Meet Keirstin! She’s a Pediatric ICU Nurse and content creator who is passionate about helping others feel more confident in themselves regardless of their shape or size. In her Community Spotlight, Keirstin tells us what her goals are for her content creation (to inspire people to take up space - you know we LOVE that!!), how using fashion for self-expression has influenced her confidence, and so much more!
Hi Keirstin! Can you please introduce yourself?
Heyy! My name is Keirstin, I go by @keirstxmarie on my socials. I am based in Baltimore, Maryland where I am a fulltime Pediatric ICU nurse and single mama to my 2 boys (1 human and 1 English Bulldog haha). I have always been passionate about helping others, that is why I became a nurse. As I have grown my passion has expanded from just helping kiddos feel better in the hospital setting to helping others feel more confident in themselves, no matter their size or shape.
What messages did you receive growing up about bodies, beauty, and worth? How did those messages shape you?
Growing up in a bigger body was rough. I was surrounded by constant messages like 'to be desirable you have to be skinny' and 'being fat means you are lazy and gross'. Thinking back, my whole childhood and teenage years, losing weight was always at the forefront of my mind. I would buy J14 magazines and Seventeen magazines, purely for their content on "How to reach your bikini bod in 21 days" and those were just the magazines targeted at young girls. Toxic diet culture was shoved down my throat from every direction movies, tv, ads, family, friends, etc. When you are inundated with messages like that, day in and day out, you start to believe your worth is really determined by the number on the scale.
What role does fashion and getting dressed play in your life? How does it impact how you feel?
Growing up, it was drilled into me that I had to cover up and hide my body. So I always wore baggy, unflattering clothes, stayed away from patterns (because god forbid a big girl wears stripes, the horror), and stuck to colors like black and navy blue because they were "slimming". Now fashion is a way that I can express myself and a tool I use to help boost my confidence. I wear what I want, when I want, and yes, I let my belly show. As long as I feel good in it, quite frankly IDGAF what others think.
What made you first want to become a content creator?
I first started getting serious about content creation when I hurt my knee. I wanted to document my healing process as someone in a bigger body, to show people who are similar to my size what it looks like and modifications to workouts that they can do as well. Then one day I did a GRWM for a first date as a plus size girl and I kind of took off from there. With the change in direction of my niche, my goal as a content creator changed as well. I now do this to inspire others to take up space, wear what they want at any shape or size, and to take risks in life (whether it's going on a date or traveling to a different country) at any shape or size as well.
How do you hope your social media content helps others feel seen, heard, or celebrated?
I love that I inspire a lot of different people, but my main hope is that I make people in bigger bodies feel seen, heard, AND celebrated. I hope they look at me and say "dang, that girl looks just like me and she is wearing a bikini, I am gonna wear one too!" or "omg, that girl is big like me and she is putting herself out there for love, I am going to get back out there too, because I know I am worthy of love at any size".
If you could change how plus-size people are portrayed overnight, what would you want to see?
I would love to see plus size people be treated just like everyone else, to be honest. Because we are. Our weight is not a flaw that some main character in a movie has to overcome. And I would also love to see straight sized people STOP using the idea of getting "fat" or gaining weight, as the most horrible thing that could possibly happen to them. I can think of 10 other worse things that I could become, the first being an ignorant jerk, like most of those people making those comments.
What did discovering Viva Voce mean to you?
Discovering Viva Voce means society is one step closer to being more inclusive of all sizes. I was surprised to see these clothing brands encompass all sizes from 0 - 6x!
What do you hope people feel the first time they discover Viva Voce?
I hope people in bigger bodies feel normal and seen when they discover Viva Voce. That they may feel what it is like to be celebrated and included at whatever size they are.
What would it have meant for a movement like Viva Voce to exist when you were growing up, or earlier in your own body liberation journey?
It really would have made such a huge impact on little Keirstin. A movement like Viva Voce would have allowed me to see that being plus size is normal and nothing to be ashamed of. I would have stopped wasting my time on trying to shrink myself and started living life to the fullest as a plus size girl.
If you had a megaphone and the whole world was listening, what message would you share?
That's easy: TAKE UP SPACE!
