BREAKING UP WITH THE TANNING BED, SPRAY TANNING, and body confidence

BEAUTY, LIFESTYLEAshley DoroughApril 2, 2021spray tan, tanning bed, body image, swimsuit, anxiety, isle of paradise, tanning water, tanning drops, sephora, skincare, skin cancer Comment

Getting Curious About My Weight....

Real Talk⚡️
(TW: weight loss, diet culture)

LIFESTYLEAshley DoroughSeptember 24, 2020weight gain, covid, stress, mental health, body imageComment

When I started my "body love" journey 4 years ago, I never could have guessed...

When I started my “body love” journey 4 years ago I never could have a guessed how many layers there would be to it.

LIFESTYLEAshley DoroughJune 30, 2020body image, body positivity, body love, swim, plus size, intuitive eating, steph dodierComment

Triggers...

Last night I was scrolling Insta and came across a friend who shares mostly bikini photos and ways to change your body.⁣

LIFESTYLEAshley DoroughJune 27, 2020body image, mental health, triggers, body positivity, fat positivity, swim, anxiety, depressionComment

"Mommy, why is your tummy so squishy?"

“Mommy, why is your tummy so squishy?” she said, as we snuggled in bed this morning while daddy took Pj to the kitchen. “Why is my tummy so flat and hard, and yours is so soft?” she asked, innocently.⁣

LIFESTYLEAshley DoroughMay 16, 2020motherhood, diet culture, body image, body positivity, self love, EmalineComment

Unexpected Triggers on the Road to Recovery

I was online shopping this morning for new swimwear to try - and I found myself on a swimsuit website that I haven’t shopped from since I was newly postpartum with Emaline. As I brought up the homepage, an overwhelming wave of sadness came over me.

LIFESTYLEAshley DoroughApril 22, 2020mental health, plus size swimwear, weight gain, body imageComment

Our Bodies and Covid-19

Last week I tried on 6 pairs of jeans before finding one that I could zip.

Two years ago me: Total spiral into self hate, punishment, and either starving myself or bingeing. Triggering further shameful thoughts about not being good or worthy enough to “stick to a plan” or “take care of myself”

LIFESTYLEAshley DoroughApril 19, 2020weight gain, covid19, body image, body positivity, mental health, denim, jeansComment

What Freedom Really Looks Like

FREEDOM is truly found when you realize that what your body looks like does not equal your level of health, success, productivity, beauty, sexiness, happiness, your mental health status, or who you are.

Read. It. Again.

We 👏🏻 Are 👏🏻 So 👏🏻 Much 👏🏻 More 👏🏻 I love this photo because it was taken on a day where I truly felt that feeling of freedom.

LIFESTYLEAshley DoroughMarch 1, 2020body positivity, body image, beach body, plus size swimwearComment

I'm Hitting Pause on Everything

Yooooo, that feeling when you realize your body is exactly what you wished it wouldn’t be years ago. //content warning\\ (language relating to body dys, eating disorders, orthorexia)

LIFESTYLEAshley DoroughFebruary 4, 2020diet culture, body acceptance, body image, body positivity Comment

New Year, Same Me

#NewYear_SameYou // when I look at this photo, I see those arms and I remember the days where I’d obsessively measure them. I can remember sitting at red lights in my car, feeling the circumference of my biceps and promising myself that I’d do arm weights as soon as I got home.

LIFESTYLEAshley DoroughJanuary 1, 2020#newyearsameyou, body positivity, body image, mentalhealth, diet cultureComment

Small Steps Towards Body Acceptance

The comments on my last post are mind blowing... so I just wanted to quickly follow up with a few things that we can start doing now that are small but I’m convinced they can have a huge impact:

LIFESTYLEAshley DoroughDecember 20, 2019body positivity, body acceptance, body image, plus size, health, mental healthComment

Hi, My Name's Ashley

Hi, my names Ashley and my stomach is fat. There’s never been a time in my life where I wasn’t self conscious about my belly. Even 100 lbs ago, when body dysmorphia ruled my life, it was something I was ashamed of.

LIFESTYLEAshley DoroughDecember 13, 2019body image, body acceptance, body positivity, self love, eating disorder recoveryComment

My Postpartum Stomach // #this_is_postpartum

This is one of those times where I just have something so strong on my heart today and feel the need to share. I’m not sure who needs to read this but... This is the only picture I have of my bare pregnant belly ever, and I snapped it a few days before I gave birth to Pj.

LIFESTYLEAshley DoroughOctober 4, 2019postpartum, stomach, this is postpartum, mom life, body image, body acceptance, body positivityComment

My Stomach Story

For as long as I can remember, all I ever wanted was a flat stomach.⁣
I avoided pool parties as early as middle school. I would spend the evenings secretly doing workout videos in my bedroom.

LIFESTYLEAshley DoroughSeptember 25, 2019stomach, body acceptance, body image, postpartum journey, postpartum, this is postpartum, self love, mom lifeComment

Coming to Terms with my Rolls

Fat Rolls. *awkward silence*
We’ve spent pretty much our entire lives trying to make sure we don’t have any.
I’ve come to accept them, but it’s taken awhile. I like to call it body neutrality, honestly, because I’m not going to tell you that I always love them. But at this point in my life, for the first time ever I’m okay with the fact that these gushy, squishy rolls are here, on my body, no matter if I’m standing or sitting.

LIFESTYLEAshley DoroughAugust 13, 2019body image, body positivity, body acceptanceComment

The "F" Word

👉🏼FAT👈🏼 this is a word I have struggled with my whole life, ever since that dumb boy made fun of my “fat legs” in 2nd grade.

When the word FAT started being talked about more in the body positive community I had a really, REALLY hard time with it. I’ve been working on it. But this one word has probably been the hardest thing for me to be accepting of.

Looking Back // Body Image

LIFESTYLEAshley DoroughJune 19, 2019eating disorder, body image, body positivity, bmi, BMIComment

You're More Than a Size

Hey girl, ever see something cute and think “nah, my body isn’t in shape enough for that yet.” 😳 I used to do that too. In fact, I used to be the QUEEN of that type of behavior.
Here’s the thing I finally realized though. Body love, confidence and acceptance isn’t about how much you weigh or what size you wear.

LIFESTYLEAshley DoroughJune 15, 2019body image, body positivity, plus size, plus size swimwear, swimswear, summer, postpartum, bikiniComment

Done with Self Doubt

You know that voice in your head... the one that tells you you’re not good enough? I’ve listened to that voice my whole life. It’s told me I’m not athletic enough, smart enough, thin enough, busy enough, pretty enough, funny enough, successful enough, friendly enough.

LIFESTYLEAshley DoroughMay 30, 2019self worth, self love, plus size, body image, body positivityComment

Body Image // #Unretouched

When I was in middle school, I started noticing little red marks on my hips, thighs, boobs and arms. I figured out they were “stretch marks” - and to my knowledge and feeling, nothing about these marks were beautiful. I spent the next 15 years or so ashamed of them. I would obsessively workout my arms and go to the tanning bed, hoping it would help. I’d put makeup on my stomach and thighs before wearing a swimsuit in public.
Guess what? At my thinnest and lightest weight, they were still there and I did everything in my power to try and cover them up.

LIFESTYLEAshley DoroughMay 14, 2019body image, body positivity, plus size style, plus size, dresses, unretouchedComment