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This former bodybuilder shares a picture of her bloated tummy during PMS, in a bid to shatter the “perfect” body Instagram illusion.
Victoria D’Ariano, from Los Angeles in America, posted a photo on Instagram to encourage online users to be open and honest about their daily body struggles.
In the post the 25-year-old compares two images taken four hours apart. The first picture showed her flexing her chiselled abs while the other depicted her with a swollen tummy during PMS (premenstrual syndrome).
"No one talks about the struggle women go through every month. With myself I go through being bloated, depressed, exhausted and moody,” says Victoria.
The social media influencer went on to write about her “extreme bloating”, lack of energy, mood swings and cramps in an attempt to get others to be more open about their struggles.
Victoria, who’s originally from Ontario, Canada, believes so-called Instagram stars tend to hide the realities of being a woman and says her followers supported the absolute honesty of her post – which has received more than 9 000 likes.
"I wanted people to see the reality that I don't walk around with a superflat stomach all the time,” she says.
The blonde-haired beauty boasts more than 340 000 followers on Instagram and hopes her candidness will encourage others to talk more about their daily experiences.
"I think people need to be more honest because there are many young women who are influenced by them yet their Instagram image of perfection isn't always a reality,” Victoria says.
The Instagram star says she’s trying to spread body positivity and to ensure womanhood is fairly represented on social media.
Her self-love message comes eight-months after deciding to abandon the rigorous training and dieting she did for four-years to achieve the “picture-perfect body”.
"For me, I was fitness obsessed for four years and over time lost the sense of why I got into it,” says the 25-year-old.
Since putting on 9 kg, Victoria says she’s happier than ever and she feels much more comfortable in her curvier body.
"I live a life now where I'm not focused on the way I look and training, I work out because I like to do it for enjoyment rather than a particular look,” she says.
Sources: Magazine Features
