Natasha Oakley spends a good portion of her life in bikini, in fact, she’s made a living out of it as a blogger and designer.
Last week a journalist offered “a close inspection” of the photos on her Instagram account, comparing them to a series of untouched paparazzi snaps and accusing the 24-year-old of masking her “cellulite thighs” “the art of angles and, perhaps, airbrushing through the use of flattering filters.”
Oakley has called out Danielle Gusmarol, who wrote the piece for the Daily Mail, for her “hurtful and insensitive words”, which she described as “very uninspiring and negative”.
“The fact that woman made it her career to put others down sickens me and any other woman who has ever commented something bad on another woman’s photo, put someone down for there physical appearance or bullied someone for something natural, should be ashamed of themselves,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
“I for one love my body, I work hard, I live a healthy lifestyle and proud of what I see in these photos. All women should feel this way and should feel free and happy within their own lives, not as if they constantly have to be living up to other people’s standards or society’s idea of ‘beauty’.”
She then went on to point out that her most “beautiful” memories have been nothing to do with her physical appearance, “they have been with my family, my best friends, my boyfriend, laughing, working hard or even crying.”
Oakley attached her comments to another post by the The Gratitude Project, a blog run by a female health and happiness coach Angela Simson.
Simson said the original article had made her “feel ashamed of our society”.
“Here is Natasha Oakley – a freaking gorgeous model, incredible business woman and someone I would happily look up to and she’s being picked apart for her ‘cellulite’ and for taking photos that flatter her shape?” she wrote on her Instagram.
“I know that there are bigger issues in the world but can we not passive aggressively pick on each other and call it news? Can’t we support each other, celebrate each other and just COME FROM LOVE?
“This girl promotes a healthy lifestyle, eating well and working out. Her body is TO DIE FOR with or without a filter. But the article is laced with compliments as if to make up for the fact that they are having a dig at her for not being perfect.
“You can do better than this.”
Agreed.
Meanwhile Those Two Girls offer some invaluable advice on how to get by when you have the dreaded ‘thigh gap’:
Top Comments
I think the writer of the Daily Mail article was not so much critical of a woman with cellulite as the fact that in all of the photos on social media there is no sign of it. The images appear to be SO photo shopped and airbrushed as to bear no resemblance to the woman in the untouched photo. Millions of women and young girls are aspiring to be something they never can be instead of being who they really are. Instead of being indignant and offended Tash needs to rectify this misconception.
If she 'loves' her body so much, why use filters and photoshop? Just post the photo as is, unfiltered and untouched.