Instagram Beauty Shares Honest Photo of Stretch Marks To Spread Inspirational Message

“Tigers, wear your stripes proud!”

Maxim Staff

Mar 30, 2017

LOVE YOURSELF ❤ Ive thought alot about posting this picture as i dont want people to get the wrong idea. This is me, in my natural form, no tensing, no posing. This is not a sexy picture, nor is it me trying to look sexy. I really want to make a point about something so natural that alot of women (and men) get- STRETCH MARKS!! As you can see, i have alot on the tops of my legs and my bum and i used to hate them so much. I started puberty young but didnt actually stop until last year when I hit the final phase, hip widening. Within a few short months I had them so bad they looked like I had been whipped and scratched. I had 0 confidence and wouldnt have been seen dead in shorts and even felt uncomfortable in a bikini on holiday. But… you should not let yourself get down about them. They are so normal! My family kept telling me they would fade and they did. They are still thick and visible but having stretch marks does not mean you are FAT. Stretch marks can appear where ever and whenever your body grows quickly and this can also occur when building muscle. Your body needs to readjust and your skin will tighten. I have learnt to love my body and appreciate my curvs. I am not 'skinny' and i am happy with that. Instead i want to build on what i have and become more musclar and curvaceous. Remember to love all your imperfections and embrace them. Tigers, wear your stripes proud! 🐯💪❤ #stretchmarks #wearyourstripes #loveyourself #bodypositivity #bodyconfidence #health #bodybuilding #weightlifting #girlsthatlift #fitnessgoals #musclegrowth #diet #mindfulness #student #dontgiveup #WomenIRL #RealSimple #body4me

A post shared by BellafitUK (@bellafituk) on Mar 23, 2017 at 10:48am PDT

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Last week, another righteous Instagram beauty took a moment from her gym-and-selfie routine to share a profound body-positive message.

19-year-old British woman Isabella Mabey, who goes by the moniker “BellaFitUK,” shared a skin-baring photo, where the stretch marks on her thighs were plainly exposed.

Mabey declared that stretch marks aren’t something to be ashamed of or hide from. She captioned the image with a lengthy screed to any would-be body shamers.

I’ve thought a lot about posting this picture as I don’t want people to get the wrong idea.

This is me, in my natural form, no tensing, no posing. This is not a sexy picture, nor is it me trying to look sexy. I really want to make a point about something so natural that a lot of women (and men) get- STRETCH MARKS!! As you can see, I have a lot on the tops of my legs and my bum.

I used to hate them so much. I started puberty young but didn’t actually stop until last year when I hit the final phase, hip widening. Within a few short months I had them so bad they looked like I had been whipped and scratched. I had 0 confidence and wouldn’t have been seen dead in shorts and even felt uncomfortable in a bikini on holiday.

But… you should not let yourself get down about them. They are so normal! My family kept telling me they would fade and they did. They are still thick and visible but having stretch marks does not mean you are FAT. Stretch marks can appear where ever and whenever your body grows quickly and this can also occur when building muscle.

Your body needs to readjust and your skin will tighten. I have learnt to love my body and appreciate my curves. I am not ‘skinny’, and I am happy with that. Instead I want to build on what I have and become more muscular and curvaceous.

Remember to love all your imperfections and embrace them. Tigers, wear your stripes proud!

I REACHED A NEW PB 🤗 I had such a cracking leg day today and am feel so positive and proud of my new cheeky little PB. A few weeks ago I posted a little video of me on the abducter machine and explained that I was now lifting 40/50kg compared to when i started and only lifting 20kg. Ive had another improvement and was so buzzed today when I moved up my weights and I could successfully complete 4×10 on 60kg!! 60kg might not be alot for some people but we are all different weights, heights, sizes and are at different stages of our journey. At the start i said to my boyfriend that i really wanted to complete it on 60 as this is how much I weigh, and I wanted to effectively be able to lift myself. And I now can! Its really important though that you do go up weights gradually. Take a few weeks making sure you can complete all your sets correctly and carefully before moving up a weight as it will most likely result in injury. Slow and steady wins the race 🐢 #loveyourself #bodypositivity #bodyconfidence #health #bodybuilding #weightlifting #girlsthatlift #musclegrowth #diet #mindfulness #student #dontgiveup #fitnessmotivation #fitspo #getfit #goalsetting #youcandoit #trainhard #noexcuses #fitlife #getstrong #girlswhosquat #nopainnogain #gymtime #gymmotivation #fitness #booty #girlsthatsquat

