“It’s taken me a long time to feel good in my body”

ALEX

Body-confidence influencer Alex Light hasn’t always felt at home in her own skin

As she posts an image of herself in underwear with a body-positive caption, Alex Light sees the likes and comments roll in. The 32-year-old dedicates her online space to spreading a message of anti-dieting, made even more powerful by the fact that she spent years struggling with an eating disorder. “Growing up I lived with the belief that my worth laid totally in how I looked. It’s taken me a long time to feel good in myself, but the relationship I have with both food and my body is the best it has ever been,” she explains. “I used to look at my friends who were thin and it felt so unfair because that’s what I so desperately wanted. But it’s so life-changing when you can let that go.” Despite being so open about her own struggles, Alex still comes up against negativity online. “People comment on my body every day. I’ve been told I’m overweight, promoting obesity and too chubby to be showing my body. At the beginning I found it hard, because it felt like my darkest fears were confirmed, but it has fast-tracked me to a thick skin.”

For Alex, exercise boosts her mental health. “It really helps me shift the focus from how my body looks to how it works and it feels.” She does gym classes – alternating between spinning and boxing. “It’s an hour where you think about nothing else but moving your body in a joyful way to help you feel good.”