Influencer Mikayla Nogueira has spoken candidly about accepting and loving her body after gaining weight, prompting an outpouring of praise from her followers.
In a recent video posted to TikTok, Nogueira told her more than 11.8m followers she feels “so good about” herself, after initially finding it “difficult” to “accept that I have a new body”.
“I recently gained 60 pounds,” she said. “At first it was really difficult to accept that I have a new body. I’m 4’11, 200 pounds, and at first that was really scary to me. But I’m going to learn to love my body the way it is.”
According to the makeup artist, loving and embracing her body started with “a brand new f**king wardrobe,” with the influencer then proceeding to model a number of new outfits she’d purchased.
Throughout the clip, she tried on different dresses and tops to show her followers what she looks like “as a size 14”.
“I’m going to show you that you can wear whatever the f**k you want when you’re a size two or a size 20,” she added. “It doesn’t matter, wear what makes you happy.”
She then acknowledged that she might get “emotional” while filming, as she has struggled with an eating disorder and is “still working to overcome that”.
Nogueira, 23, also spoke candidly about some of her insecurities, which she noted included her arms, before assuring her followers that she wouldn’t let it prevent her from wearing what she wants.
“They’re large and in charge,” she said. “But I cannot let that stop me from wearing really cute clothes like this, you know what I mean?”
In another video, she noted that she had to replace all of her bathing suits because they no longer fit, but that it was time to “move on”.
“See these bathing suits, they’re smalls and mediums, and guess what? They’re going to the f**king grave,” she said. “I am now a size large, I gained 60 pounds, and it’s time to move on. It’s time to move on from s**t that doesn’t f**king serve you. So I bought brand new bathing suits. I’m going to try them on for you, and we’re going to embrace our f**king bodies.”
As of 26 April, the two videos have more than 6.2m views combined, with TikTok users in the comments applauding Nogueira’s new wardrobe and perspective.
“You are so inspiring and you look f**king perfect,” one person wrote, while another said: “This is so powerful. I’ve had such a hard time throwing away old clothes after I gained weight, but I think it’s time for a new summer wardrobe!”
A third person added: “As someone that struggles with multiple [eating disorders], I’m just cheesing for you right now. All bodies are worthy of respect.”
Last January, Nogueira shared a video on TikTok detailing her struggle with bulimia, a potentially life-threatening eating disorder, according to the Mayo Clinic. The influencer said that she has been battling the eating disorder for more than seven years and had relapsed in January 2021. However, she noted that she was working on prioritising her health and happiness.
“My eating disorder has stolen so much from me: joy, relationships, but most importantly, my health. I feel like that’s the one thing people don’t talk about,” she explained. She then shared how her eating disorder has impacted her physical, mental, digestive, and dental health.
However, Nogueira told her followers that she won’t let her eating disorder “win,” and said she wanted to dedicate 2022 to “taking [her] health back”.
“While I’ve been at war with my eating disorder for years, I’ve never let it win any of its battles,” she said. “Some battles are longer than others and some battles are a little harder than others, but I’ve never let it win and I never will.”
“I’m taking my health back,” she added. “I’m going to take care of myself in 2022 and always going forward.”
The Independent has contacted a representative for Nogueira for comment.
