TROLLS regularly tell Holly Ramejkis to “get a tummy tuck” and put her “disgusting” belly away, but she won’t be following their advice any time soon.
The , 38, is known online as “the body positive mum” and has become synonymous with what she calls her “.”
A body positive influencer has revealed all things from being on the receiving end of trolls, to her busy sex life
The mum-of-three is on a mission to help women feel sexy in their own skin
Trolls have told Holly Ramejkis to “get a tummy tuck” and “go to the gym”
But Holly loves her “perfectly normal body”
Despite receiving jaw-dropping abuse online from keyboard warriors, this size 12 , who is on a mission to help women improve their confidence and feel better in their own skin, isn’t going to back down.
The , who is from and is mother to Sonny, 17, Luca, 12, and Roux, eight, wants to show other mums that “can be sexy.”
In an exclusive interview, she reveals how she made her confidence go sky high, and also spills the tea on her since she learnt to embrace her curves.
Holly asks : “Why do we have to be the ‘mum with a saggy tummy?’ Why can’t we be this sexy person that looks great?
“We are so conditioned, especially at my age, to think that a mum bod is disgusting. We think that bodies should not look like that.
“I want to feel sexy in and I want to feel empowered. And I want people to feel that with me.”
‘Get a tummy tuck’
Despite “loving” her curvaceous figure, Holly’s confidence has been met with horrendous messages from her many haters.
And it’s not just men who have criticised her body, it’s mothers too.
Holly explains: “The is extreme. But I’m so thick-skinned and I’m so confident in myself, I use it for fuel now. It doesn’t affect me.
“I’m so secure with my body. But I guess I wouldn’t be doing the job if I wasn’t – you have to be very confident in this industry or the massively.
“People have said, ‘you should ,’ but I love my body. My body is amazing and I love how it looks. I love every stretch mark. It’s reminding me that I’ve carried my three children.
“Trolls tell me to ‘go to the ’ but my time is so precious. Would I rather go to the gym or spend time with my children? Would I rather be creative or go to the gym? That’s the least important thing for me. I’d much rather spend my time doing other things.
“I get the all the time. People say ‘you must be single because nobody would want you, that’s gross.’”
And the trolling isn’t just on , it’s on other platforms too.
Holly acknowledges: “ is the worst. That’s a whole different level. The language people use, like, it’s basically we’re the most disgusting human beings for having a tummy. It’s revolting.
I’ve got curves all in the right places. I have an overhanged tummy, but I am here for that. I am so overly confident, probably too confident
Holly Ramejkis
“I’ve had so many horrendous comments, people say, ‘no man would ever want you, you’re damaged goods, put it away, go to the gym, get a tummy tuck,’ the comments are endless.
“The worrying thing is, I’m a small person, I’m not big. If somebody is commenting on my body shape like that, what hope is there?
“But I’ve got curves all in the right places. I have an overhanging tummy, but I am here for that. I am so overly confident, probably too confident.
“I feel so grateful for the body that I have been given. I look great.”
‘Really dark days’
However, Holly hasn’t always felt this way – during her early twenties, after falling with her first child, the 5ft 4in star went from a size 8 to a size 16.
She continues: “I have been on the other side. At 21, I had my first child and I put five and a half stone on.
“I did not recognise myself. I literally wanted to take a pair of scissors and cut my tummy away.
“I get quite emotional about it. I was in a really dark place for a good 10 years. I only wore baggy clothes, I didn’t socialise, I didn’t go out and I completely lost myself.
“I was always a vibrant character, but that was completely taken away from me. I just looked at myself in the mirror every day and thought, ‘you are fat, you are disgusting, you look awful.’
“I struggled to get help or talk about it. I was so much to make me feel better. I wasn’t very good about talking about how low I was. I cried every single day. It was really, really hard.
“With my first child, I broke up with his dad, so then I was a mum for a while, and that was hard to deal with. I really believed that nobody would want me because of the way I looked.”
The 5 Best Body Positive Influencers To Follow
- @ _nelly_london – Nelly has been on a journey with breast corrective surgery and has also shared her experience with eating disorders, her honesty and openness makes her a great follow.
- @ lottiedryna – She regularly shares content on living with IBS and finds bloat-friendly outfits to share with her followers.
- @ stephanieyeboah – Stephanie Yeboah’s body positive content has the most incredible message – everyone is worthy of being loved, plus she has the best fashion inspo going.
- @ isabelladavis6 – Bella’s content spans more than just body image and is ideal for women wanting a community of women supporting women.
- @ jessontheplussize – She advocates for women wearing what they want no matter their body shape.
During her “dark days”, Holly’s lack of body confidence also impacted her bedroom antics.
She admits: “During sex, I would literally be covered up, the lights would be off.
