Meet Nikki Garza, a 27-year-old influencer and actor based in Atlanta. From body positivity to queer representation, Garza has built a huge platform where she embraces her curves and breaks the stigma that so many young women and girls face on social media. And her recent TikTok is making huge waves online.
Nikki took part in a popular TikTok trend where she stitched a response to the prompt asking users to share "a fact so ridiculous, you didn't believe it until you looked it up for yourself." Garza used the opportunity to share a condition that she has from years of adolescent insecurity and internalized fatphobia. It turned out, that what the influencer thought was "under-boob" was actually something known as stomach gripping - AKA hourglass syndrome - which was the result of sucking in her stomach so much over the years. Now, the body-positive force of nature embraces her body - but lives with the reminder of a time when she would try to flatten her stomach as much as possible, leaving scar tissue on her upper abdomen.
"If it isn't the consequences of my mother and grandmother's actions," the 27-year-old joked. And when speaking with Buzzfeed, she shared her disbelief that it took so long to learn the truth about her body. "I get my physicals every year, and my doctor's never mentioned it to me," she confessed. And while she's grown to accept it, she can't help but think back to the bad memories that caused her to suck in her stomach so much in the first place. "All these little things we tell children, and we have no idea how 10, 20 years later it actually manifests, both mentally and physically," the influencer explained. However, looking back, Nikki had some wise advice to share with her younger followers. "Don't let whatever your body is to stop you from doing anything you want to do," she shared. "We all don't like something about our bodies. But don't let that hinder you from experiencing or doing what you want." Amen!!
@itsnikki.g #stitch with @medievalfilthcauldrons My grandma told me to suck in when I was 8 and I never breathed comfortably again #plussize #bodyimage #bodyconfidence #bopotiktok ♬ original sound - Nikki Garza
You can find more of Nikki's inspiring content on her Insta - and stay tuned for more woke influencers making social media a better place, one post at a time!
