During Women’s History Month (which is still happening all throughout, March!) we wanted to feature a few of our favourite women-creators and ask them some of our burning questions! Questions like, who their female role model is, obstacles they’ve overcome in their career, and more! First up, we in this series is the one and only Sarah Nicole Landry from The Birds Papaya. If you don’t know who The Birds Papaya is, you need to give her a follow asap. Her account is the epitome of self-love, body confidence, self-acceptance, and she creates content you want (and need!) to pop up on your feed.
So, let’s get to the good stuff, shall we!
How did you first get into sharing body confident messaging and images on social media?
I was years into sharing my 100lb weight loss story and diet culture had really instilled in me that it was never enough, I was never enough. Health issues began to pop up, I was going through a divorce and had gotten so thin and yet so anxious to leave the house. I found some talking about self-love on social media and it really felt like something impossible but, I had to try. I’d been trying to hate myself happy for so long, maybe it was time to try loving it.
How have you healed your relationship with your body and food?
A big part of this has been following folks who echo positive messages about our relationships with food. That there is no moral value on food, no good, no bad, no “guilt-free” or “cheat days”. There is a spectrum of nutrient density, but not a moral value. Something that’s really helped me over the years.
What advice would you give someone who is struggling with their body image?
To give themselves grace and remember they are not the problem or something to fix, but a person who has been saturated with messages of not being enough. Even on the worst of days, that we all deserve to show up and live our lives and make memories in them!
Who is one woman in your life you look up to and why?
My mom. I’ve seen her be almost every size and you know what? That’s not what I remember about her or what I love her for. She has shown up for us our entire lives, even in her own struggles and that means a lot.
You are a role model for so many and a mom to 4 amazing kids, what is one goal you have (can be big or small!) for future generations as it relates to body confidence and diet culture?
I think my goal would be to show more that we don’t have to FEEL confident or FEEL love for our bodies but SHOW UP confidently and SHOW UP in love. That doesn’t have to be rocking a bikini but rocking whatever makes you not focus on your body so you can focus on the life around you.
What is one obstacle you’ve overcome in your career?
Burnout. Last year I had a scary incident when burnout hit me more than it ever had. It was a great reminder that if I want to do this and be successful, I HAVE to take care of myself, create boundaries and create from a healthy place!!
We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to (virtually) sit down with Sarah, the amazing woman behind The Birds Papaya, and ask her these questions in honour of Women’s History Month. If you haven’t given her a follow yet, you can find her Instagram, TikTok, and her blog!
Stay tuned for the next amazing lady we are featuring on the blog next Thursday!
xo
Team Jilly
