In this day and age we’re constantly surrounded by images that are meant to portray ‘beauty’ or ‘perfection,’ (read: unrealistic standards.) And so, our ideologies surrounding body image have changed, although body positivity has been brought to light more and more throughout the years, it’s not always what we see on social media.

19-year-old Jordanian actress, Salma Malhas took to her IG today to discuss her own struggles that she’s had with her body image. And we commend her for it!

Making her entrance into the film industry in 2019 in Netflix’s first-ever Middle-Eastern series, ‘Jinn,’ Salma has been inbetween acting and university. The young star posted a series of images revealing that she, too, struggles with body image: 

Her post reads, 

“For the longest time, taking a picture of my body terrified me. I felt like any flaw would change the way people saw me and ultimately affect my perception of myself. I used to prepare so much before showing those intimate parts of my body. Where food was the ultimate enemy, and the gymm my best friend. And I’m not going to act like those insecurities just disappeared, they’re still here, all the time. They just don’t control me as much. If I want to eat that buger, I ‘ll have it and try to enjoy every bite. 

Today was the first day I looked at myself in the mirror and didn’t insult my legs, arms stomach and back. I liked them for what they were and not for how close they were to the ideal body type…I really just want to use this platform to make it easier for all of us to talk about these things so we can all grow.” 

We love a role model.Â