There was a time when models were all-but required to be stick thin; in the heroin-chic mould that was de-rigour in those archaic days of yore.

Thankfully, in our modern society, a far more diverse - and by consequence, interesting - gamut of shapes and sizes can be seen on the fashion runways of the world. Though Instagram can be a depressingly surreal place; all filtered vistas and touched-up topless selfies, it has also helped given rise to the body-positive movement; a school of thought that celebrates the human body in all of its many forms, rather than requiring people to fit into particular sizes.

Now, plus-size models grace the covers of magazines, and models of all shapes and sizes walk the runway for some of the biggest fashion houses in the world.

One of the more recognisable proponents of the body-positive movement is Iskra Lawrence. She has been refreshingly candid throughout her career, inspiring countless women along the way to feel good about the skin they're in. And now she's gone and done it again, in a beautiful Instagram post with an important message to accompany it.

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In it, Lawrence urges us to embrace ourselves and not judge ourselves on the way others look. Here's her post in full;

"I read one of your comments yesterday that said “if I looked like her all my problems would go away”. Maybe it was said in jest but thoughts turn into consciousness, and in turn can start to affect our mindset, outlook, and how we view ourselves. Which in turn will eventually be your reality - I used to think like that. I’d look at pictures of slimmer models that were highly successful and believe if I looked like them (including the unrealistic photoshop) that I would also have a more successful career, love life, I’d be happier and life would be better.

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"But those thoughts only lead to your own dissatisfaction with yourself, your body and your life.(For me this lead me to have body dysmorphia and an ED and I’m grateful I was able to recover and become the woman I am today, who knows my self worth.) When in reality, you can never be someone else.

"But no one can ever be you either. And that makes you one of a kind, so never forget you are meant to be you. Give your energy to embracing who you are and what you can bring to the table and to others and to this world, by being you.

"Because God made you you for a reason, so let your unique self shine and radiate love, confidence and enoughness."

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Hats off to Iskra Lawrence for continuing to champion women embracing their bodies and learning to love themselves just the way they are. It's so important not to judge yourself on someone else's idea of an ideal physique; as long as you're healthy and happy, everything else should fall into place, too.

In this modern world of ours, we're confronted with unrealistic body images seemingly wherever we turn.

Once upon a time, it was merely on the covers of glossy magazines that we'd be sold ideas about how we 'should' look, and fad diets that purported to help you achieve the 'dream' body.

Yet now, the epidemic is arguably at its worst point. On social media, a quick scroll shows us images of improbably toned models with washboard abs and blindingly white teeth, while adverts attempt to monopolise beauty to sell us products.

This model, who has a large facial birthmark, is encouraging people to embrace the skin they're in:

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There are people trying to redress the balance, though.

On Instagram, movements like body positivity and grombré (a trend encouraging people to embrace their grey hair) are working to give us a more realistic view of our bodies, reminding us that we all have imperfections.

And now, Iskra Lawrence has taken to Instagram to give her fans an update on her pregnancy, while sharing an important message about body image.

Ashley Graham shares nude pregnancy video with fans:

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She wrote;

"Filmed a lil 6 month pregnancy body update
(Link in my bio to my Youtube video)

"I wanted to share my perspective as everyone’s journey is unique, my body is changing so much in totally new ways - it’s fascinating.

"As someone whose experienced body dysmorphia and disordered eating I wanted to talk from a recovery point of view and hopefully help you feel more comfortable on this journey too

"And for those not able or struggling to conceive I’m sending you my love and just working through the legalities so I can do the $ giveaway to help support you"

See the post in full here:

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The model has been candid with fans throughout her pregnancy, discussing all manner of things, from her decision not to hold a gender reveal, to the changes to her body throughout the pregnancy thus far.

