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We, at The Modern East, love introducing new local talent to you all and for today’s fashion feature we have non-other than 24-year-old body-positive fashionista, Jyotsna Sunil! Growing up in the day and age of MSN, Facebook, and the rise of Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and more prominent platforms, Jyotsna always found herself intrigued by social media. Between juggling a full-time job in PR, to gaining hundreds of thousands of followers on these media platforms, Jyotsna has made a name for herself in the fashion industry in the region while keeping in mind a very important factor – body positivity!
Credits: Instagram (@jyotsna.sunil)
The Body Positivity movement refers to the assertion that all people deserve to have a positive body image, regardless of how society and popular culture view ideal shape, size, and appearance. In an era and an industry that has, since its establishment, depended on euro-centric beauty standards, and diet culture insinuating that beauty is directly correlated to petiteness of size, the Body Positivity movement is of great significance in the development of a confident self-image regardless of how you look. Influencers like Jyotsna play an important role in this movement and the influence on youngsters and fellow women with body shapes that are “out of the norm” – and, she is doing a fantastic job at that!
“Body positivity to me means just be happy in your skin. No matter what you look like. I use it because I am a plus-size girl, but I would expect any other person to use it the same no matter what their body type is!” She tells us.
As for the fashion industry, we can see brands moving forward but not enough. Many brands jumped on the Body Positivity train as if it were a train that would pick up and drop off a couple stops later, while some just used the movement and gave plus-sized people sloppy wear simply for namesake. “I would be super I would be super happy to enter stores that had dedicated plus-size sections but then look at the stuff and go “huh?????” There would be ugly pieces that were more covered up, Jyotsna tells us, “Brands didn’t seem to understand, WE WANT THE EXACT SAME STUFF JUST IN OUR SIZES!”
Credits: Instagram (@jyotsna.sunil)
Despite her radiating confidence, Jyotsna, like many of us, struggled with their self-image growing up. “For as long as I can remember, I really struggled with my self-image because of my weight,” she tells us, “I was constantly put on unbelievably hard diets that caused so much mental stress at such a young age. My family and friends would compliment my weight loss and it started to affect me in a way where I would skip meals, wear only black, and fake a smile. I don’t think anyone really realized how difficult it truly was for me.”
From faking her confidence in the company of her friends and family to covering up using black sweaters and hiding under layers of clothes, Jyotsna felt the burden of body-image insecurities just as well as many others. Once looking into the Body Positivity movement and seeing other influential figures confidently express themselves, Jyotsna quickly found a community right here in Dubai that advocated for the Body Positivity movement and plus-sized models and dove right in. “I think one of the most important things about the movement is surrounding yourself with people that have faced similar struggles and lift each other up!”
Intrigued by the rise of social media, Jyotsna loved the idea of always keeping her friends and family close and, evidently so, being in front of the camera! Since her rise in confidence, Jyotsna continued to embark on her journey of self-love through social media and has used both the online platforms as well as fashion to express herself. “social media gave me the platform I have today. To be able to inspire and communicate with women all around the world. Help people with their self-love/body positive journey,” she says, “This all began with myself expression of how I face my challenges being a plus size girl. I do think niche in self-expression is mostly exhibited through my fashion choices.”
As for pushing towards body positivity through her social media, Jyotsna makes it a priority to be as transparent as possible with her followers. “I post pictures I feel confident in so I don’t feel like I’m cheating my followers. My main goal these days is to let them know you can still have a love for fashion and be a size,” she says, “Brands have become more inclusive, so my goal is to find these brands and let women know that they have them available.”
Credits: Instagram (@jyotsna.sunil)
Since her impact on social media, particularly on Instagram, Jyotsna’s modeling career began to take off! “I didn’t ever think I could be a model and I got a DM one day asking me to model on live television,” she tells us, “Back then the people on set were not the best since plus-size modeling had just recently begun so they didn’t understand why I was there, but it’s been 4 years since, and we’ve come a really long way!”
Looking ahead, Jyotsna wants to continue to inspire, but also not put so much pressure on herself. “You get caught up with the trends, expectations, and the world of influencers and I do not want to start comparing myself to others because even in the community it can become a vicious cycle,” she says, “I will keep fighting for the body positive movement, not only through social media but every aspect of life!”
Don’t forget to follow Jyotsna on her self-love journey and her continuous advocation for body positivity on Instagram now!
“The only opinion that matters is yours and I promise you will realize this sooner or later. I am thankful for all the support I’ve received, it’s incredible!” – Jyotsna
