עד לפני שלוש שנים, צ'סי קינג הייתה עוד משפיענית רשת ידועה באנגליה שהעלתה לאינסטגרם תמונות מעוררות קנאה. גורו הכושר בת ה-26 הייתה מעבדת ומרטשת את התמונות של עצמה, ומעלה את הגרסה המשודרגת והמושלמת, לכאורה, שלהן לרשת החברתית. היא הייתה מוכרת ואהודה והיו לה המון עוקבים – אבל יום אחד היא הבינה שהיא מרמה את כולם, כולל את עצמה.

זה היה אחרי שחזרה מארוחת ערב כיפית עם חברות, פתחה את הכפתור של הג'ינס ושחררה את הבטן. מיד לקחה את הטלפון וצילמה את הכרס המשתפלת החוצה מהמכנסיים ושלחה לקבוצת החברות בצירוף הודעה כמו "תודה על ערב נפלא". אלא שבאותו הרגע קלטה פתאם קינג שלא עלה בדעתה להעלות את התמונה הזו לאינסטגרם. "פתאם שאלתי את עצמי למה אני שולחת את זה לחברות אבל לא מעלה את זה לחשבון שלי?", סיפרה בראיון, "למה אני מנסה להיות מישהי שאני לא? תמיד הייתי אדם מאוד פתוח וכנה, אבל ברשתות החברתיות זה לא בא לידי ביטוי. אף פעם לא ראיתי תמונה כזו בלתי מושלמת באינסטגרם לפני כן. פחדתי מאוד, אבל העזתי והעליתי אותה בכל זאת".

View this post on Instagram

This is to all my gals & guys who’ve grown more confident in their bodies this year ❤️ I am SO proud of you because that sh⭐️ts harrrrd... - When I first started using Instagram my newsfeed was a sea of perfection; from smooth skinned tanned teeny weeny bikini photos to post workout beautiful selfies captioned ‘5.30am spin class ✔️done’... - I found a lot of what was on here unachievable for me personally being a 6ft, bigger build gal. My body & I were still going through quite a transition & weren’t best friends just yet My first ‘real’ post was just over 2 years ago, I was sending a photo to one of my girls of me with my tummy hanging out of my jeans that wouldn’t zip up. I thought, hold on, why am I sending this to my best friend but not sharing it with Instagram... at the time I thought ‘that’s exactly what it needs’! So I did it, I posted it, extremely scared but knowing it would hopefully help a few people. Since then I’ve opened myself up, sharing photos I never ever would’ve even kept on my phone 3 years ago, they would’ve been deleted straight away ‍♀️ - I feel a huge responsibility to help everyone on here & this year I’ve really tried to create a safe platform for you to feel my support no matter how many miles there are between us I want to act as a big sister figure for those that are younger & a friend to those older. I want to strip down this modern day perception of ‘perfection’ & show you my reality ‍♀️ The more we see on social media, the more it allows us to accept what we thought were our own imperfections. - My happiest times in life have been with my family, with my bestfriends, with Mat... none of them have been about my body or how I look. So tonight, write down 5 of your favourite memories from this year, remember how amazing you felt. Here’s to making more of those precious souvenirs of life & to seeing more reality on social media next year ✨⭐️

A post shared by C H E S S I E K I N G (@chessiekingg) on

View this post on Instagram

This week I’ve experienced an overwhelming sense of fear that my body isn’t working how it should be ⭐️ I came off the pill over a year & a half ago because the doctors said my hormones could be causing my heart episodes (this is how I lost my hearing & I had over 10 before going to see the DR) I still haven’t had a proper period since I came off in 2017 I was on it for 9 years so I haven’t had a natural period since I was 16. My skins gone mental again, I feel bloated 24/7, sluggish, my boobies have been so sore for nearly a month, I’m not feeling myself, I’ve had days where I just want to hide from the & that is not me at all. I’ve never been anxious or a worrier, I’ve always been super calm & never one to think too much but I know my body & something’s not right. I think I’ve underestimated how much my hormones can effect me. Back when I was at school it wasn’t openly spoken about so I grew up never really thinking too much about my cycle, I just dealt with my periods on my own & never thought too much of my hormones. I feel like this community is just one big sisterhood & we can all support each other because together, we are stronger ❤️

A post shared by C H E S S I E K I N G (@chessiekingg) on

View this post on Instagram

What you didn’t see in my last post... ‍♀️ My tummy’s been like the right for the past few months. You don’t see it when I’m wearing high waisted thangs so I’m just showing you how it really is. I’m not going to lie, I thought I was pregnant (I’m not @mathewlcarter I promise!) but that’s ruled out... I haven’t stopped eating or moved into the gym for 24/7 sessions on the treadmill like I used to do ‍♀️ I’ve just been super accepting of it, it’s my body & if that’s what it wants to do, I’ll let it. There are so many other things going on in my life that are way more important than worrying about my tummy not being flat. Who else feels a bit puffy but isn’t wasting time being sad about it? ❤️

