On holiday
Bianca Lawrence
has scars on her
face, back and chest
from medication
which turned acne
into keloids as a
teenager. She has
struggled with
depression and anxiety, but is now sharing
her efforts to be more positive. “The first
time I showed my keloids was in Ibiza
in 201 7. I felt free and comfortable,
I wasn’t hiding anymore. I could
be myself. I was surrounded
by supportive friends who
made me feel a lot more
comfortable, and with their
encouragement it was
easier to make a decision
to show my keloids.”wellness
48 CalmMoment.com
Photog
rap
hy^ AJ^ Ham
iltonOnline
Stylist Grace
Woodward appeared
as a judge on
Britain’s Next Top
Model but has since
left the fashion
industry and tried to
address air-brushing
culture through her Instagram account
(@gracewoodward). “My mum died from
a life-long eating disorder when my baby
was eight weeks old. I’d been trying to
escape this problem of being obsessed with
your own body and actually ending up just
running in circles. After doing Britain’s Next
Top Model I felt conflicted about the show
and its messaging.”
Grace came to view Instagram as a safe
space for a project revisiting photographers
she’d worked with before, but this time
without any retouching, pre-shoot diets
or special exercise. “As much as I do have
negative things to say about Instagram and
their policing of women’s bodies, putting
myself out there to a public audience was my
first safe space. This is a healing process for
me; I wish every woman would do it; it’s like
facing your greatest fear, like being naked in
a dream, but the reality is everybody
applauds you. I think so many women’s
confidence drops after having children, but
as a 42-year-old woman with a post-baby
body, I WILL be seen.”
Lottie Storey, host of Body Cons, a podcast
which examines body image, feminism and
diet culture, agrees. “I did my degree in
psychology, studying women’s magazines
and self-esteem in the late 9 0 s; I don’t think
magazines have the same power now. We
interviewed Nadia Craddock from the Centre
for Appearance Research (uwe.ac.uk) and she
told us about research-based evidence that
shows the body acceptance and body
neutrality movements on sites like Instagram
do change how we see ourselves.”On my bike
Every time we are
brave enough to
occupy a space
where we don’t feel
represented, it leads
to greater freedom
for everyone. Jools
Walker is the author
of Back in the Frame: How to get back on your
bike, whatever life throws at you (Sphere).
“I’ve made so many wonderful friends
through cycling, but I actually feel most
comfortable when it’s just me and the bike.
Sometimes it can be intimidating, like I stick
out like a sore thumb as it isn’t traditionally
a space where you’d find people of colour.
Jenni Gwiazdowski and I formed a women of
colour cycling group. Some people called us
racist on Facebook; it sucks but we knew
there would be people like that. If anything,
it gives me the strength to continue and
recognise why it’s so important.”