Victoria D'Ariano has an amazing body. Amazing in that it lets her live and works exactly as it should.
D'Ariano is also incredibly fit. Like, works-out-most-days kinda fit. Has abs fit.
And she is also into looking after herself. As in, is working to not define herself by the amount of times she goes to the gym, the number on the scales or the skimpiness of her outfit.
Essentially, Victoria is all about holistic wellness, with feeling good being the centre of her ethos.
In this vein, she started a new hashtag and series of photos under the name 'Courage to be you'.
At the end of May, she posted a photo of herself, back to the camera, showing off the difference in her bum in different lighting and posing. But this wasn't a simple 'everyone has bad angles' post. Instead, Victoria wrote an open letter, to her bum dimple.
It read:
Dear Butt Dimple, I remember the first day you appeared. I was 15 years old. Since then you have had a hugely negative impact on my life. Since then you have made me feel less about myself. You not only made me feel fat, but also unworthy. You have always had an impact on what I chose to wear. I would avoid certain bikinis, and even some of my favorite leggings. I would never feel confident in a bikini because I thought everyone was staring at you. I would never wear my favorite leggings because again I always thought people were staring at you. Long shirts were my go-to as it was a way I could cover you up and have a moment of peace within my mind as no one would be judging you. I remember endless hours of looking at you in the mirror, squeezing you and wondering why I had you. I remember crying of embarrassment as other girls I was friends with didn't have you. I would exercise extra hard in hopes you would go away. I would eat better also in hopes you would go away. I even considered cellulite treatments so you would finally just go away. You never did, you still haven't. You took a lot of joy away from me, you caused a lot of stress for me, you made me insecure and took away my confidence. I could never feel in shape as you were always there. I am writing to you today to tell you I have finally stopped letting you win. You will no longer make me feel unworthy, not good enough or not in shape. I will no longer be afraid to wear certain bathing suits or leggings because of you. I will no longer hide you. You are what you are and I have finally come to peace with that. I have finally accepted you.
Victoria has suffered with depression and anxiety since she was 12 (though she wasn't formally diagnosed with depression until she was 18).
Making peace with her bum dimple is a sign of larger change within our society. That your body, and all the things that make is special and unique, should not dictate how you feel.
Despite Victoria having a pretty ideal figure, this post shows that insecurity, anxiety and depression don't discriminate, she explained to HuffPost,
For those who have ever had body image issues they can relate and this sheds light on the topic and makes them feel like aren't alone. These people react positively as this photo helps them. For those who don't understand the severity of mental health and the implications it can have on things, they see this as stupid, and thus react negatively. '[Some people] view women like myself, who have insecurities, body image issues and other mental health problems as 'privileged.' People want to compare struggles, they don't think that if you look a certain way or live a certain life you should be able to have struggles. 'Unfortunately for a lot of people, myself included, mental health issues don't discriminate. You can have the best of everything in the world but if you have these problems it won't matter and this is what people fail to understand.
Essentially, Victoria is inspiring women to be who they are.
Daisy Murray is the Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, spotlighting emerging designers, sustainable shopping, and celebrity style. Since joining in 2016 as an editorial intern, Daisy has run the gamut of fashion journalism - interviewing Molly Goddard backstage at London Fashion Week, investigating the power of androgynous dressing and celebrating the joys of vintage shopping.
