Abbie Chatfield opens up on her personal body image struggles

Australian beauty Abbie Chatfield isn’t afraid to speak out on issues close to her heart. From being an advocate for healthy body image to clapping back at body-shaming comments from online trolls, the former The Bachelor star is a champion at using her newfound fame for good.

Going by Abbie’s Instagram which reveals many photos of the blonde bombshell baring her curves in bikinis, one could be led to believe that Abbie is a very confident young woman.

But, Abbie has just taken to Instagram to disclose that even she herself has also struggled with her own personal body image.

“Note to self: DON’T YOU REALISE YOU POPPIN? I get so many questions asking how I am so confident and proud of my body, but I struggle as often as a lot of you do I’m sure,” the star began.

“I’ve struggled with my weight my whole life, and have always felt unlovable because I’m not stick thin. I’ve never admitted it, but I suck in my stomach ALL. THE. TIME. Even when I’m at home alone, it’s not healthy and I still need to work on loving my authentic self. I’ve been travelling for around five weeks now, exercising when I can but eating out for almost every meal which has made me feel really sad about how I look. I had a big moment last night of self loathing and looking in the mirror thinking I was disgusting for gaining a little bit of weight, which I know is completely illogical, but my mind went there anyway.”

“After being conditioned my whole life to believe that skinny = beautiful, gaining weight = ugly, my mind can’t kick those habits. What I can do, though, is put on a bikini and listen to @rickeythompson remind me that even if I don’t feel it, I still break necks and show all of you what I look like not sucking in my tummy or posing.”

Abbie then went on to finish off her post with some sage advice on how we can all work on our own body image, when self-doubt starts to creep in.

For me, body positivity isn’t about being confident in my body every day, but being able to still love yourself when you’re not feeling your best. There are so many people that preach loving yourself EVERY DAY and it’s f***ING hard! Give yourself a little wriggle room today, confidence comes in ebs and flows, you just gotta know you’re worthy no matter how you look, even if you’re rolling around on an unmade bed listening to @amine.”

Very wise words, thank you Abbie. Let us all take this as a reminder to go easy on ourselves when we start to pick ourselves apart in front of the mirror or a recent photo. 

What do you think of Abbie’s revelation? And, do you have any advice for maintaining a healthy body image? Let us know in the comments.

Main image credit: @abbiechatfield