A post shared by BellafitUK (@bellafituk) on Mar 28, 2017 at 3:36am PDT

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Get to know more of this body-positive hero with some of her finest fitness-themed photos here:

Helloooooo!! My name is Bella and I'm a 19 year old second year student at Loughborough studying Criminology and Social Policy. I started my fitness journey only a few short months ago in January 2017 as a cliche new years resolution to help me feel more body confident and lose abit of christmas chunk. I am only a beginner and by no means an expert. I am in my first stages of having my dream body but thought how fab it would be to share my journey with all of you. This isn't the type of page to come up on your feed and demotivate you with someone's perfect lifestyle and good looks. I am just an average girl who LOVES FOOD! 🐽 This is an opportunity for me to share my journey and pass on a little bit of knowledge and body positivity along the way. I aim to give realistic goals for people who don't have much money or time, just like myself being student. Im hoping to show you how easy it is to feel good about yourself and change your body eating the foods you love and enjoy! Thanks for following my account and lets grow that booty 👍🍑 #fitness #bodypositivity #health #bodybuilding #weightlifting #girlsthatlift #fitnessgoals #musclegrowth #adidasoriginals #underarmour

A post shared by BellafitUK (@bellafituk) on Mar 11, 2017 at 9:03am PST

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I MADE IT TO 1K FOLLOWERS ❤❤ Thank you so much to everyone thats liked, commented and followed my journey so far. Genuinely just made this account out of the blue when i was bored and thought it would be fun to document it all so i wouldnt fall back into old habits. On the theme of falling back into old habits ive decided from now on stop trying to bash myself for not looking like these amazing insta accounts after gyming for only 11 weeks! So here is my real vs tensed belly. Just before taking these I had eaten my body weight in american pancakes and do i think i still look alright? Yes, yes i do. We can all look tensed and fit for a few seconds but you need to remember that even your biggest celeb/insta crushes get a swollen belly too. Love yourself all day, everyday, in every angle, lighting and position 🤗💪😙👍🍑 #loveyourself #bodypositivity #bodyconfidence #health #bodybuilding #weightlifting #girlsthatlift #fitnessgoals #musclegrowth #diet #mindfulness #student #dontgiveup #WomenIRL #RealSimple

A post shared by BellafitUK (@bellafituk) on Mar 25, 2017 at 11:32am PDT

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I HAVE SOME TEENY TINY ABS!! My stomach has always been my main problem area when it comes to the gym. I seem to lose quite alot of weight off my back, thighs and chest but almost nothing off my belly. Recently however ive noticed that my core feels significantly stronger. This is due to compound lifts like squats that really help core strength. The first 12 weeks of my plan is pretty much just weight lifting, with limited cardio so im really happy to see some small improvements without doing any ab targeted exercises. People who know me well know that I have multiple stomach problems such as adenomyosis, ibs and potential endometriosis. These cause significant flare ups in the abdomen and can leave you feeling really swollen and sore. For a few hours a day my belly is flat and these are my results. Im hoping after my first 12 weeks are complete I can start incorporating some exercises to really improve this area further. 💪🏋❤ #fitnessmotivation #fitspo #getfit #goalsetting #youcandoit #trainhard #noexcuses #fitlife #getstrong #girlswhosquat #nopainnogain #gymtime #gymmotivation #girlswholift #selflove #positivity #healthyeating #goalsetting #youcandoit #summerbod #diet #abs #bodypositivity #cardio #muscles #endometriosis #ibs #adenomyosis

