Allison Kimmey, a mother of two, has made an incredible mark on social media with her twist on the traditional ‘before and after’ photos.
Typically, before and after photos show women who have lost weight, while Kimmey’s show her journey to self love and body positivity.
Posting to her Instagram account – which boasts over 174,000 followers – Kimmey shared a before and after of herself.
On the ‘before’ image Kimmey is depicted in a bikini with the caption ‘unhappy, while on the right hand picture she is also pictured in a bikini with the word ‘happy’.
The images show her weight gain over a period of time.
Kimmey captioned the powerful image, ‘I was at war with my body for many many years. Forcing it into a box that she did not fit.
‘Once I decided to make peace with my body, I began to see how much time I had wasted hating the body that carried me through life and how much head space was filled with terrible thoughts I would never utter out loud.
‘And here I am, completely in love with the person I have become. Happiness is not a size, it’s a state of mind…’
Kimmey finishes with a simple, ‘Just do you babes!’
The post was quickly picked up by social media users empowered and encouraged by the powerful message.
One commenter wrote, ‘This post spoke to my heart. I have a similar before from a year and a half/ two years ago and I was miserable I have had a 50lb weight gain and am in the process of trying to love the skin I’m in and embrace it.’
Another added, ‘You are so gorgeous! Can’t believe that you are so confident and happy, you are my Idol!!
Now, Kimmey’s Instagram is dedicated to her message of body positivity.
Kimmey’s Instagram shows how many body changes she has gone through – with images of her ranging from a size 2 to a size 18 – but claims her social media is not about her weight loss or weight gain.
She told Life & Style, ‘I wanted to share that it is okay if you aren’t on the quest for six pack abs (and it’s okay if you are too) but most importantly, that the way our bodies look truly has no determination over whether or not we can decide to live our lives fully and with joy.’
Kimmey also shared her amazing words of advice for embracing who you are, ‘My first piece of advice is: stop comparing. Your holistic being will never, EVER, be like anyone else’s, and you can’t compare your journey through this life to anyone else’s.
‘There is no one right or wrong way to discover self-love…So have compassion and patience with yourself, this undoing will take some time. You are worthy. No matter what anyone has told you, or what you have told yourself for years…you deserve to feel love, and joy, and respect within yourself.’
So, as Kimmey would say – ‘Just do you, babe!’