In celebration of this year’s International Women’s Day, I have personally tapped these empowered, on-the-rise female influencers whose works are a significant part of the #womensupportingwomen movement. In a world where women struggle to acquire professional recognition, a positive body image and practice self-acceptance, these ladies utilized the power of social media to make the burden easier to bear.
I am Michaela Leitz @aboutmichaela on Instagram, and I am a plus-size influencer and personal stylist and work with several plus-size brands together to show you that plus-size women can also be beautiful and sexy!
Make sure you follow their platforms as they will grace your feed with nothing but truthful words about women’s ability to make things happen, and self-love.
Natasha
A plus-size freelance model and content creator, Natasha’s platform focuses on fashion and other elements that would boost someone’s self-esteem such as body acceptance and a healthy lifestyle. Just like the empowered woman that she is, Natasha aims to spread positivity, especially amid these trying times.
Get to know her style:
Being a free-spirited woman, she doesn’t follow a particular fashion statement. Her style has always drifted in and out of trends that she describes it as being ‘all over the place’. She dresses up according to her mood, although she likes it very feminine. You’ll often find her in cute dresses and heels, and at other times in cleavage-revealing tops. And seriously? We are not complaining! Natasha believes that no matter what you wear, you have to wear it with confidence!
Words of encouragement:
Having experienced an eating disorder throughout high school up until her freshman year in college, she wasn’t happy with how she looked. Her journey to self-acceptance has not been easy, so she wants her fellow women to live by the fact that one’s beauty is not defined by your weight, shape, race or background.
When Natasha started to lose weight, the compliments she received from family, friends and even admirers never seemed to fill the void. She felt miserable for being too focused on counting every calorie intake. Self-acceptance is a decision that allows her to be happy again. In fact, it is when she gave up on trying to be skinny that modeling opportunities came one after the other. She may be at her heaviest, but she is also most confident.
Natasha pointed out how shutting down negative voices and opinions will help you see your worth. While she never thought she’d be able to wear anything that showed her belly button her whole life, she did it ultimately for the girls who look like her or who can relate to what she had gone through.
Sarah
Sarah has made and is constantly making a name in the makeup industry. She studied Beauty and Therapy, as well as Special Effects Makeup and Body Art and Hair. If anyone understands women’s needs and desire to feel beautiful with or without makeup, Sarah certainly is that person.
Get to know her style:
Her preferred style is often girly; she can slay a seductive top and on fleek heels whenever she feels like it! On some days, though, she enjoys classic jeans or shirts and still gets to conquer whatever comes her way. If you follow her on Instagram, prepare yourself for a whole lot of candid, colorful and highly-glamorous content on your feed.
Words of encouragement:
Despite the love and success that fill her life right now, Sarah never had it easy. She suffered from bullying back in the day. Amazingly, she did not let these unfortunate incidents ever shape her future. Sarah lives unapologetically and doesn’t allow the cruel society to tell her otherwise. Her personal and professional life revolves around so much positivity and self-love. Some may be intimidated by her straight-forward aura, but in reality, she is a sweet gal who only wants to empower women by helping them unleash their natural – and often forgotten – beauty.
Irina
An Interior Designer whose personality reflects the sunny and beautiful nature of her hometown California, Irina’s passion allows women to really maximize their ability to nurture a home. Her profession requires the ability to select essential and decorative items that resonate with her client’s personality. She is your go-to person when you want to incorporate colors, lighting and materials in your personal space, and she makes sure it is not just aesthetic, but also fully functional. She used to work both in the movie and modeling industry where she further enhanced her artistic ability and sense of style.
Get to know her style:
Irina prefers to dress up casually in a classic contemporary manner. While it does sound a little complicated, she finds pleasure in mixing styles together to get a unique, sensational vibe. Her main goal is to always look fresh, modern and credible, which makes her brim with so much confidence.
Words of encouragement:
Fashion is not just the clothes we wear or the jewelries we flaunt; Irina believes that fashion can be applied and extended to our homes. As a designer, she sees different aspects of the house that other women or homemakers fail to completely notice, and her works make women love their personal spaces even more. She hopes more women would be able to express themselves through the interior items they choose and encourage them to set up a home that would bring utmost peace and comfort.
Tania
A jack of all trades, Tania holds several different expertise throughout her career. She specializes in positivity-motivational speaking and has appeared on many podcasts and spoken to numerous women conferences around the world. She has been featured in Ladies Corner Magazine for the empowering works she does. Tania also spent years helping style women as a Plus-Size Fashion and Image Consultant. Her work does not focus merely on fashion, it also focuses on the mental aspects that cause women to feel uncomfortable in their own skin. And just when you thought she’s already got a lot on her plate, she also does e-commerce website building for different platforms, including Instagram growth and optimization.
Get to know her style:
When asked about her fashion statement, Tania, brimming with so much self-love, stated that confidence is her style. She wears whatever she likes and does not let society dictate what she should wear based on her size, age or the season.
Words of encouragement:
Tania believes that changes start within ourselves. She encourages her fellow women to change the dialogue and scenarios they play in their heads; to think about how you speak with yourself, how you entertain the negative thoughts that constantly make you feel bad about yourself. Sometimes, we find it easy to compliment other people but couldn’t find the courage to compliment the same beautiful feature that we have. She hopes that women would be kind to themselves.
Alex
Alex is a definition of beauty and brains; she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Communications and a master’s degree in Counselling. She self-studied how to grow her page and turned it into a safe virtual community where women can find acceptance and positivity. Her background in counselling allows her to be more emotionally and mentally-sensitive in her posts; she always makes sure to educate her followers on self-acceptance because it is a serious issue that has to be constantly addressed. Being a trained counselor, she knows how to help people through resources and strategic planning. Women go through different struggles in life – from the lack of confidence, mental health issues and even the everyday pressures of life – and Alex is working hard to lead these women to a happier and more successful path for their future.
Get to know her style:
You’ll often see Alex in peplum skirts and dresses. She empowers herself by being fully aware of her own body, including her shape and size. Having an apple-shaped body, she usually goes for these clothing items to add class and complement her shape. This go-getter babe flaunts her body in form-fitting outfits and basically anything that makes her feel unstoppable and powerful.
Words of encouragement:
Alex grew up in a society that instills a mindset that being overweight is automatically associated with lack of care and discipline. Being 5’11 and usually bigger compared to other kids and teens her age – she hated this misconception. Having her work and passion constantly discredited just because of her weight certainly caused challenges, but she reminds herself and everyone who tried to tear down her morale that she worked hard for every single thing she has in her life. She is an overachiever, and doesn’t stop working until she gets her desired results. Living fearlessly would allow you to disregard other people’s opinion; she wants to tell her fellow women that other people’s words should not stop us from achieving more.
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We have come so far, so today, let us celebrate each woman – regardless of their differences, size or preference – for their wonderful contributions to this world.
Happy International Women’s Day, lovelies! I hope you are all healthy and safe!
Michaela ❤️
