Viraldice: These Models and Real Life Best Friends Went From Being Body Shamed… to Posing in Sports Illustrated

eorgia Gibbs and Kate Wasley are Australian best friends and models. They founded their campaign, Any BODY, after being attacked online for their body shapes. Now the blog and social media accounts feature photos of themselves and others, celebrating body diversity and discouraging body comparisons.

 

This is the photo that started it all. Gibbs and Wasley are best friends, and so much more than their respective sizes.

Their friends saw a photo of two happy women having a great time together. The internet saw a skinny girl and a chubby girl. (The internet is a huge jerk.) Gibbs and Wasley were surprised at the reaction they got. “We realized people aren’t use to seeing a size 8 and a 16 next to each other, which blew our minds, we are healthy, confident and natural so whats the big deal?” Gibbs said.

Instead of succumbing to the hurt and shame, the women used it as a launching pad for their Any BODY blog and campaign.

"Shame me ... I dare you."

The pair used what they know best — modeling — to spread their message of body acceptance. They’ll soon appear in the coveted Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, highlighting the fact that their bodies are different and beautiful. What they really want is for women (and men) to stop comparing bodies.

“Whether you’re a size 6 or 16, above, below, or in between, we believe you are unique and uniqueness is so beautiful in a world of so much similarity,” Gibbs said.

Fans have shared photos of themselves, proudly rocking bodies of all different shapes and sizes.

“We’re here to show beauty in diversity, health in different forms,” Wasley wrote. “We want you to embrace you.” Their message of positivity, acceptance, and self-care is taking off. Fans of every imaginable stripe are feeling empowered to accept themselves.

The best revenge to those cyberbullies? Wild success.

The attacks that propelled the pair to launch Any BODY were designed to knock them down. Instead, these women used their beauty and brains to spread their feel-good message.

Looking at them, it’s hard to imagine what those trolls were thinking!

Their message of acceptance is resonating with people all over the world.

The duo are enjoying the ride and the unexpected success. On Instagram, Any BODY currently has 230K followers and counting.

“Mental, physical and spiritual WELLNESS is what we determine as ‘health’ and this is why it’s time to #QuitTheComparisons and choose to LOVE yourself & #LoveAnyBODY 🌈”

People are loving the message these two are spreading.