Queer Eye and i_Weigh: The Self-Love Influencers

A revolutionary movement has hit the show business world in recent years: the self-acceptance movement.

To me growing up celebrity role models were always unattainable and untouchable characters that were placed on the highest of pedestals. Most of these elements still remain but in this social media age where we can connect more personally with our idols through Instagram and Twitter it is great to see that so many of these public figures have chosen to use this platform to raise awareness of mental health isssues and to promote self-love and acceptance.

Last March, Jameela Jamil kick-started the i_Weigh movement to promote a positive body image mind-set and to reaffirm that we are worth so much more than what we look like. She also opened up about her eating disorder she experienced as a teenager to empower others to do the same.  This campaign on Instagram has had an overwhelming response and the i_Weigh account now has over half a million followers.

I have recently started watching Queer Eye on Netflix and was blown away by the whole concept of this show; a reality tv programme that’s sole mission is to make people feel worthwhile and more confident. It’s so powerful to see the effect that the ‘Fab Five’ have on the lives of so many by just showing some love, understanding and attention to people that really need it.

Low self-esteem is something I have always struggled with. It has held me back in a lot of ways although I have fought hard to prevent this. I think it started from growing up in a small town in Ireland where humility and modesty are the most valued traits. It continued to fester in my teenage years while attending an all-girls boarding school where there were impossible standards of beauty, success and wealth to compete with.(Or possibly this was my perception)  Although I knew I had many talents and qualities I always felt like I wasn’t good enough and this feeling made its way into my adult life.

In short and to avoid going off on a self-pitying tangent I am working hard to change the dialogue in my head and to beat my inner critic. As a fully developed woman, people like Jameela Jamil and Bella Mackie, author of Jog On (a book about how running saved her life) have had a huge impact on me as they helped to normalise some of the feelings I was having. If they have managed to inspire me I can’t imagine the effect they have on developing teenage girls and boys.

Society is changing and it’s a beautiful thing; the stigma of mental health is breaking down and many other issues considered taboo in the past have been normalised. I am very pleased to see how much work is being done on self-love and acceptance and I believe it will continue to grow.

So if it costs nothing to be kind to others surely that’s the same case when we are speaking to ourselves.