The Beautiful Reason So Many People Relate To This Couple's Swimsuit Photo
So inspiring.
Getty Images People love to judge. It’s sad, but it’s so true. Does judging others have some sort of evolutionary advantage? Or, is it that people are just so insecure that judging others is a coping mechanism that is hard to turn off?
Even people like myself, who view themselves as non-judgmental, sometimes find themselves judging others without even realizing it. It’s these moments that I have to give myself a big mental slap in the face.
Watch the latest video at foxnews.com
So, just like everything else, there is no shock that people judge the relationships of others, too. This is especially true for couples who don’t seem to match up when it comes to body type and weight.
It was also no shock when the Internet went crazy over this body-positive couple on Instagram.
Her name is Jasmine "Jazzy" Owens and, in 2017, she posted a bikini photo to her page that went viral.
Growing her following to more than 45,000 people, the then-25-year-old Owens had been posting her day-to-day thoughts on body positivity as it related to her and the world.
The photo showed her and her man on the beach, looking just as happy as any couple could hope to be. She’s in a bikini and her husband is in swim shorts, but the only difference between them is that she isn't what would typically be considered "fit," while he clearly is.
The caption of her photo begins like this: "Over the years this man has loved every curve, every roll, and every stretch mark on my body. I never understood why!"
And the inspiring post ended with this: "How could he love something that isn't 'perfect'? How could a man who was 'born fit' love someone like me? I don't have a flat stomach, I jiggle when I walk, hell — if I run up the stairs too fast my body claps (lmao)! But now I see I do have the 'perfect' body! Every roll, every curve, and every stretch mark is put on me just perfect to make both of us happy! I love my body and I finally see why he does, too."
However, Owens did admit that her path to becoming body positive was not easy or short.
She said in an interview, “Trying to change my mindset on what the ‘perfect body’ looks like has been a big factor in my journey. I am still not fully there. Some days I have doubts, but I feel as though that is just negativity and I’m trying to escape it. When I have these doubts, I simply look in the mirror and remind myself why I started this journey to love my body and tell myself ‘You are beautiful!’”
While her post did get a few hateful comments, most people took the time to say how inspired they were by her beautiful words. Her post even went viral with thousands of likes and many more comments showing Owens's support.
She said, “Honestly my post going viral has come as a complete shock to me. It’s very exciting and overwhelming at the same time. I am just very humbled that my story is not only reaching so many but also inspiring others to love their bodies no matter what shape and size they are.”
I, for one, commend Owens on her body positivity and think that her message is both important and inspiring.
Shannon Ullman is a writer who focuses on travel and adventure, women's health, pop culture, and relationships. Her work has appeared in Huffington Post, MSN, and Matador Network.