Body Posi Movement: BBYWOLF

Alikaya's Twitter

Self-love can't always be achieved instantly but there is a movement that is growing quite rapidly to create awareness and help others achieve self-love. The #bodyposi movement is a movement that promotes and encourages self-love regardless of size, gender and sexual orientation. Our culture and society constantly tries to embed in our brains what a body should look like. From fashion, media to even the entertainment industry, there is always this "image" that is held to a standard. But what can one do if they don't fit this standard? First and foremost, realize that you don't need any validation from the media, your peers or anyone in general to love the body you are in. As cliche as it sounds, our imperfections is what ultimately makes us unique. 

Thanks to the multiple platforms of social media we have access too, certain individuals have been vocal about body-shaming and self love. Alikaya also known as @bbywolf666, has been an active supporter and advocate in this movement. Her photos have caused a backlash of both positive and negative commentary but nonetheless Alikyah shows us her true essence by showing the world that there are infinite ways of being beautiful and that first step is by embracing your insecurities. 

We interviewed her to get her stance on the #bodyposi movement and her advice on how to achieve self-love. Peep our one-on-one interview with this empowering gem changing the world by creating a realm of love and self-acceptance. 

A: My name is Alikaya Ty Lopez, but the name wolf comes from my last name which I've been called since my freshman year of high school. I'm 19, I live in Vegas, and I work at a taco joint. 

No one really inspired me to be so open, I just had a talk with myself one day about my insecurities and how I felt about my body as a whole. I couldn't keep living hating my own body and being so negative towards myself. I get one body, so I learned to love it. At first when I posted my body positive pictures it was for me to let myself go and just embrace who I was and to show others that I loved myself. But a few hours in after I did that, I got floods of DMs from girls of all ages saying I inspired them to accept who they were. Just reading all of those alone told me I could help others. So from that point I not only did it for me, but for everyone to show that there isn't a "perfect" body type. We're all unique and beautiful.

How did you feel about the positive reaction? Could you tell us the story about how wolf came to be? And if it isn't too personal please tell us your insecurities and how you managed to get over them. What advice would you give to other girls going through what you did?

A: I wasn't expecting so much feedback on the pictures so it was all overwhelming at first, but it was an amazing feeling knowing that I was helping so many other girls with who they were. My main insecurity was the size of my breast. Being so that mine were large and the rest of my body was smaller I always thought I looked weird or they weren't "normal" looking. I got over my insecurity by having a talk with myself like I said earlier. I can't keep comparing myself to others and expect to be happy with my life. I stared at myself naked in the mirror for at least 25 mins and said "this is me. I'm the only one, there's no one else like me. I'm unique and beautiful." 

My advice to other girls going through what I went through is to stop being so hard on yourself. It's not right. EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT!!!!!! there is no set type of way any of your body parts should look, you look the way you do for a reason and you need to love it. Wake up every morning and look at yourself in the mirror, and say one thing positive about yourself. If you do this on a daily basis I promise you your whole attitude will change. Not just about yourself but life in general.

Wolf came to be in my freshman class of high school. We were looking up our heritage and I searched my last name, Lopez. Lopez is a Spanish given name deriving from Latin lupus,  meaning wolf. Ever since then that's what I've been called.

What does the body posi movement to you and how would you define it?

has anyone inspired you?  If so who? What are you goals and dreams? You are so young but yet filled with so much knowledge and mental growth! It's inspiring to see young women like you inspire other women.

A: The body positive movement is a way to share with others the love and confidence you have, and to hopefully inspire someone else to do the same. When I hear the words body positive I think of happiness and self love. My goal is to keep spreading this movement and reaching girls of all ages to love themselves and teach their peers as well. I've always wanted to travel to places and publicly speak about my experience and shed light on this topic. 

I have two people that have inspired me, Rihanna is one. Her carefree attitude has been something I've always looked up to and I feel like it's rubbed off on me. And I've also recently just met a friend, her name is Erisse, she's inspired me a lot just from the short amount of time I've known her. She moved out of her parents house when she was around my age. Without help from anyone she's currently in her own place with her own car. Yes she struggled along the way but she did it. Hearing something like that gives me hope that I can to do the same and be so independent at a young age.

What is your heritage and current interests?

A: I'm black, Puerto Rican, and Native American. My current interest has been with graphic designs so be ready for some clothing next year!

What is your style for clothing? And what are some artists (arts) that have inspired your vision for your brand?

A: About 90% of my wardrobe is thrift-ed, I like laid back comfortable clothes. I'm always wearing jeans, my slip ons, and flannels. I've gotten a lot of art drawn for me by many different people and I think I'm going to try and incorporate those works together somehow.