Fashionista, Denola Grey posted a shirtless picture of himself on Instagram and used the opportunity to talk about his issues with body imagery and went on to preach body positivity.
He wrote:
My entire life, everyone around me has always seemed to have a comment about my weight. “Gain weight” , “ you’re too thin” “don’t you eat?) Are common remarks I receive/ received. Sometimes we don’t realize how far reaching the effects of body commentary are on people. I certainly didn’t realize it had affected me until recently. For years, I have been advised to “ put on some muscle” or “start gyming”, to fit some mold that would be visually acceptable or appealing . I never got around to gyming and being muscled-up successfully, but I definitely tried. And each time I didn’t see it through I became more body-conscious. I wouldn’t want to take my shirt off at pool parties, or even wear shorts because someone would point out that I was too thin or had skinny legs. This shoot is really special to me because it’s the first time I’ve ever gone shirtless in a shoot. I decided to work on not having negative feelings towards my body and embrace it in all it’s slim, bony-in-places glory. Your body has always been there for you. You only have the one. It protects you from diseases, houses your thoughts and emotions and it is a literal earthly expression of a higher power. Big, little, short, tall, curvy, straight, it makes no difference. Life is too short to spend time hating the one tangible thing you spend your entire life with. I’m learning to love my body In all its glory and it’s so fulfilling. 🖤🥂🙏🏾. Special thanks to @jerrie_rotimi for taking these pictures and being a part of a huge step for me towards body positivity. 🙏🏾📸.
