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Photographed by Olya Ivanova
As part of our Take Back The Beach initiative, Refinery29 visited six countries (Israel, Liberia, Russia, Iceland, Mexico, and South Korea) to find out how women outside of the U.S. feel about their bodies. It turns out, body positivity may have found a home in the mainstream conversation stateside, but, internationally, women are still finding new ways to discuss their bodies.
The lens through which these women choose to view their bodies varies by country. Where many of the South Korean women we interviewed spoke about their appearance in terms of health, the women we met from Mexico focused more on comments they've received from others (and why they choose to, for the most part, ignore those remarks).
Across all of the interviews we had, however, we noticed one consistency. Whether it's Amanda in Liberia telling us that she tries to praise to herself as often as possible or Keren in Mexico saying that her opinion is the only one that matters, women around the world are making serious moves toward self-love, just like we are in the U.S.
Ahead, check out highlights from all six of our global shoots, then tell us what you think still needs to change about body image worldwide.
It's your body. It's your summer. Enjoy them both. Check out more #TakeBackTheBeach here.
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