Photo: Instagram/Sophie Gray
A Canadian model named Sophie Gray recently revealed that she almost instantly lost close to 70,000 Instagram followers after announcing that bikini photos would be no more. And apparently that peeved a few thousand followers as her follower count went from 430,000 to 367,000.
Here’s what Gray captioned the photo below — the same photo that made people head for the “exit doors.”
“You no longer see pictures of my body this way on @Instagram for this reason. Having a six pack and thigh gap doesn’t make you happy. Pizza and cookies are fucking delicious. And I’m sick of women being told they have to be anything other than themselves to be happy. I know I was in the #fitspo industry for years, and I still want you to care for your body – but this bullshit.”
Gray also added this to another post, explaining her decision.
“Everything I did revolved around those photos. I was constantly worrying about my body image because my ‘worth’ through this channel depended on it. I understand that @wayofgray’s old images may have been inspiring. And, to that I say there are tons of those accounts you can follow for those images. But, I know those images were damaging for many. This is why I want you to f***ing love yourself.”
Gray has now found that her follower count has gone up again, and even though some people are calling her “brave” for her honesty, Gray doesn’t agree.
“I’m called brave for being myself, for owning my truth and sharing the real side of my life through social media. How f***ing sad is that? It’s sad because filtered photos are the norm when it comes to social media.”
In conclusion, you folks have thousands of other Instagram accounts you can follow to get your fill of bikini and fitness models. Hell, I’m sure we’ll mention a few new accounts here soon.
h/t NY Post