The #NormalizeYou Movement

You may have seen the content I've released on Instagram, but maybe you weren't quite sure what it was all about... Well, it's about time I write a blog post about it, don't you think?

The #NormalizeYou Movement holds a special place in my heart. I created the movement about three months ago, and only recently started sharing content about it on social media 6 weeks ago.

So, you might be thinking, "Why #NormalizeYou?" or "What prompted you to create this movement?"

Well, lucky for you, I have answers for both of these questions!

I knew I wanted to start a page focused on women empowerment and body diversity, but I wanted to ensure my page would be engaging and slightly different from the rest. I didn't want to be "just some other page you follow." I wanted to be a positive light in your newsfeed. I wanted to be an educational and informative space on your explore page. And, I wanted to make you part of the process!

So, I thought to myself, "what do people not talk about enough on Instagram and/or social media?" Although we've progressed tremendously within the body positivity and body acceptance community, there was still something missing. I found that there was tremendous focus on the body—whether it was positive or negative, it was either about weight loss tips and promoting thinness, or about body positivity and embracing our belly rolls. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about being raw and showing what our real bodies look like, but, I thought to myself... Why weren't we focusing on defining our identities? Why weren't we discussing our personalities? Our value systems? Our cultural backgrounds? Our likes and dislikes? Our hardships?

We are SO much more than a body.

And that's when it hit me... Yes, we need to be normalizing our physical appearance, our belly rolls, cellulite, stretch marks, and skin folds, but more importantly, we need to be normalizing what makes us who we are in our entirety!

Personally, I think the focus needs to be on normalizing everything about us! So, for example, when I think of myself, I think of normalizing the following:

1. My Latina cultural background

2. My sassy yet caring personality

3. My combination of extrovert and introvert

4. My love for rainy days

5. My hormone imbalance

6. My battle with eczema

7. My super chapped lips

8. My tendency to sweat easily

9. My struggles with mental health

10. My battle with gut health

This and SO much more, needs to be the focus of who I am! It can't just be my body...

Plus, when you really think about it, who defines normal? Is there only one definition of normal? Or does the definition vary according to person and context? My definition of normal probably looks completely different from yours, or your mother's or your sister's. In fact, my normal shouldn't equate to your normal. Why? Because you are unique in your own way and nobody can ever take that away from you.

Yeah, sure, there's other people out there in the world with the name Gabi, but there's nobody else exactly like this Gabi.

So, as I continue spreading the word about The #NormalizeYou Movement, I encourage you to ask yourself the following:

"What defines my identity?"