Russian women share their images of beauty
In a new wave of Russian feminism, thousands of women are posting selfies on social media showing their pimples, cellulite and hair loss to challenge beauty stereotypes that women’s rights activists say fuel low self-esteem and eating disorders. The #AllIsFineWithMe trend - started by a Russian teen who has struggled with anorexia - is the latest initiative to push back against unrealistic pressures on women and girls to look perfect, often driven by airbrushed images on social media.
“Russia is still a very patriarchal, body conscious country where strict beauty standards and body-shaming are an everyday reality,” said Janette Akhilgova, Russia consultant for women’s rights group Equality Now. “(Such) campaigns ... are a positive way to let people see how they can accept their own body and break free of the constraints ... which can destroy both mental and physical health. It is about diversity, inclusion, and acceptance.”
From catwalks featuring plus-sized models to airlines ditching compulsory make-up for hostesses, a growing number of so-called body positive initiatives worldwide are encouraging women to celebrate their appearance. Women in Russia are expected to dress to appeal to men, feminists say, highlighting old-fashioned gender stereotypes and rising conservatism, such as a 2017 law decriminalising domestic violence that does not require hospital treatment.
In a bid to change that, teenage Instagram influencer @Tysya asked her 1.2 million followers to post photos of themselves without make-up with the hashtag #SoMnoyVsyoTak or #AllIsFineWithMe. “In Russia ... we show very few people with ordinary bodies,” @Tysya, whose real name is Natalia Zemlianukhina, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by email. Girls who are not thin, have acne or different traits are often picked on at school and pressured to diet, she said, adding she had fought to overcome anorexia, where sufferers starve themselves due to an obsessive fear of getting fat. “#AllIsFineWithMe is about the fact that every body is right and beautiful. There are no bodies that need to be worked on, improved or changed.”