Erin Marley Klay – a 24-year-old plus-size model and content creator in Los Angeles posted a series of photos of herself wearing a two-piece bikini on the beach on the X platform. Her series of photos quickly went viral and had more than 75 million views.
Along with the virality of the photo series, Klay’s appearance was also questioned by many people, becoming the center of discussion about beauty standards.
Many negative comments said that instead of ‘dressing too revealingly, she should lose weight and beautify herself’, some said that the female model was ‘excessively overweight’.
In the series of photos, Klay chose a striking orange two-piece bikini design. She did not hesitate to show off her body, even the obvious stretch marks were left natural without editing.
‘It’s crazy. I’m no stranger to controversy, but the insults and body shaming still leave me reeling,’ Erin said of her initial reaction to the rude comments. But she chose to face them with a positive attitude: ”I choose to look towards the light and positivity. I’m strong enough now that these huge arguments can’t diminish my self-worth.’