A ‘fit mom’ with half a million followers on Instagram is trying to show her followers that ‘everyone jiggles.’
Sia Cooper, 27, of Destin, Florida, a mom-of-two behind the blog Diary of a Fit Mommy, is known for her intense workouts that have helped her maintain an impressive physique throughout her pregnancies and motherhood.
But recently the certified personal trainer has been sharing posts emphasizing that her fit form isn’t constantly as perfect as some posed photos would suggest.
Shaking it up: The mom-of-two behind Diary of a Fit Mommy shows off her bikini ‘jiggle’ in a body positive video
Misleading: Sia explains in the video how fit models on Instagram do not look so perfect all of the time and women shouldn’t be discouraged when they see posed photos
‘In the world of social media, all that you see is what people want to show you,’ Sia tells Daily Mail Online. ‘I realized that posting good angles all of the time can be very discouraging to those out there who are trying their best, but not seeing results yet.’
She adds: ‘After having my daughter, my social media changed completely. I only want to post the kinds of things I would want her to see – the cellulite, the stretch marks, the loose skin. I want to embrace what is normal, what is real. It is not a flaw!’
One of these posts sees Sia sporting a bikini in her home and explaining to her viewers that they shouldn’t feel discouraged when they see fit models like herself on Instagram.
In order to demonstrate this, Sia pinches her fat, shakes her butt and explains ‘it’s normal’ to jiggle in a bikini and to ‘not give a s*** what anyone thinks’ when they are enjoying themselves on the beach.
Got the moves: Sia demonstrates her point by jiggling her body in her bikini
Keeping it up: Sia tells Daily Mail Online that she decided to put out a more body positive message after giving birth to a daughter
Hitting the beach: She says that it became important for her to show her daughter ‘the kinds of things I would want her to see – the cellulite, the stretch marks, the loose skin’
‘It is important for all fitness role models on Instagram to open up about how they look,’ says Sia. ‘I know so many who alter and edit their photos-just as if they were from a magazine. There are even cell phone apps out there that exist to erase stretch marks, make your waist skinny, and even increase the size of your breasts and butt.
‘It is hard to tell what is real and what isn’t solely off of someone’s Instagram post. Sharing the jiggle helps fitness models to relate to their audience and helps these women who are following them to have a better self esteem in knowing that they are not flawed.’
That video has been viewed a whopping 30,000 times, and is just one of several body positive posts Sia offers up for her fans.
‘The response has been incredible. I have been thanked by countless women for showing these types of posts,’ she says.
Tell it straight: Sia shows in her posts that something as small as the way she is standing can make a big difference in how she appears online
Untouched: She frequently talks about her stretchmarks and cellulite on Instagram
From one to another: Sia claims that she has been thanked by ‘countless women’ for posts like this about her body
Fit and strong: She adds that it’s important for other fitness models to show themselves more naturally to help encourage others in their fitness journeys
Of course, as it goes with many things on social media, not all the responses have been positive. Sia explains that she was recently targeted in a Cafe Mom article by a writer for a ‘jiggle’ video, inferring that ‘fit moms showing their “flaws” were taking away from the Body Positivity movement.’
However, Sia believes that the writer’s article has ‘a fit-shaming tone to it’ and misses the point of her videos.
‘Never did I mention jiggling being a flaw, but due to the social media world, we tend to see it as one because of the ads we see,’ she explains.
‘I always get emails regarding “fixing the jiggle.” This is where I am trying to erase the line that has been drawn.’
To Sia, the term body positivity means ‘being happy with your body no matter what stage you are in.’
Getting along: Sia went viral last year with images showing her far along in her pregnancy with her abs still visible around her baby bump
For everyone: Sia claims that body positivity to her means ‘being happy with your body no matter what stage you are in’
A different view: The Florida-resident shows that even being super fit hasn’t kept her from having cellulite
‘It is about appreciating the struggles that you go through, physically,’ she adds. ‘This movement is about liberating yourself from self-hatred towards the way that you look. Valuing your beauty, and redirecting that negative energy into making positive changes in your life.’
Sia went viral last year with photos showing herself so physically fit throughout her pregnancy that her six-pack abs were visible even poking through the sides of her burgeoning baby bump.
Sia turned to digital entrepreneurship after she was feeling ‘burned out’ by her career as a nurse. But her obsession with health and fitness long preceded that, having gotten in touch with her health and fitness in overcoming bulimia.
She now has more than 500,000 followers on Instagram and a large list of happy clients who have transformed their bodies using her Strong Body Guide workouts and meal plans.