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Cultivating body positivity in a Lulu-skinny city

‘You look exactly like your photo’ is a small victory in a world obsessed with appearances

February 6, 2025

As a kid, I never felt comfortable with my body. I was a recluse in my teens, I was bullied.  

I remember one day, I was watching other kids in their skimpy little outfits enjoying themselves, and I thought to myself, “Screw this, I don’t care anymore.”  

I started dressing up in nice dresses and doing my hair. I got my ears pierced. “Not everyone’s going to like me,” I remember thinking, “but I just need to be strong, wear what I want and find the people who do like me.”  

It was hard. I was used to wearing the baggiest, ugliest t-shirts — anything that would cover me up and hide my body type. Baggy t-shirts aside, I’ve always embraced fashion inspired by subcultures, from punk aesthetics to the bold style of Japan’s bōsōzoku girls. 

It was travelling south of the border that made me realize how hard it is to be plus-sized in Vancouver. I was born in Marpole and raised in Kitsilano, and I’m still there today. There’s a distinct sense of “if you’re not slim, you don’t belong” — particularly on the west side of the city.  

It wasn’t always like that. I remember when Kitsilano felt more like Mount Pleasant. In the 1990s, people were smoking pot and relaxing. The snobbery grew in the mid-2000s, along with Lululemon, which opened its flagship store on West Fourth Avenue in 2000.  

The gender-based violence I’m subject to comes mostly from guys. They’ll tell me I’m too fat to dress up. They’ll tell me I’m gross. The way I see it, these people feel threatened by a body-positive female who’s bold and independent.  

I do also get compliments, but they’re more frequently on the east side of Vancouver, and most frequently in the U.S. I’m viewed differently there. Men are more positive towards me. I think it’s because there’s more plus-sized people in the States. They’re more friendly to me and accepting of the way I dress. 

Fighting negativity with positivity  

If I’m having a bad day, I like to dress up and express myself. It’s not easy in a small city like Vancouver where it’s impossible to find attractive clothes that fit. I have to shop at Temu and Shein — despite not being a fan of fast fashion. But it’s the only place I can find clothes that dress you up as though you’re one of Chip Wilson’s skinny chicks.  

The effects of fattism have only worsened with the rise of social media, where highly curated images dominate and video conferencing filters that (somewhat) subtly alter faces have become the norm. The pressure to conform to unrealistic beauty standards is relentless, and for those of us who don’t fit the mold, the digital landscape can feel even more exclusionary. 

Despite this, I’ve found a certain kind of unexpected validation in dating: the comment I always get is, “You look exactly like your photo.” 

Thank you! It’s a small victory in a world obsessed with appearances — an affirmation that I show up as myself, no filters or illusions necessary. 

Body positivity is about being authentically you. It’s about showing people that just because a person is bigger, it doesn’t mean they can’t go swimming, go for bike rides, go to the gym. I do all of those things.  

Never let someone tell you you’re not slim enough for a bikini. Just wear the damn bikini — as long as it fits.  

Louise Boilevin is a born-and-raised a Vancouverite who grew up in Kitsilano and has been a Megaphone vendor for more than a decade. Politically active and a champion for human and animal rights, Louise is involved in outreach work at WISH Drop-In Centre, which provides services and a space for women involved in Vancouver’s street-based sex trade. She is a member of The Shift peer newsroom.  

Published in Megaphone magazine on February 7, 2025