Internet bullies fat shame plus-size blogger's honeymoon photos

Callie Thorpe, a plus-size columnist for Marie Claire, was having the time of her life honeymooning in Tulum Beach, Mexico. Every morning she and hubby, fellow blogger Daniel Hetherington, drank freshly-made juice smoothies, strolled down sandy beaches and swam the sea in daring swimwear.

But when Thorpe decided to share a series of cute honeymoon portraits and wedding snaps to Instagram, Internet bullies mercilessly harassed her about her weight.

Among other insults, she was compared to a “whale” and questioned about how she fit into her wedding dress (we’ll spare you the particulars). Thorpe decided to fight back in the most poignant way possible—by silencing her critics with the power of words. In a recent Instagram post, she stated:

“I have a message to any ‘human beings’ that want to torment or bully me for my size, who want to go out of their way to stalk through my photos or seek me out on social media… Take a seat and ENJOY THE SHOW, that is my happy life.”

“So I have extra weight, I also have ridiculously wonderful friends, a great job and a person that loves me. ALL OF ME from head to toe, big or small, fat or thin. I have a constant, loving kind, companion, to travel with, to laugh with to ease the pain during the bad times in life. Sadly all you have is anger and hatred.”

She epically concludes that she’ll take “being fat” and full of love over an image of perfection but feeling lonely.

“But on this final note I send you nothing but love and light and hope that one day you get even a tiny drop of what I have because it sure sounds lonely on that pedestal of yours up there.”

Her post received more than 7,500 likes in one week and hundreds of positive comments — so much that they have completely flooded out any negativity.

girlwiththemost_cake: I can’t possibly comprehend why people think it’s okay to bully someone over their looks on their beautiful wedding and honeymoon photos, let alone any other time! You are incredibly stunning! Gorgeous bride!

arlia.laroux: Bullies are very sad and lonely pitiful beings. They live off making others miserable because they want to feel better about themselves. That’s the negative energy you don’t need around you. You’re a gorgeous woman with such an infectious smile and a beautiful glow.

beccles17: So happy I came across your page! Your photos are full of pure happiness and it’s so contagious, keep it coming!!

The wedding and honeymoon were a huge deal for the style blogger, who admits to struggling with body image issues. She previously thought she’d have to be thin to get married and that she wouldn’t have been able to find a wedding dress to fit her curvy size 24 body (she found a beautiful dress from David’s Bridal).

Swimwear was another hurdle. In an Instagram post written two weeks before her honeymoon, the blogger got candid:

“OK so real talk time. I’m really struggling with my body image right now, in fact I don’t think I’ve felt this bad about myself since I first started my diet diary blog five years ago,” she stated, before admitting that the thought of her wearing a bikini stressed her out.”

“I don’t feel comfortable and I don’t know why, it’s so frustrating. It’s also hard when i get feelings of self hatred because I feel a *personal* responsibility to everyone to always be like LOVE YOURSELF and sometimes I can’t muster up the strength to take on board the things I tell you all.
So right now I’m on a low, and when I look at this photo of me trying on my wedding dress I see happiness and I’m trying to get that back…”

After receiving overwhelming support from her 115,000 Instagram followers, Thorpe not only decided to flaunt her curvy bikini bod (cellulite and all) while on honeymoon — she got inspired to create another Instagram page. The Confidence Corner encourages women to seek self-assurance that arises from an appreciation of their own abilities and qualities.

“Looking back at photographs from last summer spent on a beautiful beach in Cornwall of me not caring and just enjoying the moment reminds me that my body is ok just the way it is,” she said in a recent post. “There’s cellulite, there’s lumps, there’s bumps, there are bruises and scars but all of it is part of who I am and where I’ve come from, I’m just looking forward to the rest of the adventure.”

What do you think about Thorpe’s body confidence movement? Let us know by tweeting @YahooStyleCA!