Model and bikini designer shows off weight gain, says she's 'never felt better' about herself
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Australian bikini model Karina Irby has won praise from fans after revealing she’s gained 22 pounds and has “never felt better."
Irby, 29, accompanied her empowering message on Instagram with two photographs, one showing her at 119 pounds and the other as she is now, a healthy 141 pounds.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She then detailed the difference between the two photos to her one million fans, welcoming the presence of “boobs, butt, hip and thighs."
“This morning Facebook notified me of a memory from 9 years ago. I was so shocked to see how tiny I used to be when I was a teenager!” Irby wrote.
She then detailed the difference between the two photos to her one million fans, welcoming the presence of “boobs, butt, hip and thighs." (Karina Irby)
She went on to describe how she felt when her body started to change, making her feel “self-conscious."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I remembered that as my body was maturing I was gaining weight, curves and more fake reasons to feel self-conscious about my appearance … I used to put so much pressure on myself to try and keep my teenager look but not only was it unhealthy, it just wasn’t in the cards for me.”
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But now, after gaining over 20 pounds, she admitted, “I’ve never felt better about myself mentally and physically.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“What I’m trying to say is stop being so hard on yourself. [Your] body is beautiful and it’s keeping you alive! Worship the heck out of it! I wish I did sooner.”
Naturally, the response to the post has been wild — with hundreds praising the model for her “brave” post.
“I love this so much!! Thank you so much for putting yourself out there and giving the message to embrace and love yourself and your body the way it is,” one person said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Ohhhhh my god, THANK YOU! another said.
“This is insane. You look so amazing now,” one raved.
Many others called Irby “beautiful” and “brave."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“What I’m trying to say is stop being so hard on yourself. [Your] body is beautiful and it’s keeping you alive! Worship the heck out of it! I wish I did sooner.” (Karina Irby)
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Irby — who owns Moana Bikini — regularly shares body positive messages on her social media, helping others to feel confident to wear skimpy swimwear no matter their body shape and size.
Last week she shared an empowering clip about her eczema, saying she’ll “never have flawless legs” while describing that as “ok."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“No I’m not contagious,” she wrote, alongside a video of her thighs visibly affected by the skin condition.
“I wanted to post a raw video of my current skin situation. I’ll never have flawless legs but I’m ok with that. At least they get me from A to B.”
Last month she shared another powerful before and after shot of her physique in two different pink bikinis taken three years apart, revealing “so much has changed."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Not everyone has been nice about the bikini designer’s transformation, with some online critics in the past cruelly calling her “fat."
However, Karina clapped back at her trolls last year, slamming their behavior.
“Trolls will comment that I’m now ‘fat’ BUT in reality I’m a happy, healthy lady. I was pretty unhealthy in my first photo. Not eating right and not taking care of my body.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Yes I’ve gained weight, both fat and muscle but I’m now training four times a week and eating for my body. It’s crazy what eating and weights can do.”