A post shared by BellafitUK (@bellafituk) on Mar 20, 2017 at 2:06am PDT

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Been feeling really motivated and full of energy this week so have been able to fit in another leg day whilst being home for the weekend. I try and go 3/4 times a week but soooo many things can get in the way especially when you are a student: illnesses, coursework stress, injury ect. Dont ever beat yourself up about not being able to go. Just making it once a week is better than not at all! Im on the 10th week of my programme now and im so happy with my results so far. Not only do I feel slightly more body confident since dropping alot of body fat but i am also significantly happier within myself. I have more energy and am sleeping better. This journey is not just about my body but also about my overall happiness. My first year of uni was an absolute mess and I really struggled with being away from family, boyfriend and friends. I comfort ate alot and was so miserable. The excess food and lack of excerise really didnt help and caused me to be really unhappy. Since starting this fitness kick I really feel that I have made incredible progress in taking my life back to how i want it to be. 🤗👍❤ #healthymindset #bodypositivity #legday #booty #gymshark #nike #progress #bodybuilding #weightlifting #happiness #confident #diet #summerprep #bikinibody #healthyliving

A post shared by BellafitUK (@bellafituk) on Mar 17, 2017 at 8:29am PDT

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The first glimpse of summer is finally here☉ My holiday seems alot closer now than it did yesterday and im using it to motivate me. Its so important when you start this journey to have a realistic goal. Ive tried so many times to lose weight but nothing ever motivated me enough to do it and i would slip back into old habits quickly. In July I am interrailing from the top to the bottom of Italy for 15 days with my boyfriend and we are sooooo excited. We are both aiming to look and feel as best as we can for when we go. As much as i would love to strut up and down the beach with a fat ass and perfectly defined quads and a 6 pack, it is not realistic. Therefore my aim is to lose as much excess fat I have and to hopefully see the start of some fab baby muscles in my legs as this is the area i am most interested in working on. ⛱👙 So remember that you must have a realistic goal and to not be disheartened that you dont look like your favourite fitness blogger in a matter of weeks. Baby steps is better than no steps! 💪🍑 #fitness #diet #girlswholift #bikinibody #booty #weightloss #nike #healthylifestyle #bodypositivity #goal #bodybuilding #weightlifting #health

A post shared by BellafitUK (@bellafituk) on Mar 15, 2017 at 8:43am PDT

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Was feeling a little bit deflated this morning after receiving some upsetting comments and almost thought about chucking in the towel😶 Getting personal comments or not having the support from your peers when going through a big life change such as this can really throw your mojo and i didnt realise how quick criticism would come.🖕 ………………………………………… However this morning when getting dressed for my lecture i bravely put on a pair of jeans that ive pretty much avoided for quite a few months. Before christmas i could barely fit them over my legs and doing up the button was so tight and uncomfortable. But to my amazment I now need a god damn belt! 🤗😄 Just needed that little boost to get me back in the swing of it and it certainly has gone the job. Going to surround myself with people who love and support what im doing from now on ❤ #getfit #healthylifestyle #healthymindset #fitness #bodypositivity #health #bodybuilding #weightlifting #girlsthatlift #fitnessgoals #musclegrowth #booty #women #friends

A post shared by BellafitUK (@bellafituk) on Mar 14, 2017 at 1:01am PDT

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The gym is a pretty scary place and especially for us newbies. Any part of the gym when you dont really know what you are doing is unnerving, but nothing more than the weights area. We are socialised as children into think that lifting and weights is what boys do and as soon as a girl picks something up they will become butch and manly. But nothing can be further from the truth. 👭 Being new and in a male dominated area can be so scary for us women. You may get the odd dirty pervert who gives you a funny look or wink but you just have to focus on yourself and forget everyone around you. 👀 So grab hold of your fabulous lady balls and start lifting! ❤💪🍑 #getfit #healthylifestyle #healthymindset #fitness #bodypositivity #health #bodybuilding #weightlifting #girlsthatlift #fitnessgoals #musclegrowth #booty #ladyballs #women #nike #stag

A post shared by BellafitUK (@bellafituk) on Mar 13, 2017 at 10:08am PDT

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