Influencer posts 'before and after' pictures and for once it's actually a good thing

The internet loves a before and after.

The concept of transformation is really enticing – which is why viral trends like #10YearChallenge and ‘glo-up challenges’ regularly make the rounds.

We’ll just say it straight: far too often, these ‘glo-ups’ involve weight loss or conforming very heavily to a certain body type or aesthetic.

But influencer Taylor Rayne has an antidote.

Yesterday she dropped her “Grown woman weight thread” to her 68,000 followers.

It features ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures – but the ‘after’ snaps shows women looking healthy and happy following a weight gain.

Rayne said she was “reposting” the thread after previously deleting it for unknown reasons.

She quickly outlined its purpose – which was expresslyto NOT celebrate weight loss.

“This isn’t a weight loss thread,” Rayne wrote.

I posted this because I struggled with confidence when I gained my weight (UNINTENTIONALLY) I’d appreciate it if y’all stopped posting your weight loss. I’m here to love on my girls who gained weight & aren’t really sure how to love themselves rn.

And she got an overwhelming response.

Someone said the thread made them feel less alone and more confident.

Another just wanted to share her joy.

Twitter users said the thread was a refreshing exception to normal social media content.

And some started calling for their own “grown woman body”.

But the overriding message is quite clear: we need to celebrate everyone for who they are.

The thread follows recent social media movements like Mik Zazon’s #NormalizeNormalBodies which aims to highlight bodies that are well… bogstandard.

"The body-positive movement is specifically for people who have marginalised bodies," Zazon told Shapeof her campaign, which is for women who fall somewhere in between pictures of unbelievably ripped models and happily fat positive models. "But I do feel like there's some space to give women with 'normal bodies' more of a voice”.

And Rayne’s thread carries on the trend, using the platform of social media to amplify the perfectly natural changes that occur to a body throughout a lifetime.

#GrownWomanWeight indeed.