This Must-Watch Video Will Change What You Think Is the “Perfect Body”
Living a healthy life and feeling good about yourself are often motivating factors when it comes to why people like to work out — and yet, even if you’re living your own very best life, it doesn’t mean that the Internet trolls and the peanut gallery aren’t occasionally going to get you down. Blogilates is a resource for women of all fitness levels seeking to improve their lifestyle through healthy meal plans and exercise routines, and tons of people are grateful to its founder and YouTube star Cassey Ho (who is actually a speaker at Re:Make 2015 — get your tickets here!). Being an online sensation, however, means that Cassey has faced her share of adversity and nasty, hateful comments.
We chatted with the YouTuber and picked her brain as to why she felt compelled to create this video. “I noticed an increase of negative comments directed towards me on my YouTube channel and Instagram. There comes a point where it’s hard to ignore them, so I decided to do something about it,” the POP Pilates founder told us. “I wanted to express how I felt visually. I want people to realize that I’m human just like everyone else. I have feelings too, and it’s wrong to criticize anyone’s appearance. I made the video to stand up for myself and for anyone else who’s ever been affected by cyber bullying.”
To date, the video has accrued an astounding 7.5 million views. Clearly, the message is universal. “I think it got such a huge response because people didn’t expect me to react that way. I don’t talk a lot about the negativity towards me because I am really a positive person and try my best to ignore hate comments,” Cassey added. “Cyber bullying is so common, but not much is done about it. The response was incredible and I hope it taught people a lesson.” And the responses have been overwhelming positive. One viewer wrote, “You are gorgeous without Photoshop. The most powerful thing a woman can do is accept and love herself for the way she is!” Message received.
Regarding negativity, Cassey’s approach is similar to Taylor Swift’s. “Just shake it off,” she says. “I don’t have time for negativity in my life because there is so much good to focus on. I try my best to remove toxic people from my life. I move on and surround myself with supportive and positive people.”
Her advice for anyone who is struggling to love themselves is this: “The perfect body is the one where you feel the most comfortable, the healthiest and the happiest. It’s different for everyone. No one can judge your body but you.”
Check out the video below.
Get your tickets to Re:Make here!
What do you think of Cassey’s video? Tell us in the comments below!