When Jordan first approached Lauryn and me about starting Revly, we couldn’t stop talking about how excited we were to produce a line that focuses on us “in-betweeners”. The in-betweens, as we like to say, are the people like us who never have clothing produced specifically for our bodies. We are active girls that live big lives and are constantly on the move. But make no mistake, we are also the type of girls that love to enjoy ourselves (our first friend date surrounded a three hour brunch with fried chicken and plenty of mimosas). Our bodies are not the ones that look like the average models you scroll through on your Instagram feed or the ones that you see when looking at your favorite brands. We don't perfectly align with other “body positive” companies that promote curves and plus sized models. We are not Alexis Ren or Ashley Graham. Instead, we are in the middle section, along with many other normal women, that are told our bodies just aren’t good enough for either end of the scale.
I was beyond excited when companies started coming out and celebrating the curves and beauty of every body type. However, as more and more companies released their lines and “love yourself” campaigns, I began to become more confused than ever as to where my body fit according to media’s standards. Standing at 5'9" and wearing somewhere in between a 6 and an 8, I could not match my body to anyone on the billboards I saw. I noticed the trend becoming a message that mirrored “you are beautiful as long as you are either a 2 or 12 with barely any semblance of cellulite in either direction”. Love yourself but only according to our standards, the media kept yelling at me.
I never expected these body positive messages to make me feel less happy with myself. I think it’s human nature to want to belong to a certain group yet when the media is constantly in your face with standards that you do not belong to, it can feel even more isolating. I have gone through every phase of body consciousness a young woman can go through. I have loved my body until I was told that I shouldn’t. I have hated my body until I was told that I shouldn’t. The common message was that no matter where I stood, I wasn’t good enough. I was existing as a body that was constantly being thrown mixed messages and losing myself every step of the way.
As I grew older, I began to dissect these messages. Why should I hate my body or be ashamed of how I look? I work out, I eat healthy and my curves are something I should value and not be ashamed of. My small ass isn’t something that I should crave injections for or kill myself at the gym to grow in order to mimic these models online. I knew that I needed to love who I saw in the mirror and began to realize the work that needed to be done was inside myself and not out. I had to change my mental state, accept my difference, and help build the confidence of my friends surrounding me. Confidence is contagious if you just embrace it.
The cycle ends with Revly. Our company genuinely promotes body positivity for all people regardless of size, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and age. We want you to join us in showing the world how beautiful we all are and how much we have to offer. I want you to sit alongside us, wearing nothing but our bathing suits and radiate confidence to everyone you encounter. Revly is way more than just a bathing suit, we are starting a movement. We are sparking a revolution.
Our first step towards loving ourselves is to do our best to push away our deepest insecurities. We chose to hold a photoshoot with 40 of our amazing friends and were overwhelmed by the support following our announcement. Our friends stripped naked and held signs proudly in front of them with some of their deepest insecurities on display. I can promise, nobody had ever been as naked or vulnerable as we all were in that room together. The support was palpable and Jordan, Lauryn and I could not believe we were actively watching our baby come to life. Following the photoshoot, we all sat on the living room floor with tears in our eyes at the overwhelming responses we were getting from the launch announcement. What started as a small idea in Jordan’s head is quickly growing into something great.
Revly is the beginning of something undeniably special. We want everyone to heal from the inside out and put on our bathing suits without hesitation. Show the world who you are. Rock what you’ve got.
So go ahead, buy one of our pieces when it's time and feel the difference. Post your fabulous ass on Instagram. Strut your stuff down the beach. Hike up that mountain without a shirt covering the rest of you. Eat that cheeseburger without shame.
We won’t change the way you look, but I can promise that we will change the way you feel.
xo,
Sydney Blake
5 comments
Currently addicted to reading all the blogs. They are so inspirational and are making me so excited for the launch of the swimwear!!!
Omg I love this sm! I’m a huge Wisconsin volleyball fan, and I saw this on both Jordan’s and Lauryn’s instagrams. I’m currently a freshman in high school, and totally feeling insecure about my body. I’m only 5 foot 3, but I’m curvy, so a bunch of stuff doesn’t fit me. This blog has shown me that I’m not alone and to be confident, even during this weird phase of my life. Thank you so much Jordan. Lauryn, and Sydney!
I saw Lauryns post on her instagram and decided to check out what this was about…truly inspiring. I am one of the in betweeners as well, I am 5’9" and also wear a 6/8. I’ve never loved my body because I’ve been told by our society that being in between is not ok. I believe that many of the Kardashians are the biggest impact on teens because they show the image that girls think they should be too. I love that you ladies made revly. It’s such a lovely way of telling young girls, to love there bodies.
Thank you for putting together such an amazing company founded and driven by the importance of self acceptance. I have always struggled with body image issues; too chunky as an adolescent, too thin when suffering from active Crohn’s disease, too short to measure up to the models I thought looked perfect in all of the things I would never have the nerve to try on let alone wear. I have finally come to a place in my life where I strive to be healthy and in doing so am genuinely happy wearing the skin that I’m in. I no longer waste time and energy thinking about trying to be someone I am not just to try to fit in with everyone else or the socially acceptable appearances of people my age. As my daughter enters her teenage years, I am grateful that there are young women out there designing things with real women in mind and more importantly with the message that being your best is the best you can be. I look forward to seeing this amazing company take off and change the lives of women of all ages and sizes by celebrating the individuality of us all!
I found out about this movement because of my addiction to badger volleyball. I follow Lauryn on Instagram and saw her post about REVLY. I continued to look around and discover what it was and I am in love with this idea. I have never loved my body especially now that judgement is higher than ever in highschool. Your story is truly amazing and inspiring and I hope that REVLY will be known to everyone so they can be inspired the way I was.