Plus-size blogger Jasmine Grimes wants to talk about the importance of underwear selfies

Sometimes an underwear selfie is more than just an underwear selfie. According to blogger Jasmine Grimes, if you're plus sized and post an underwear selfie, it could actually change the world. 

Last week, Grimes took to Instagram to make this point clear, posting a picture of herself sitting in her underwear with a caption all about the importance of women like her showing off her body. 

"Over the last few weeks, I have seen so many people discount the importance of a good underwear selfie, and I don't think that's right," Grimes wrote. "There's something magical about a fat girl flaunting her curves unapologetically in clothes that others would say only belongs to a certain body type because it inspires others to do the same, just like an underwear selfie." 

It's photography, ultimately, that can help shape people's opinions on what women's bodies actually look like, from bumps and rolls to cellulite and stretch marks. 

"Photos have the ability to change and shape people's perceptions of things, which is why more visibility of fat bodies is so important," Grimes wrote. "If a single image can change people's perceptions, then what do you think a photo of a fat girl in lingerie can do?" 

In an interview with Mic, Grimes said she posted the picture after seeing people commenting that anyone posing in their underwear on social media was just seeking attention, rather than expressing or celebrating themselves. 

"I decided to post those photos because I had seen so many comments from people saying that women only post underwear selfies for attention or to attract men, which is a lie," Grimes said via email. "Images hold power. One photo, depending on what is portrayed in it, can have the power to change a person's life." 

Indeed, in Grimes' own case, seeing a picture like the one she posted could have changed her life months and months ago. As she wrote on Instagram, she would search the internet to find someone who looks like her in their underwear, and loving every bit of themselves. Feeling represented is vital to understanding that you are worthy and fabulous. 

"I used to scour Instagram for photos women who had my body type showing it off because it inspired me to do the same," Grimes wrote on Instagram. "It allowed me to see someone with stretch marks and cellulite, and rolls and say, 'I look like that too.' It's important for people to see themselves represented so that way we can encourage the next generation to be more unapologetic than the last."

By posting picture after picture of herself in her underwear, it's not that Grimes is seeking attention, she's making sure women like her never feel invisible again.  

"We need women who have different body types to show them off because most women don't have curves in all of the right places," Grimes said. "A lot of women carry their weight differently and in order to normalize it, it needs to be seen. When people are able to see themselves and their body types represented, it can help make them more comfortable with their own. That is more important than most people think."