Why this video of a teen writing on her body is going viral

By Kit steinkellner

September 29, 2015

By Kit steinkellner

September 29, 2015

As 16-year-old Genevieve Zuniga put it to Bakersfield Now, she has “always kind of struggled with negative body image.” Well we are incredibly thankful because the California teen created a video to document how she overcame this negativity. Genevieve (who goes by Genny) was originally on the fence re: whether or not to make this video public, but she eventually decided to post the minute-long video, in which she explains her journey towards body positivity.

“I just felt like it really needed to be said. I know a lot of people who also deal with it. It’s really a common thing to deal with,” Genny explained to Bakersfield Now.

In the incredibly powerful video, Genny recounts her story in voice-over as we see her literalize her emotional journey. She wears a black two-piece in the video, and starts out by drawing prominent clavicle bones, slimmer hips, bigger boobs, and sharp cheekbones on her skin, a body she was tormented for not possessing. Then she writes the insults she heard as a result of living in her body, words like “ugly,” “fat,” and “stupid.” She proceeds to wipe away these cruel words and the “other body” off of her skin, takes a bath filled with “support,” “hope,” and “love,” and when she emerges, she adorns herself with new words, “beautiful,” “loved,” and “important.”

The video was picked up by The BULLY Project and has been viewed on their Facebook page almost 2 million times since it was posted earlier this month.

“I don’t think people realize how truly easy it is to become someone who sees themselves as worthless,” Genny explains in her video. She’s absolutely right, and we are so glad that she shared this video to let anyone going through similar struggles “know they are NOT alone.”

As Genny says on The BULLY Project’s Facebook page: “if you have no support, let me know and i will be your bathtub full of support. i love all of you.”

We love the idea of being each other’s “support bathtubs” and we love Genny for sharing her beautiful journey with the world. Check out the wonderfulness below: