For a minute there, it felt like women were finally being allowed to take up space. The body confidence movement, body diversity in campaigns, a boom in plus size modelling. It felt exciting and progressive, but it didn't last long. We were just starting to zoom out, and then they pulled us back in. The diet industry is back with a vengeance, same message as the 90s, new packaging: weight loss injections sold as an easy fix, with no conversation about strength, health, happiness or long term impact. Women must shrink to be worthy. I think back to my younger self and how much time I wasted zooming in with hatred, convinced that if I could just shrink to the smallest version of myself I'd be more worthy, loveable and confident. Spoiler alert: the more I chased perfection, the more it evaded me, because when you're told you're too much or never enough, you can never get there. As I look at my body hair, pigmentation, bum dimples and mum tum now, I see a vessel that lets me see the world, that made my kids, that can go deep sea diving and climb mountains. When we're old, we won't be lying there thinking "thank god I cut out carbs" and our friends won't stand at our funerals saying "she worked so hard to stay slim, what a woman." They'll talk about how you made them feel, the adventures, the life you actually lived. Please rise above the pressure to shrink. We've been here before! We have one life and we're allowed to enjoy food and beauty exists in ALL shapes and sizes. I've been talking about this since 2015 and I'll still be here when it's unpopular, message unwavering: nourish your body, move it in ways that make you happy, focus on strength. I won't shut up until our daughters grow up free from wasting their precious brain space on this. Zoom out, babe. It's beautiful out here. 🌅 - @ashleyjames