A plus-size woman who was trolled for her “granny legs” caused by a health condition has embraced her body and feels “beautiful” in a bikini. Beckie Bold, 24, felt self-conscious growing up and she always struggled with the size of her legs.
At school she was called “granny legs” but it wasn’t until she was 21 that she was diagnosed with lipoedema, a condition which causes a painful build-up of fat in her legs, arms and hips. The communications intern, who lives in Llandudno, North Wales but went to the University of Salford in 2017, began to embrace her looks after seeing ‘fat positive’ influencers on Instagram.
Beckie, who wears a UK size 26, no longer feels she has to cover her body in long black clothes and loves to wear skimpy outfits and bikinis. She said: “I want to live for myself, not for others.
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“I’m happier now at my biggest than when I was at my skinniest. I always knew there was something different about my legs.
“Comments from school kids were horrible. They called me granny legs. Getting my diagnosis was a relief. Now I have the confidence to love myself.”
Beckie recalls that she always noticed something different about her legs for as long as she can remember. When she was aged 14-16 she struggled with an eating disorder due to the bullying, but she realised that being skinny didn’t make her happy. When she moved to Greater Manchester for university in 2017 she was able to start loving who she was.
She said: “It was like a switch in my brain that realised ‘I’m tired of disliking who I am’. I followed other big people to give me the confidence to be who I am.
She said: “Before, I only wore black. I thought it would slim me down. I never wore skirts and dresses.
“But now if I think something looks good, I’m going to wear it. I live two roads from a beach. I used to see everyone in the sea, and I’d be in a hoodie and jeans.
“Now I’m happy to be in a bikini. I let my body breathe. I love my body.”
Beckie posts body positive content online and is used to trolls who tell her she is “taking up too much space” and “shouldn’t be able to live”.
She said: “I’m OK with dealing with trolls. They say my lipoedema isn’t real.
“Really awful things. But I’m really confident in who I am.”
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