Malin: ‘I feel so free posting real pictures now’
Love Island star Malin says, “I was in a dark place during my teenage years and early twenties, in terms of my relationship with myself and my mental health. I fully believe that seeing unrealistic and edited bodies contributed to this.
“I’d look at other girls and feel so inadequate. I suffered with an eating disorder and had so much surgery – a Brazilian butt lift, a boob job and liposuction. It was all in a bid to try to get the ‘perfect’ body. I’d think, ‘Why don’t I look like them? Why don’t I have a thigh gap?’ and the thoughts consumed me.
“When I became famous and got a social media following, I’d edit all my pictures – I craved validation and my brain space was taken up with thinking about how I could look better. I was in a terrible place and was really lost. Looking back, it breaks my heart. My wake-up call was getting pregnant [with daughter Consy, who sadly died after being born seven weeks premature in January last year], and realising just how incredible my body can be, no matter what it looks like.
“Now, I never edit any of my photos on Instagram and it feels so freeing. I’ve become so much happier, and I’m relieved I’m not deceiving any of my followers or subjecting them to feelings of inadequacy. I also only follow people who show their real selves and make me feel good. I sadly lost my little girl – but if I have a daughter in the future, I don’t want her growing up feeling rubbish about herself because edited Instagram photos make her think her own body isn’t normal. We need to start normalising things like cellulite and tummy rolls – real bodies. So I think this bill is amazing and will do so much good if it’s passed. We all should embrace ourselves and stop wasting time over edited, unrealistic pictures.”