Share this @internewscast.com
An Australian swimwear designer has faced criticism for saying she has lost weight recently because, as the face of ‘body positivity’ online, her fans felt as though she shouldn’t be praising the change in her appearance.
Moana Bikini owner Karina Irby, 32, has long been a proponent of loving yourself no matter your body size, frequently preaching to her followers that they shouldn’t feel the need to edit their online photos and embrace their insecurities.
But on Friday the dedicated businesswoman admitted to dropping some unwanted kilos over the past seven weeks because she was feeling sluggish and lacking energy.
‘This is not my normal content, and I’m not here to promote weight loss specifically. This post goes deeper than that,’ she said.
Moana Bikini owner Karina Irby, 32, has long been a proponent of loving yourself no matter your body size, frequently preaching to her followers that they shouldn’t feel the need to edit their online photos and embrace their insecurities
But on Friday the dedicated businesswoman admitted to dropping some unwanted kilos over the past seven weeks because she was feeling sluggish and lacking energy
‘If you saw my post seven weeks ago you would have read that, mentally, I was struggling with my body image and energy levels.
‘I was at a point where I didn’t recognise myself and was avoiding my reflection at all costs. I hated getting dressed in the morning and picking out an outfit for the day.
‘In the evening I’d never look at my body in the mirror after my shower and I’d get dressed in the dark.’
Karina hinted that these feelings stemmed from a ‘health incident’ she had over a year ago – though wouldn’t confirm what that was – so she set about trying to ‘break the cycle and become a healthier version of myself’.
She cut back on sugary treats, did Liv Active Fit HIIT classes twice a week, Grow With Jo YouTube classes twice a week, stopped eating when she was full and booked in with a therapist once a fortnight.
‘My biggest hurdle is diet. I love snacking, especially on naughty foods! But after only a week of cutting back on this habit my bloat started disappearing,’ she said.
Despite her vulnerable post, Karina was hit with vitriol from those who subscribe to the ‘body positive movement’, with many saying she couldn’t promote weight less and still consider herself ‘one of them’
‘My second biggest hurdle is time. I never seem to have enough of it. Or at least I was in that mindset. A few simple changes in my schedule to give myself some Karina time and I was back exercising and feeling motivated again.’
Despite her vulnerable post, Karina was hit with vitriol from those who subscribe to the ‘body positive movement’, with many saying she couldn’t promote weight less and still consider herself ‘one of them’.
‘Everybody deserves to want to move their bodies and not be shamed for that,’ she hit back.
‘Am I only allowed to make and post content when I’m not feeling good about my body?
‘Body positivity is about LOVING YOUR BODY AT ALL STAGES. Loving your body as whole, not a certain size. And loving for what it’s capable of, how it feels, not just focusing on how it looks.
‘Influencer or not, if your mental and physical is telling you to make a few changes, that’s your right. No one should feel bullied or worried about working on themselves because of what others may or may not say.’
Last year Karina shard pictures of her body after putting on a ‘few Christmas kilos’ in December.
In a post to Instagram, Karina Irby, 32, from the Gold Coast, shared a pic of her in a bikini from October then another from December after putting on a few extra Christmas pounds and says she doesn’t feel bad about it.
‘Yeah I’m a little more bloated, a little more round, a little more heavier but I’m happy,’ she wrote.
She said she was looking forward to ‘physically kicking my own butt back into the best shape’ in 2022.
Many of her followers from across the world were quick to applaud her confidence in the comments.
‘We have such similar body shapes and I love seeing you being normal!! It makes me want to love my body even more!! Keep it up!! Love all the way from Utah, USA,’ one woman wrote.
‘Thank you for being so REAL and transparent. It’s super refreshing and much appreciated!’ said a second.
The body-positivity queen said she was looking forward to ‘physically kicking my own butt back into the best shape’ in 2022.
‘In the same boat, life is too short not to enjoy what you like , thanks for helping me learn to not be so hard on myself, you’re beautiful,’ commented a third.
Karina is a successful swimwear designer with her business Moana Bikini and has 1.2million followers on Instagram thanks to her uplifting, body positive posts.
In the past, she has hit back at internet trolls who called her a whale after she shared a video of herself dancing around her living room in her underwear.
‘It says a lot about their character if they’re hiding online behind a fake or troll account and giving hell to someone who is just trying to make people feel good,’ she said.
‘I feel like if you know and feel you are in the right, then you should have the confidence and power to call out the haters and show the world who they really are.’
Karina Irby, who owns Moana Bikini, champions ‘real bodies’ and body positivity and has helped women all over the world learn to love the way they look
