Realizing Her Power
Elyse started opening up about her mental health online by sharing her experience with bullying as a child. In one video, she said a teacher in middle school discouraged her from trying out for cheerleading because of her size, hinting that she may be too big for the uniform.
“I was made aware of the size of my body long before I was ever taught how to love it,” she said in the TikTok from December, “and I know now as an adult that says way more about the people commenting on my appearance than it did my appearance at all.”
The TikTok resonated with viewers: “Once I got feedback from people about how they had similar experiences, I realized this is something I really need to focus on and speak more about,” she told E! News, “because people need it and are very hungry for somebody to shine a light on all of it.”
“There’s so much power in me not changing the way that I speak or the way that I dress or do my makeup, just showing up exactly the way I am,” she continued. “The power I have found in giving people permission to do that in their own life has just impacted me so much. Honestly, more than probably it impacts them.”
She phrased it best: “I have seen my own self-image radically become healthier,” she said. “I’m reminding myself in these videos that I need to show up as myself all the time as well.”
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