Miss Universe Contestant Just Shut Down Those Fat-Shaming Comments for Good

I was recently asked, 'What happened to you? Why have you gained weight? You are losing points' [...]

By Libby Birk - March 8, 2017 10:50 am EST

I was recently asked, "What happened to you? Why have you gained weight? You are losing points" This was a reference to my body of course. While I am first to say I am not as lean as I was when I was 16, 20, or even last year, but I am more confident, capable, wise, humble and passionate than ever before. 🙋🏻As soon as I started to love who I was rather than always trying to fit what I thought society wanted me to be, I gained a whole new side of life. This is the side I am trying to bring to the @missuniverse competition. The side of life that is so rare to find: self-worth and self-love. We always focus on the things we wish we could change rather than loving everything we are. #missuniverse #bodydiversity #IMG

A photo posted by Siera Bearchell (@sierabearchell) on Jan 17, 2017 at 10:26am PST

Sierra Bearchell has gained weight since making her pageant debut, and Miss Canada is proud of her body.

Bearchell, who will compete for the Miss Universe title Sunday night, has been fighting back against body-shaming trolls on Instagram.

"I was recently asked, 'What happened to you? Why have you gained weight? You are losing points,'" Bearchell wrote on Instagram.

"This was a reference to my body of course. While I am first to say I am not as lean as I was when I was 16, 20, or even last year, but I am more confident, capable, wise, humble and passionate than ever before."

"It takes discipline to have the body of a Miss Universe." It also takes discipline to be accepted into Law School. It takes discipline to run a marathon. It takes discipline to be true to ourselves in a world that is constantly trying to shape us into something we are not. People have asked me if I changed my body to prove a point. No. Our lives are fluid, dynamic and ever-changing. So are our bodies. To be truthful, I restricted my food intake intensely at previous pageants and was miserable, self-conscious and I never felt good enough. No matter how little I ate and how much weight I lost, I constantly compared myself to others and felt like I could still lose more. My mental perception did not match the physical body I saw in the mirror. There were days I would eat a protein bar, workout for hours and struggle to fall asleep because I as so hungry. My body is not naturally lean and that's okay. I am healthy. I am fit. I am confident. I am me. This is who I am right now and I'm okay with it, so you should be too. My fellow ladies, remember that true beauty, and validation start from within. 💛 #confidentlybeautiful #missuniverse

A photo posted by Siera Bearchell (@sierabearchell) on Jan 21, 2017 at 6:03am PST

In another post, she admitted to limiting her caloric intake, even though it wasn't making her any happier. "To be truthful, I restricted my food intake intensely at previous pageants and was miserable, self-conscious and I never felt good enough. No matter how little I ate and how much weight I lost, I constantly compared myself to others and felt like I could still lose more. My mental perception did not match the physical body I saw in the mirror."

Eventually, Bearchell realized the key to self confidence doesn't lie with her physical body.

"My body is not naturally lean and that's okay. I am healthy. I am fit. I am confident. I am me," she says. "This is who I am right now and I'm okay with it, so you should be too."

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