Guernsey Press

Presentation given by body positive author

BODY CONFIDENCE and body positivity were the subject of a talk given by influencer, body positive author and life coach Michelle Elman.

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Influencer and life coach Michelle Elman recently presented her debut book, Am I Ugly?, at the Guille-Alles Library. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 24272431)

Recently presenting her debut book, Am I Ugly?, at the Guille-Alles Library, Michelle spoke of her 15 surgeries, battles with her mind and body and how she overcame the negativity she felt in childhood.

‘The surgeries have left me with a lot of scars on my stomach which have affected my body confidence and eventually led me to start my campaign, Scarred Not Scared, and be really passionate about body image.’

Michelle also spoke about diverse representation of body types and how the world should be more inclusive of bodies and removing the shaming, especially when it comes to overweight or disabled bodies.

‘Although the ideal body type does change throughout time, there is still a “trendy” body, but I want people to realise you shouldn’t have to go through the pain I went through to realise your body is your body and it’s deserving of respect just because you’re here and you’re alive.

‘A lot of the time we talk about health but we forget that health is not just about [weight] because healthy can look very different in disabled bodies or bodies that have been through surgery,’ she said.

Going through a period of multiple medical complications and surgeries, Michelle described herself as in survival mode.

Looking back, she was able to pinpoint negative experiences or people who shattered her confidence and was able to grow beyond that, finding the beauty in herself and respecting the way she looked.

‘It’s difficult because my body was reminding me every day of this past because of the scars, so as I got older I had more body image issues and thought plastic surgery was the only thing that could solve it.’

But surgery was what had caused her to feel insecure and lack confidence in the first place.

‘I began to get terrified of hospital and the idea of surgery and was so determined to find an alternative to plastic surgery.’

Michelle said it was not an overnight cure – she didn’t wake up one day suddenly with a more positive outlook and a sudden love for her body.

‘Your body is a permanent excuse to avoid doing things like wearing a bikini or going out, and I don’t think it’s realistic to love your body every day, but once I started accepting the scars the rest came a lot easier.’