'I'm here to infiltrate from the inside': Plus-size model Barbie Ferreira shares picture of stretch marks - fondly referring to them as her 'lil stripes'- before hitting out at fashion industry

  • The 19-year-old, who is a prominent figure in the body positive movement, shared a picture of the stretch marks on her hips on Instagram
  • The size 12 New Yorker has been praised for normalizing the marks, which she described as her 'lil stripes'
  • In a second post on the subject, the model hit out at the fashion industry and criticized the 'grown a*s adults' who make negative comments about her body
  • She said the industry is 'not cute' and claimed women 'are not treated like people'

Plus-size model Barbie Ferreira has been praised for normalizing stretch marks after sharing a photograph of the 'lil stripes' on her hips.

The 19-year-old New Yorker, who is a prominent figure in the body positive movement, posted a picture of her stretch marks on Instagram where she has over 370,000 followers.

Barbie, who is a size 12, said she was 'soothing' the marks - which can occur when the skin is stretched due to weight gain - with Vitamin E oil.

Bold: Plus-size model Barbie Ferreira, 19, shared a photograph of her stretch marks which she referred to as 'mi lil stripes [sic]'

Self-love: The New Yorker, who is a prominent figure in the body positive movement, posted the photograph, pictured, on Instagram

Message: In a second post on the subject, the model hit out at the fashion industry and criticized the 'grown a*s adults' who make negative comments about her body

'Mi lil stripes are out here. Soothing them with Vitamin E oil n noticing how cute my body can be despite lil changes [sic],' she wrote.

The picture has been inundated with over 17,000 likes and hundreds of comments from people thanking Barbie, who has starred in campaigns for Aerie, Missguided and American Eagle Outfitters, for her honesty. 

In a later post, she claimed that soon after sharing the picture, a woman pointed at her stretch marks and asked 'what was wrong with my hips'.

Barbie hit out at the fashion industry where she said such incidents occur on the daily basis. 

She added: 'Like I always do, I choke back the tears and keep going like nothing happened. 

'Grown a*s adults commenting on my teenage body needing spanx, bra cutlets to make me look "better" or Photoshopping my body to be "smoother" right in front of me - most of the time by plus clients. 

Dehumanizing: Barbie, who is a size 12, said the industry is 'not cute' and claimed women 'are not treated like people'

Incriminating: In her 'rant', pictured, she said runway models are 'told to starve'

'This industry is not cute, never has been. I don't want to sell you this idea that all these brands are so body positive when it's so few that actually represent what women look like not just an idealized version of a thick girl (like they try to do to me.)'

She claimed women 'are not treated like people' in fashion where she said runway models are 'told to starve'. 

'They will tell you they flat out get told to starve and that they're looking fat. S**t isn't as pretty as it looks but...I'm here to infiltrate from the inside,' she said. 

Barbie said curvy models are 'thought of as mannequins'.

She added: 'Just ones who are cursed to only wear peplums and tunics all day to cover our "flawed" bodies n show just our usually thin faces [sic].'

Despite her problems with the industry she said she considers herself 'privileged' to be able to share her 'message'.  

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