135 WAYS TO DIVERSIFY YOUR INSTAGRAM FEED

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I highly doubt that I'll ever tell you to turn off your television and burn all of your magazines in order further your body liberation journey. As someone who works online all day and loves to critique (and enjoy) pop culture, it sounds like a life worse than hell. And I’m assuming that Netflix counts as television in this conversation so, fuck that shit.

If you're really into trying this "body liberation/acceptance/love/neutrality" thing though, I do have a suggestion that can help: Diversify your media feed.

It’s REALLY simple.
Simple as in: Click a few things a few times and watch your world change. 

If we allow our media feeds to regulate themselves without actively seeking alternative, body-positive options, they are more than likely going to be filled with Taylor Swifts and Ashley Grahams for miles. Don't misunderstand, though... it’s not that their bodies are bad, it’s just that they don't represent the amazing diversity of bodies that exist in our world. 

If we want our media feeds to represent real life (and ultimately show us that our body isn’t strange, weird, or awful) we need to go out and actively find diverse images for ourselves.

I’ve had success with this on a personal level; my body image perspective changed because I intentionally widened the amount of account types that I followed. The more diverse bodies I saw- the more stretch marks I saw, the more skin shades I saw, the wider range of physical abilities I saw- the more normalized every body around me (including my own) became. My appreciation of all bodies grew, and I started to see the beauty in EVERYONE.

All from changing my media feed.

There’s science behind this as well if you’d like to read about a study where they debunked the myth that “biological attraction” is why society prefers our current beauty standard and showed that repeated changing of imagery alters the way we view body sizes etc. It's all here with a nice NPR summary here

We are not born fatphobic, but rapidly learn fatphobia through culture. We are also not born racist but quickly become so because it's what our society is founded on. We learn ableism, sexism, ageism, and other harmful biases. But because they are learned, it means we can also un-learn them.

Our minds are retrainable. Our brains are rewireable. All is not lost, and nothing is fucked. If we actively feed ourselves visual proof of the diversity that exists in our world, we WILL learn to appreciate all bodies for what they are: perfect.

Instagram is the only social media I'm personally spending time on nowadays but when Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls came out, I wasn’t hip to IG culture so I didn’t include a list of accounts to follow. (Though I DID compile (now) over 370 resources of books, blogs, and other sites to use. Check those out for sure.)

Now that my visual feed happens through this particular app, I wanted to share a few recommendations of accounts for you to follow because I love to see them popping up in my feed. It’s no exaggeration that I have learned just as much from these brilliant minds and their images as I have through reading posts and articles. 

Instagram is succinct. Visual. Current. Perfect for retraining your brain. Neuroplasticity is such a gift.

Without further ado, ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY FIVE accounts I love that you can easily click, follow and then watch what happens as your world view + periphery expands


Some are personal, some are "businesses" and some (like mine) are a mix of both. Regardless, I've gleaned something great from each of them and I have a feeling you will too. You're welcome and I love you.


❤ Im.big.so.what
❤ Intersectionalbodypos
❤ Iofthetigress
❤ Itsfeminism
❤ Jacobtobia
❤ Jadebeallphotography
❤ Janetmock
❤ Jessamynstanley
❤ Joannathangia
❤ Kliuwong
❤ Kobi_jae
❤ Lafeministadescolonial
❤ Latinarebels
❤ Laughinggoddessapothecary
❤ Lauracallaghanillustration
❤ Lavernecox
❤ Littlelizziev
❤ Louisegreen_bigfitgirl
❤ Lupitanyongo
❤ Mamacaxx
❤ Mynameisjessamyn
❤ Natalieispoetry
❤ Nayyirah.waheed
❤ Nikiaphoenix
❤ Nubian_
❤ Oh.so.feminist
❤ Magnoliahblack
❤ Marylambertsing
❤ Melaniin.goddess
❤ Mindsetforlifeltd
❤ Monicakimgarza
❤ Moosekleenex
❤ Moshoodat
❤ Nikita_gill
❤ Nazirasacasa
❤ Pansexual.pride.love
❤ Philomenakwao
❤ Protect.trans.kids
❤ Queerfatfemme
❤ Queerxicanochisme
❤ Radfatvegan
❤ Readytostare
❤ Redressluvsu
❤ Roblympian
❤ Robynlambird
❤ Rosiereigns
❤ Rozthediva
❤ Samdylanfinch
❤ Saucyewest
❤ Shoogsart
❤ Staramrasu
❤ Stoptellingwomentosmile
❤ TBINAA
❤ Thebodypositive
❤ Theijeoma
❤ Thejeffrymarsh
❤ Thoughtscaughtinmyfro
❤ Tylerfeder
❤ Undocumedia
❤ Ushshi
❤ Wagatwe
❤ Watanabenaomi703
❤ Weexistcollective
❤ Wewantequality
❤ Womanis.t
❤ Wizardfight
❤ Yvetteactually

P.S. Any Instagram accounts that you particularly love? Leave them below!

P.P.S. You can also find mental health hotlines, how to’s for the revolution, ways to protect yourself from online harassmenttips for being a fat ally, how to responsible while writing about transgender or suicide issues, starting points for finding a therapist, where to find online hugs and other resources here!


P.P.P.S. Oh, and while I'm thinking about magazines- Allure, Self and Vogue- if you could stop sending me publications that I never subscribed to that would be great- it's seriously creeping me out + wasting paper kthx.

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