The Inspiring Reason This Woman Wore a Skort to the Gym
A plus-size social media star known for her bikini photos has challenged herself with a new style risk: wearing a skort to the gym and baring her legs.
Allison Kimmey is a mother of two from Coco Beach, Fla. Although she has shared her long struggle with yo-yo dieting and body image, she doesn’t let her size 16/18 body stop her from wearing minidresses and showing off her workout moves on social media. On Monday, she was just as fearless: wearing an outfit at the gym that revealed her legs.
“I wore a skort to the gym today for the first time EVER,” Kimmey wrote on Instagram. “If you followed along my Insta story tonight you know I was mildly freaking out about the idea of baring my legs at the gym tonight. Logically I’m thinking: why in the world can I share a picture in a bikini to 150k people without batting an eye, and then having shorts on in public where I might see 50 ppl makes me second guess my choice?”
She continued: “Why do I think that I won’t have the same confidence in real life as I do online? That I wouldn’t be able to deflect the negative self talk in real time when I’m not behind a screen. Well guess what? I can. And I did.”
Kimmey explained that, except for when she “created an applause with my thigh clap” during jumping jacks, “I was on point, I worked hard, I did my best, I danced to some jams, I sweated, and my life was just the same as when I wear pants, or capris, or bikinis. Because I chose to believe that it doesn’t matter what I wear, or who sees my cellulite.”
Calling the experience a “win,” Kimmey reminded herself that she has value, no matter what she’s wearing.
Kimmey did not return requests for comment; however, in March, she told Yahoo Beauty, “Since high school I’ve struggled with disordered eating patterns and weight fluctuations.” She added, “No matter my size, I felt like the girl [who] was trying to fit in.”
Striving to set an example for her two young children, Kimmey made peace with her body and encourages her 140,000 Instagram followers to do the same. “I chose to stop wasting my life believing that it couldn’t start until I had the perfect body and start believing that I am worthy of joy, love, opportunity, and respect right now…and every day for that matter,” she wrote on Instagram on Tuesday. “And so are you.”
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