Beautiful Person Spotlight: Lexie Manion
[originally posted November 3 2019]
Hey everyone! Today, I'm starting a new series of blog posts. This 'Beautiful Person Spotlight' will feature amazing influencers, activists, fashionistas, gurus, and interesting people alike. Recently, I had the privilege of interviewing Lexie Manion. Lexie is a body-positive activist and mental health advocate. She is interested in advocacy and wants to become an art therapist. I believe that Lexie is already on a stellar path to achieving her career goals and cannot wait to hear more about her journey to help others.
Also, I was really excited to interview another bo-po person named Lexie, even if she spells it differently! :) You can follow Lexie on Instagram here: @lexiemanion
Lexie, how did you get your start as an influencer?
"I started small when I found inspiration by joining others in the mental health and body confident communities loving themselves and preaching positive messages! I would post body-confident messages and share affirmations to my page. I had a small following but it quickly grew as I found the community aspect to be very healing and whole."
Why do you keep 'doing what you're doing?'
"I think that even if my words help one person, it’s worth it. I stay motivated in this goal because I’ve had days where I feel discouraged or lost, and one post will completely change my outlook. We have this wonderful opportunity to inspire and encourage one another. This keeps me doing what I’m doing."
Social media truly gives us the power to make a positive difference. I absolutely love that your inspiration is derived from helping others.
How has learning about body-positivity and inclusivity changed your life?
"It’s helped educate me on fatphobia and helped validate my own perspective as a fat person. To know there are fat-positive and HAES supporting people in this world is very comforting. Many fat people face abuse sadly for just existing in this world. Body positivity and inclusivity has changed my life as I see myself in plus size clothing campaigns now. I feel supported by others, even if I still face some hate."
The body-positive movement has definitely helped me less alone, but I do agree that there is still much hate that exists in this world. Because of that, I know I definitely feel insecure at times. Do you have moments of insecurity at times? If so, how do you handle it?
"Definitely! I think it’s so human to feel insecure from time to time. For me, positive affirmations help combat the feelings of doubt or worthlessness. If I feel positivity is too much of a stretch to tell myself, I start small by telling myself more neutral things like, “Today I am working on how I view myself” or “I feel good in this moment”. Sometimes it’s invalidating to go all the way from negative to positive, so speaking to ourselves through a neutral lens can help."
I absolutely LOVE that. I agree that "positivity" can be overwhelming to achieve sometimes and I will definitely try to be neutral next time I'm feeling down. I think that we all need to be gentler with ourselves to learn to foster self-love.
Okay, how had working with NEDA and body-positivity changed your worldview?
"The body-positive community has made me feel uplifted and less alone, and I could definitely say the same for the NEDA community! Finding people who understand your struggles and celebrate your wins is one of the best parts of recovery. You instantly feel loved and not alone."
Who’s your favorite body-positive or mental health-related influencer, model, role model, or other figure and why?
"I really love Liv of @selfloveliv and I feel like she is so authentic with her work, and her silly and loving personality shines through in it! I feel like it’s so important to be yourself as a content creator and she is 110% authentically herself!! SHE'S a wonderful role model."
I will definitely need to follow her on social media! Who or what else inspires you to feel good about yourself?
"Brené Brown’s books, close friends I have in the communities, and mentors inspire me for sure!"
Absolutely! Okay, as an activist for body-positivity and mental health, you advocate in a certain niche. Are there any other causes you are passionate about that you don't often share?
"I don’t talk about it enough but my grandmom, whom I was very close to growing up, passed away from breast cancer after fighting it two times. She was a fighter and someone who made a positive impact on my life. I’d love to talk about breast cancer awareness on my pages more as it’s something close to my heart."
My mom just went through surgery for breast cancer and my grandma has been fighting with it as well. It's so scary when someone who love so much is going through such immense pain. I am sorry to hear about your grandmom - it sounds like she was an amazing person. I definitely want to advocate for breast cancer in the future as well.
I do have one last question - this is to inspire my readers. How do you practice deep self-love?
"Journaling and self-care. It’s very important to be mindful in our journeys so I feel journaling and finding time to practice self-care is vital."
Journaling is definitely beneficial for so many people. Taking the time to put our thoughts and feelings into words always helps! Lexie, thank you so much for answering these questions. You are a beautiful person with a radiant soul. Also, thank you for being my first guest interview on my blog. xx
