Meet the Instagrammer celebrating women’s stretchmarks… with glitter
In 2016, Victoria's Secret was praised for choosing not to digitally remove model Jasmine Tookes' stretchmarks during a shoot for the brand's Fantasy Bra.
The fact that the decision made headlines all over the world reminded us that when it comes to stretchmarks, society still has a long way to go before accepting that tiger stripes are part and parcel of millions of women's bodies.
Eager to play a role in the conversation, one Instagram user has chosen to celebrate stretchmarks by turning them into works of art, and Instagram has embraced the project wholeheartedly.
Sara Shakeel has used her social media platform to pay homage to the tiger stripe, and admits that she's been taken aback by the level of support shown to her project.
"I have never felt so powerful & liberated and so f*cking proud of my stretch marks in my entire life. From where I come from & live, to be on the chubby side or to even talk about stretchmarks is not something one is proud of," she recently wrote.
"I have seen my stretch marks grow from the day I started putting on weight, I'd be honest even before uploading it I was thinking why would anyone be interested in my concept of stretch marks turned into glitter or crystals."
"My god I was so wrong! Amazing people and women are already doing such an amazing job with representing these stripes and cellulite!"
Women have been quick to approach Sara with images of their own stretchmarks in order to see their own body transformed into a work of art.
"The stretch marks story will continue and I have so many other ideas and plans in mind," Sara told her followers this week.
"The artwork that I have made out of you are real! These picture that you see are REAL of REAL women with stretchmarks."
Long may it last.
