perfect just the way you are") were nicer to themselves – and felt better about their #bodies.
But it wasn't always like that. "The #relationship I've had with my body used to be the absolute worst it could be," Guillem revealed to Bored Panda. "It took many years of actively trying to heal to get to this point. It doesn't happen overnight! One main thing I work on is positive #self-talk and affirmations. Every time I have a #negative thought, I say the opposite out loud."
Clara's advice for everyone who is also trying to become #comfortable in their own skin is to be patient and kind to yourself. "The fact that you're willing to start a journey towards self-love is already the first step. It means you're ready to put in the #work."
However, Guillem #highlighted that she doesn't think her content belongs under 'body positivity', just mental health and body image. "Body positivity exists to give those in marginalized bodies a #voice and is a #PoliticalMovement. When referring to content like mine, please use the terms confidence or self-love!" she added.