Girls Like You

Five cool girls #ShowUs what it means to be body beautiful in swimwear that screams summer chic

Everybody is beach ready, but many of us struggle to maintain an ‘I look awesome in a two-piece’ attitude. The idea of wearing a string-side number for our next beach vacay can often spark bodyconfidence nightmares among women who struggle with being on the ‘wrong’ side of the scale. That’s why Dove is taking action with Girlgaze, Getty images, and women everywhere to create Project #ShowUs – the world’s largest stock photo library created by women to shatter beauty stereotypes. Research shows that 8 in 10 Indian women feel Ethat the reality of beauty is not represented by everyday images in media and wish that media and advertising did a better job of portraying women of diverse appearance. And with over 5,000 images, Project #ShowUs aims to bring about this change with the most inclusive vision of beauty to all media and advertisers.

We turn our focus on five inspiring women, of different sizes and body types, who tell us what it takes for them to feel comfortable in a swimsuit – whether at the beach or in front of thousands people on Instagram. They define their own kind of beautiful, that does not prescribe to set beauty ideals.

ALEFIYA JANE

Chef and Baker

Being a chef and baker by profession, Alefiya is constantly surrounded by food. Cakes are a staple part of her diet, whether she likes it or not. Body weight is something she has constantly battled with. She wasn’t always plus-size, it was largely her lifestyle and erratic schedule that brought on the extra calories. When she started putting on weight, Alefiya found it very difficult to find the right kind of clothes, and even when she did it would make her quite conscious of her body. It was also the stereotypical portrayal of women on television and social media that made her feel that she wouldn’t look good in anything she wore.