A young fitness enthusiast has gone viral after sharing a brutally honest photo regarding her stretch marks.
19-year-old Isabella Mabey decided to share her fitness journey on Instagram after she started hitting the gym to boost her own confidence.
Mabey, a student at Loughborough University, has since seen an overwhelming response from followers as her honest photo promoted an inspirational message of learning to love your body.
Check it out:
Speaking exclusively to UNILAD the student explained how the issue of stretch marks is often overlooked, despite the fact it affects so many, and she wanted to change that.
Isabella said:
I’ve never been overweight, my BMI is fine, but I felt uncomfortable in myself.
My boyfriend pushed me to find a hobby which would help improve my confidence, not to lose weight but as a personal thing.
I decided to do the gym and I’ve really enjoyed it…I follow a lot of fitness accounts and their bodies are amazing but sometimes it is just so unrealistic. I thought ‘I need to do something for myself’.
Originally from Southampton Isabella found it a shock to the system when she moved to the midlands to study, but working out has helped reduce those feelings of homesickness.
Her goal was nothing more than to feel better, and now 12 weeks into her programme Isabella’s increasing confidence saw her want to open up about the ‘taboo’ topic.
She told UNILAD:
I’m naturally quite petite and was skinny growing up, but towards the end of college and before uni my hips just suddenly widened, and the amount of stretch marks growing on them was crazy.
I felt so uncomfortable because you don’t see anything about it out there, there’s nothing in magazines, nothing about stretch marks.
I remember asking my mum ‘am I fat?’, she said ‘no, you’re not fat’ but I didn’t understand why I had them…Being a girl you go out in skirts and shorts but I didn’t want to wear them, I was putting makeup over them I felt so uncomfortable.
Isabella told us how she had previously tried cosmetic means such as Bio Oil and coconut oil to reduce the marks, but with a student lifestyle it was easier said than done to do so daily.
Now she wants to let people know from her own experience how much more beneficial it is to accept your so-called ‘flaws’.
She added
I hoped it would help a few people and it’s gone crazy…It’s just not spoken about enough.
It affects every ethnicity, every gender, every size, everyone has them but you feel so embarrassed by them – but you shouldn’t!
You have to learn to love yourself because it is so natural. Everyone has got them somewhere, and even if they don’t they probably will at some point of their life.
Everyone has imperfections.
Isabella is right, and it is no shock her post received so much positive attention.
You should work out because you love your body, not because you hate it and are punishing yourself.
Keep spreading the good word Isabella!
