AN influencer who used to hate her cellulite is now preaching the power of body positivity and self-love.
The woman was once willing to do "anything" to reduce her cellulite, but now she describes the dips in her skin as "cute lol dimples."
After she worked hard to accept herself "jiggles" and all, the woman now believes her cellulite is "cute" and hopes to inspire others to think the same.
A recent interaction with a stranger at the gym prompted the influencer to share the story of her struggles so others could be inspired by her hard-won self-acceptance.
Arthiga (@arthiga.v) has more than 4,000 followers on TikTok, sharing vlogs, lifestyle, and dance videos.
In a recent clip, she detailed the uncomfortable moment when a woman approached her in the gym with negative comments about her body.
Instead of getting angry with the stranger, the content creator instead took it as an opportunity to discuss the importance of self-love and acceptance.
"Let me tell you about a time when I wore this outfit to the gym and this middle-aged woman came up to me to tell me about my cellulite," she said.
She was dressed in tight pink shorts and a zip-up sports top.
Arthiga explained how she was working out on a mat in the gym when a woman began talking to her about her body.
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The stranger said that she was in possession of a "fat-blasting gun" which Arthiga should use to get rid of the cellulite on the back of her thighs.
Arthiga said: "I was so shook. She was giving me her opinion on my body and telling me that I should do this workout, that workout, to lose fat from my legs and butt."
The content creator was initially "hurt and offended" but after a moment realized she felt pity for the judgemental stranger.
Arthiga said: "In her, I saw a version of myself from when I was 14 or 15, going through an eating disorder and willing to do anything to get rid of the fat and cellulite on my legs.
"I would speak so horribly to myself. I wondered how horribly this lady talks to herself…I felt so bad for her in that moment."
Aware that there were young teenage girls watching the interaction, Arthiga decided to set an example of self-love.
She said to the woman: "Thank you for your opinion, but I really like my cellulite.
"I like that I have fat on my legs and that it jiggles when I walk.
"It doesn't matter to me. It took me years and years and years to like that about myself."
She continued: "I wanted anyone who was listening to know that you don't have to hate parts of yourself that you cannot change.
"I could never lose weight off of my thighs or my butt. I used to hate that, but now I love it and have accepted it 100 percent."
The influencer wished the stranger well and felt "so good" after the interaction.
She said: "This is your reminder that what you think about yourself is the only thing that matters. Try your hardest to accept the parts of yourself that you cannot change.
"There is so much stupid s**t that women are deeply conditioned to be insecure about, but the power is in you to say: 'I like this.'"
Arthiga furthered her message of self-love in the video's caption. She wrote: "Cellulite is so normal, just cute lil dimples, wear the shorts!!"
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Viewers loved the clip. One person said: "I’m so sorry this happened to you, but the way you dealt with this situation was amazing!"
Another commented: "This was such a mature way to view the situation. You are so inspiring."
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