Despite huge steps being taken to make the world are more accepting and inclusive place for all, we're still living in a time where people are shunned for a variety of different reasons, whether it be their sexuality, their race or their body shape. Social media apps such as Instagram and Twitter have undoubtedly have had a huge part to play in this newly-found inclusivity, but they are also the breeding ground for trolls and body-shamers.

It would be fair to say that the last few years have seen the issue of body-positivity become a global phenomenon. One swipe on your Instagram Discovery page and you will be inundated with models who are teaching their audience to embrace their "flaws" and learn to love themselves.

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There are many women who are seen as leading lights in the movement, with Iskra Lawrence and Ashley Graham being two main players. Speaking about her battles to love herself, Lawrence said it hasn't been an easy process.

"I used to be that teenage girl who looked in the mirror and hated what she saw and really wanted to change her body," she admitted. "Now, I'm just like, it's not the end of the world to not have a thigh gap. It's not the end of the world to have cellulite. When I'm insecure, I'm just like 'hell, no, I've been through so much, I will not feel bad today. I'm going to shine today because I deserve to.'"

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"When I stopped [comparing myself to other people] and really just saw the beauty in other people as well as myself, it was a sigh of relief, to be honest. I can't ever be them, but they can't ever be me. That's what makes you special. It just makes life easier, just knowing that you are good enough."

However, sadly, for some people, they still can't get their heads around this positive and inspiring movement. One guy who clearly missed the memo about body-positivity is Leyton Mokgerepi from South Africa.

Popping up on his Twitter account, he chose to fat-shame women - specifically, he chose to fat shame Lesego Legobane, a plus-size model, blogger, and body positivity activist.

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Mokgerepi created a meme in which he compared Legobane with a slimmer model, Joëlle Kayembe, that reads: “Girls that I like vs. girls that like me.” The sizeist joke implied that he likes thin women but only larger women like him in return.

However, while Mokgerepi's tweet went viral, the clap back from Legobane absolutely shut him down and gained far more traction.

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Her tweet got over 300,000 retweets and was like over 940,000 times by a variety of people including Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande and Ana DuVernay.

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Despite his attempts to say that Legobane was his ideal woman, no one was buying into Mokgerepi's BS.

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Kayembe, the other model in the image, also wasn't having any of Mokgrepei's joke.

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Sadly for Mokgerepi, it appears that the women that he likes don't like him. Also, not only that, neither do other women. It's a lonely life being a troll, isn't it?

Model, Iskra Lawrence, got candid about her relationship with her body in a recent Instagram video.

The 29-year-old welcomed her first child, a boy, whose name has not been revealed, with her partner, Philip Payne, back in April.

And on Friday (10th July), she posed in a blue bikini, and encouraged her fans to believe that they are "imperfectly perfect".

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"I have been practising my angles since I started modelling at 13 (16years ago) It took me far too many years to not pick apart every centimetre of my body. To not want photographers to photoshop me slimmer or smooth out my skin. Because I thought that’s when I looked most beautiful.
Now I know better. And I hope you know you that you don’t need to be anything but the real you. Society taught us to hate our bodies by showing unrealistic images that even the people in the pictures couldn’t attain. You’re meant to be imperfectly perfect...and all your angles are beautiful [sic]," she captioned the clip.

Watch the clip below:

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And earlier this month, Iskra shared a picture of herself with her newborn son, explaining that "the love is always there but postpartum is messy, confusing and at times terrifyingly overwhelming."

"It doesn’t always look like this... the love is always there but postpartum is messy, confusing and at times terrifyingly overwhelming," she continued. "I made a video (link in bio) just over a week after my home birth that I’m only just posting because I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to share it. I never want to seem like I’m complaining or not grateful I couldn’t be more thankful. But at the same time I feel like there’s not enough video content out there sharing the real stuff, the messiness, speaking to how hard it is and how you are just trying to get by some days [sic.]."

"I also don’t want to scare anyone off this journey it’s truly the greatest gift in the world and any of us who are able to do this are beyond blessed," the model added.

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