A woman has taken a stand against conventional beauty standards by celebrating her stretch marks and loose skin while posing for a stunning photoshoot that highlights her astonishing 175-pound weight loss.
Christine Carter, 29, from Dallas, Texas had gastric sleeve surgery in August 2014, and has since gone from a size 24 to a tiny size 2.
And although she is no stranger to showing off her trim new figure on social media, for her latest photoshoot, Christine decided to not only reveal her scars but to also proudly highlight them by painting the marks in vibrant neon pain.
Loud and proud: Christine Carter, 29, from Dallas, Texas lost 175lbs and decided to celebrate her transformation by highlighting her stretch marks and tummy tuck scar in a photoshoot
Bold and beautiful: Christine says she wants to show off her scars to inspire other women
Dropping dress sizes: The Instagram star has gone from a size 24 to a tiny size 2 after undergoing gastric sleeve surgery in 2014
Speaking about her decision to take this bold approach, the striking brunette who is single following a painful divorce wrote: ‘Have you ever been afraid to start your weight loss journey for fear of stretch marks, scars, and loose skin? So was I.
‘During my transformation I went through a divorce and often thought, “Even if I hit my goal weight, no man will love my body. But that’s because I didn’t think that I could love my own body.’
She’s says she’s now learned not to look to men to find her worth.
In November 2015, Christine underwent a tummy tuck and breast lift with implants, taking her waist from 46 to 24 inches, and says over time, she learned to embrace her ‘marks’ and her tummy tuck scar as ‘it’s a reminder of the strength, power, and determination I picked up along the way.’
She now wants other women to do the same and continue the movement by posting their own pictures using with hashtag #loveyourmarks, so people can see ‘marks and scars in a different light’.
Feeling blue: Christine says she didn’t feel confident in her old body but now loves to workout
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger: Christine went through a painful divorce during her weight loss journey and says she thought men wouldn’t be able to love her body
Making changes: The 29-year-old had a tummy tuck and breast lift with implants in 2015
‘It’s not about perfection, it’s about confidence. It’s not about weight loss, it’s about health. It’s not about acceptance by others… it’s about learning to accept who you are in this moment and who you are becoming,’ she added.
After sharing her amazing weight loss story on Instagram, Christine has reached 227,000 followers on Instagram and says she hopes to inspire others.
She says she now loves working out and credits the high fat, low carbohydrate ketogenic diet with helping her achieve her goals.
‘Being an inspiration isn’t about having the best abs or best butt,’ she explained. ‘It’s about being raw and real.
‘So often we look to others online for inspiration. But looking at their “perfect” bodies can sometimes make us pick ours apart even more than we did before.
‘The road is hard and the road is long. But it is worth putting up the fight to live your very best life.’