A post shared by C H E S S I E K I N G (@chessiekingg) on

מאז – הכל היסטוריה. קינג הפכה למודל של דימוי גוף חיובי, והיא מעלה תמונות אותנטיות של עצמה בכל הפוזות ומבלי להתחשב בזווית המחמיאה. היא מראה צלוליט, כפלים ועור פנים עם אקנה, ומלווה את הצילומים באמירות מעוררות השראה ובהמון השלמה והכלה לגוף של עצמה, איתו, כך היא כותבת, "נגזר עליה לחיות לנצח". היא מרבה לעסוק בפער שבין האינסטגרם לבין המציאות, ומאות אלפי עוקבים נאמנים מחזקים אותה בתגובות אוהדות על כל פוסט.

"כל אחד יכול לקבל את איך שהגוף שלו נראה", כתבה, "אני למדתי להעריך את כל הדברים המדהימים שהוא עושה בשבילי, כמו לנשום. אנשים אומרים שבאדי פוזיטיביטי זה טרנד, אבל אני חושבת שזה רק ילך ויגדל. ברגע שאת מתחילה לדבר על עצמך באופן חיובי ונעים ולהעריך את הגוף שלך, לעולם לא תרצי לחזור אחורה".

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by C H E S S I E K I N G (@chessiekingg) on

View this post on Instagram

How many photos are ‘deleted’ out of the 150 taken to get the ‘chosen’ one? ‍♀️ I posted this back in summer 2017 when my feed was quite literally a sea of ‘perfection’ & I want to use it to reiterate something. I’ve been guilty of it, I can put my hands up & say my recently deleted folder has been full of photos I ‘hated’ of myself, photos I’d pray no one would see. Something I’d love you to take away with you for the next time you see a photo of yourself that you want to delete & never see again. That’s your body, that’s your home for the rest of your life. You would never look at a picture of your best friend & think ‘yuk, she looks gross, I wish her tummy looked flatter’... so why would you say that about yourself? Just remind yourself whilst having a scroll, a big chunk of the photos you see posted on here are the ones that made the cut out of a selection... ❤️

A post shared by C H E S S I E K I N G (@chessiekingg) on

View this post on Instagram

Well they’re both Instagram because we see so many of these side by side photos on here nowadays - When I first started using Instagram I never saw anything less than perfection on my newsfeed; from smooth skinned tanned teeny weeny bikini photos to post workout beautiful selfies captioned ‘5.30am spin class ✔️’... I found a lot of what was on here unachievable for me personally. My body & I were still going through quite a transition & still weren’t best friends ‍♀️ - I posted my first ‘real’ photo early last year, not side by side, just me with my flies undone slumped over after a huuge roast dinner. It was after that, I realised this is what I wanted to use my Instagram for, to hopefully help you see I have it too, I think things you do too, I’m with you through all of this - like a big sister/friend. I’ve tried to create a safe platform for you to feel my support no matter how many miles there are between us ❤️ - I would never ever of posted photos like the right 2 years ago, it was scary at first & it’s still quite revealing now. It’s been an amazing shift but I want to hear from YOU... do you find ‘reality’ posts help you? Do you think it’s just a ‘trend’? Is it healthy/unhealthy to see photos like the right? ‍♀️

A post shared by C H E S S I E K I N G (@chessiekingg) on

View this post on Instagram

Spot the difference Me + my skin have been on quite the journey... 8 years of trying quite literally everything to clear it up. The first photo was before I went on roaccutane for 4 months, 2012. The middle photo was 2 years ago, the clearest it’s been & the right photo was today. It’s affected my confidence so much & I feel like it’s a never ending battle I have my days where I practice what I preach & give myself a little pep talk “no ones even looking chess” but I also have days where I just want to hide my face with all my hair & a huge hat & hide in the darkness. @katekerrlondon_facialist is hands down the only person (+ the incredible Natalia & Michelle who work with her) I’ve ever been to who’s actually helped me understand what‘s actually going on. They are incredible & their wealth of knowledge is invaluable. I’m not paid to say this, I’m just sharing what’s helping me, I’m still learning about my skin & it’s not just an overnight thing. I’ve tried everything from eating garlic to alternative therapies but I wish I’d gone to Kate from the start. If you’re going through anything with your skin you are not alone, we’re in this together ❤️

A post shared by C H E S S I E K I N G (@chessiekingg) on