May 2022 | 12 in 2021 , saying , ” the body positivity has been co-opted by all bodies , and people are celebrating medium and small girls and people who occasionally get rolls … Fat people are still getting the short end of this movement . We are still getting talked about , meme ’ d , shamed , and no one cares anymore ”. Lizzo added , ” please use our movement to empower yourself ; that is the point . But the people who created this movement , big women , are not benefiting from this mainstream success from it .” Sarah wants to focus on feeling neutral about her body and not let it stop her from doing the thing ,
” Life is short , and I want to do all the things . I am not willing to wait until I am lighter or smaller – that is the message I want to spread .”
More inclusivity in the sport As a plus-size paddleboarder , Sarah hopes to help change the sport ; she wants to make women feel welcome , supported and have access to the kit they need to succeed . But having an open conversation about something you are not entirely sure about can be challenging , ” Sometimes , figuring out my boundaries is hard , knowing what to talk about , or how much to talk about , I can be a prolific over-sharer . I am now learning how to negotiate that but sometimes it can feel vulnerable to talk about things that many people do not , but I feel passionately that I need to do it for those people who do not feel able to .”
Sarah has always been attracted to the ocean . From activities between rowing and swimming , Sarah has spent most of her life by the sea ; it is where she feels at home . Coming to the beach creates happiness for Sarah that she has not found elsewhere , hence why paddle boarding was not a step in a faraway direction . ” For me paddleboarding is an extension of that , of feeling at peace in my body and mind . It is the first time that I truly appreciated my body for what it can do , not just the way it looked . Every body should be able to access the kit to do the sports that they love - regardless of size .”
To celebrate and officially start her work as an ambassador for Red Paddle Co , Sarah had a photoshoot with Danielle Watkins . However , the pictures were not published until Sarah announced she was an ambassador in early February 2022 on her Instagram account , plussizepaddler . In one of the close-up pictures , she writes , ” I love this photo because it just sums up the happiness and peace I feel when I come home to the beach . I just feel like me .”
Lack of representation The lack of representation of plus-size paddleboarders online pushed Sarah to start her Instagram account plussizepaddler . Sarah regularly shares her experience with equipment , adventures , and self-image to her six thousand followers . Since starting her account in October 2020 , Sarah has become an ambassador for