Why an Instagram pic of this woman who is unable to zip up her dress has gone viral

There are days when even the most body positive among us feel down about our weight, our skin, or some other physical quality we wish we weren’t stressing over. Luckily, when we have those days, we can turn to people like this young woman who can’t zip up her dress — and captured her inability to for some body-positive inspiration. Her name is Lucy Litman, and she’s our new bopo (that’s short for body positive) hero.

Litman shared a photo of herself on Instagram yesterday that has since gone viral. In it, she’s wearing a printed dress with the zipper down, and she explains in the caption that the dress is a size 2 and used to be her favorite, but she can no longer fit into it. However, instead of bemoaning that fact, she offers an incredibly uplifting message to viewers.

“Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about my body image and health, after a ‘friend’ told me that I’ve let myself go and should stop eating so much bread,” she wrote, adding:

"I struggled with an eating disorder all throughout high school and college and was in and out of different therapies and centers. I used to weigh myself 5 times a day and the number I saw would dictate my happiness and the activities I 'allowed' myself to do."

She goes on to say that she now has the “healthiest relationship with food I’ve ever had,” though she acknowledges that many people still struggle with weight, body image, and eating disorders.  

“Know that you’re more than a number,” she writes. “And that having a thigh gap is irrelevant (and physically impossible for some people’s bone structure), but most importantly that you are not alone and are loved.”

We absolutely LOVE Litman’s liberating and loving message, and we’ll be saving this image for days when we’re not feeling so great about ourselves. It’s an important reminder that beauty — not to mention your health! — isn’t defined by your dress size, the numbers on the scale, or any other factors aside from your happiness and well-being.

Thanks, Lucy!

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