A prime example (and one that you’re most likely familiar with) is what Jelena Dokic recently went through and responded to with so much fierceness and bravery. Jelena – an icon, a superstar, a champion – targeted by abusive trolls (seriously evil), making nasty comments about her appearance. Unlucky for these keyboard warriors, Jelena is the real warrior, because she won’t tolerate it. She’ll use their harmful words to take back her power and flip the narrative, and protect future generations from such revolting behaviour.

I also recently went through my own experience – apparently I’m not ‘fit’ enough to be on the front cover of Women’s Health. I have done a lot of work on disconnecting the way I look from my worth, and so while this comment didn’t affect me, it doesn’t mean I don’t have days when these comments do cut through. This particular comment lit a roaring fire belly to call it out, (you can see my post on TikTok here) because this behaviour has to stop.

This is everything we stand for at Kic. Our weight does not, and will NEVER define our worth.

It is why we do not count calories, focus on body transformations, before / after photos, or EVER promote weigh ins.

The measurement of success and confidence exists in so many other aspects in life – it’s not about how you look, it’s about how you feel.

We focus on looking after our bodies because we want to feel strong, energised and GOOD (not because we want to change our bodies).

For so many years I struggled with negative body image and would focus on changing my body because I thought in order to be better I had to look a certain way. It used to break my confidence. I used to place so much of my self worth on my appearance so every time I was told to lose more weight, I’d put my body and mind through extreme stress and pressure, making me feel anxious and empty.

Societal expectations have unfortunately contributed to the body shaming commentary we see today. It’s never okay, and it’s why Steph and I created Kic – to be a safe place where people can feel empowered and educated with tools to find what feels good for them.

As a passionate advocate for this space I will continue doing all I can to put an end to commentary that fuels this damaging, toxic culture that continues to permeate our world.