An Ann Summers worker who dropped to a size six through bulimia has gone viral after doubling her weight and sharing powerful pictures of herself in her underwear.
Olivia Callaghan, 24, uses Instagram to document her recovery from an eating disorder which dominated her life for four years.
She regularly squeezed into shapewear briefs to make herself appear thinner but decided to ditch the control garment after realising she loves her body.
At her lowest weight Olivia was just 100lbs (7st) and a size six but now she’s a size 14 and claims to be happier than ever with her figure.
Last week she posted two images of herself side by side on Instagram – one wearing high-waisted control briefs and another with them rolled down.
In one the Ann Summers sales assistant proudly exposes her tummy along with the words “you don’t need an item of clothing in order to love yourself”.
Olivia said she uploaded the snaps after she got trapped in a cycle of constantly wearing shapewear, even though she struggled to breathe.
She said: “I wore control briefs quite often and I realised I am really uncomfortable right now, why am I doing that to myself?
“I want to feel good looking how I look myself, I’m not trying to slate people who wear them, but I feel so much more liberated now.
“I feel really good and I want everyone else to know if you are feeling anything like how I felt, just remember to be yourself and be beautiful.
“I just thought I wanted to wear what I wanted to wear and I love how I look.”
Olivia, from Sutton Coldfield, West Mids., has since binned the £1 pair of control pants which she bought from Ann Summers in a sale around a year ago.
The images she shared on Instagram gained over 33,000 views and her followers rocketed by thousands overnight.
She said: “It feels really overwhelming but it’s very nice.
“I’ve had some awful comments saying I’m fat, but I just shrug it off, as I believe I’m better than that.”
From the age of 14 to 18 Olivia struggled with bulimia but she overcame the eating disorder after counselling and therapy sessions.
Her weight would yo-yo and she dropped to a size six where she was depressed after becoming fixated on her body.
Olivia said: “It was awful to go through, it was about me gaining control and I started with my eating which became a fixation.
“But now I’m a size 14 when I used to be a size six, but I’m loving life so much more.”
Since recovering from bulimia, OIivia hasn’t weighed herself but believes she’s probably doubled in weight since.
Her post, which went viral this week, said: “I felt tight, uncomfortable and restricted in the first photo. The relief of taking them off was amazing!!
“Don’t be fooled by campaign ads and TV shows and those fabulous insta models.
“Spanx are created to give the illusion of a flatter stomach and smaller figure. You don’t NEED them. I feel totally fine in the second photo, and I can breathe again!
“You don’t need an item of clothing in order to love yourself. You don’t need to wear a tight piece of material in order to wear a dress or top. WEAR IT ANYWAY.
“You are FABULOUS. You are FLAWLESS. You are BEAUTIFUL. Don’t let any f*cker tell you otherwise. Love your damn self!”
