Author: Erin Valentine
Interview Date: January 9, 2019
Instagram: @Cheyenne_Atkinson_
From childhood, Cheyenne Atkinson had a tough time with body image. A larger body from a young age, Cheyenne was the focus of bullying at school. “I would always go home and cry in my mother’s arms about how people would pick on me and just make my life miserable,” said Cheyenne.
Once diagnosed with a thyroid condition, Cheyenne started to experience something she never had in the past – self-love. “I moved away from home and decided to do things that challenged me and put me outside of my comfort zone,” she said. She applied to a modelling agency, and, to her surprise, they were interested in working with her.
As she gained confidence through modelling, she began building a following on Instagram. Cheyenne explained, “I started getting messages from other plus–size ladies in the world asking how I became a model, how they wish they had self-love like me, and asked how I found confidence.”
Through social media, she shares that body positivity should be a feeling within and it helps no one to scale watch. “Body positivity in my opinion is a state of mind,” said Cheyenne.
For Cheyenne, she hopes to inspire people through her vulnerability online. “I do what I do because someone out there may need an inspiration because I know there was a point in my life when I needed the Cheyenne I am today.”