Ellie Goulding’s views on body image are so wonderfully refreshing
It’s clear by taking a quick peek at Ellie Goulding’s Instagram that the “Love Me Like You Do” singer is incredibly passionate about health and wellness. After all, you’ve gotta be, if you’re gonna be the brand ambassador for Nike. But in her latest Shape cover issue out later this month, Ellie made it clear that being passionate about health and wellness means being passionate about health and wellness! And not being passionate about being thin or “perfect.” That’s a message we totally support.
“If getting stronger means getting more toned and slimmer, so be it, as long as strength comes with it,” she told Shape. “I’m happy with my figure. I’ve never intended or tried to be skinny. It’s my not thing.”
Ellie is all about keeping her body fit — after all, she has run five half marathons — but it’s not to conform to some beauty standard. It’s so that her body will always be getting more powerful. “My goal always is to get stronger,” Ellie told Shape. “I want to be strong and ready for anything.”
Make no mistake: Her passion for fitness doesn’t prevent her from indulging on occasion. “I believe you have to find balance,” she told Shape. “We’re expected to stay fit and eat healthy all the time, but that’s just never going to happen. We all have to deal with stress. Sometimes at the end of the day, I want to have a drink, and I’m not ashamed of that.”
Finding this balance wasn’t always easy for Ellie. Back in 2013, she spoke to Cosmo about feeling insecure about her body. “I went through a time of being quite insecure,” she said. “I’d convinced myself I was fat; I didn’t like my figure and I had a big nose. Now I’ve finally got to a place where I don’t focus on those things. I feel like I’m not changing for anyone; I’m doing it all for myself. Because there’s no one else to do it for.”
You go, Ellie!
Related reading:
You should stop everything and listen to Ellie Goulding’s cover of “Take Me to Church”
Every amazing thing Amy Schumer’s ever said about her body image
(Image via Shutterstock.)