“I would be like, ‘do not even look at me.’ I was closing my eyes through it because I was repulsed by how I looked.”
Spicing up the bedroom
But now, it appears that things are hotter than ever for Holly and her partner, who she has been with for the last 14 years.
Getting candid on her vibrant sex life, the content creator, who has a 34DD chest, beams: “I love sex now. He tries it on more with me, as I’m more confident now.
“I love to dress up and put sexy Ann Summers and stockings on.
“I feel more confident and quite often I put a little PVC number on and straight away, you’re in that mood.
“I’ve got a whole drawer of stuff. Honestly, it’s ridiculous. and everything, it’s great.”
Holly often shares self-love content on Instagram
She’s amassed a very loyal fan base
But has also dealt with trolls who have criticised her – and it’s not just men but mothers too
Not only does Holly’s often see her in her undies, but her kids do too.
The mother says: “My children see me in my all the time and I want them to know that this is very normal.
“Growing up, my mum hated her body. She absolutely despised it, so it took so much for me to change it.
“That played a huge part once I had children.”
It was almost a decade ago when Holly learnt to change her mindset and .
Holly, who used to be a photographer, adds: “It wasn’t until my early 30s that I had to do work. I did a lot of rewiring.
“My job was to photograph women – everyday women would come to us and I’d take photos of them to make them feel better in themselves, but so many of the people that came to me would be like, ‘I hate my body.’”
Being brave
As a result, Holly was determined to “be brave” and “put herself out there,” as she adds: “I needed to show people that this is normal – there are a lot of people with saggy, skin, we’re just not seeing it.
“I felt like the was represented, the slim community was represented, but was that mid-sized saggy, stretch mark skin?
“I really struggled to find accounts that had a similar body shape to mine and if they did, they were covered up, they were doing clothing hauls, and I didn’t actually get to see their tummy.
“I felt alone. I really wanted to make people feel like there are other people like them.
“I felt like I had a calling, to help people and make them too.”
I love sex now…I love to dress up and put sexy Ann Summers lingerie and stockings on
Holly Ramejkis
At the time, Holly was posting content online, but things quickly switched to her body positive posts which her 302,000 loyal followers now know and love.
She reflects: “I posted a photo of me sitting cross-legged in a mirror with my tummy out. I looked terrible, if I’m being honest.
“I hit the post button and it went crazy. People were like, ‘oh my god, wow’ so then I gradually started to post more and that itself really built my confidence up, because the community I’ve built are so uplifting.”
‘Trolls need to take accountability’
Despite the flood of comments hailing Holly as “inspiration” for her self-love content, Holly “feels really sorry” for body shamers who comment on her posts.
She claims: “I really do believe it’s their insecurities.
“They obviously have something in their lives that they’re not happy about, or something in themselves that they’re not happy about, and they’re just putting it onto me.
“I actually feel a little bit sad for them. I just wish they could be as happy as I am.
“People just comment willy-nilly and don’t realise the consequences it may have.
“I would say to trolls, be careful about what you say, because what you’re putting online is kind of like a CV. You are leaving your footprint on everything, and it will come back to bite you in the a**.
“Your employer could see something, you could lose your job. Or imagine if your wife was seeing that you were commenting on people’s posts.
“I pin their comments so all of my lovely followers can read it. Then it’s like an army fighting my battle.
What is body shaming?
In addition, “commenting on a person’s clothing, body hair, eating habits, make-up skills or attractiveness” could be constituted as body shaming too, PsychCentral explained.
While body shaming has become more of an issue in recent years, a study conducted by Glamour magazine in 2000 found that a staggering 97 per cent of women surveyed admitted to having an “I hate my body” moment.
And those who shame people about their figures can include doctors and medical professionals too.
A 2019 report found that more than 3 in 5 adults encounter “weight bias” from their doctors – particularly those who are obese.
And body shaming someone can have massive effects on their mental health, and could potentially lead to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, eating disorders and self-harm.
If you have been body shamed and are struggling to deal with the effects, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 for confidential, emotional support.
“I think . If you’re strong enough to write that, you’re strong enough to get the people that want to write back to you and say that’s not OK.
“I’m not going to delete it, I’m going to show everybody what a scumbag you are, and people can see you for who you are.”
Eager to help others embrace their body no matter what shape or size, the concludes: “I want people to feel happier in their skin, and if I can help anybody in any way, feel not just confident, but also sexy, that’s what I want to achieve.
“Do not wait. Do not wait until you fit that dress size. Do not say, ‘I’ll do it when.’ Live in the moment. Life is so short.
“I want people to grow and blossom and do things out of their comfort zone. It’s so important.”
She urged keyboard warriors to treat their social media presence “like a CV”
She admitted she feels “sorry” for trolls
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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