Exclusive | These influencers could be the 2026 antidote to toxic diet culture and body image woes

In the current climate of celebs shrinking down and GLP-1 usage becoming mainstream, a refreshingly natural, new type of influencer is burning up social media this New Year’s resolution season.

“Midsize” content creators are casting shade on toxic diet culture and shining a light on healthy body image.

Amid a sharp rise in dangerously thin young girls, a slew of proudly “midsize” women are gaining an avid following among an audience hungry for healthier content — and these trending taste-setters are eating what they like.

This fresh new crop of creators — whose bodies tend to fall within the 10 to 14 U.S. clothing size range (though there are no officially defined perimeters) — is preaching the gospel of feeling good about yourself, and showing off the size and shape of their not-quite-thin, not-quite-plus-size bodies.

“It started with not being able to see representation of what I looked like online,” Luciana Virasoro, a 27-year-old NYC influencer whose Instagram account features “self-love, realness and bust-friendly fashion,” told The Post. “I got tired of trying to find outfits — or even people to follow in my feed — that (weren’t) three sizes smaller than me.”

Virasoro began posting about her experience being midsize on social media in late 2023, when she grew frustrated at not being able to find a wedding guest dress that fit properly. Positive comments made Virasoro realize the relatability of her content and fueled a desire to connect with “women who struggle with the same thing.”

“On the one hand, it’s very positive, with women reaching out and thanking me for uploading this type of content — that they finally see their own bodies online, or that they tried a product I recommended,” said Virasoro. “I’ve had women reach out and say, ‘Thanks to you, I was able to put a bikini on this summer.’ That’s the most rewarding.”

However, Virasoro was quick to point out that not all the comments on her posts have been kind or constructive.

“You have some haters — calling you fat with a negative connotation, or telling you to go to the gym, even though I do go to the gym.” Virasoro continued. “Or because I have a bigger bust and a curvier body, if I’m wearing a tank top, they say you’re trying to show off or something — even though I’m just wearing a tank top.”

Virasoro is not the only influencer who got into the growing midsize creator space with the initial aim to help and inspire others — nor is she alone in running into complications that have affected her content.

Caroline Harlow, a 27-year-old creator based in the Bay Area, described herself as having grown up “in the height of the YouTube beauty guru era, like 2015, 2016.” Though she’d originally had doubts about not being “skinny enough” to be one herself, a few YouTubers with “bodies that looked like mine” inspired her to take the plunge in 2024.

“I wanted to try to be one of those sorts of people for those who might be struggling with their body image or feel insecure about their size,” Harlow told The Post. “Most people can relate to having insecurities, so I wanted to create a space on the internet that embraces that and makes women — girls in particular — feel good about themselves.”

Harlow, who shared that her body has gone from a traditional “plus-size” to more midsize since she began creating content, now hesitates to label her content explicitly as “midsize” — often opting for the still hotly debated term “curvy” — for fear of offending viewers who don’t see her as fitting that body type.

However, this often leads her to question where on the internet she actually belongs.

“I’ll get comments where if I use the word ‘curvy’ in a video or caption, (they’ll say), ‘You’re not curvy, you’re fat. You’re not midsize, you’re too big for that term,’” said Harlow, who added that she shops at both straight- and plus-size stores and that her closet ranges from a size medium to an XXL.

“‘But on that same video, I’ll get comments that say, ‘You’re not curvy, you’re a size medium at best,’” she continued. “When using terms that are so subjective, I feel like I can’t win … It does introduce doubts.”

The positive feedback she’s received, however, has made her efforts “worth it.”

“I have received numerous messages from followers saying they feel more confident after watching my content, wear clothes they didn’t think they could wear, and are inspired to build a healthier relationship with food,” added Harlow. “Those messages and conversations remind me why I do what I do.”

Emma Grundell, a 33-year-old influencer based in Brisbane, Australia, recently got more than 2 million views on a trial Instagram reel with the text overlay, “Introducing your never thick but never thin fashion bestie (Because I got yelled at by the midsize police).” 

Grundell admitted that she hesitates to publicly call herself a midsize influencer for the same reasons as Harlow, sharing that she primarily created her Instagram to be “about body positivity” and “helping people feel good about themselves.”

“When I would say that I’m midsize, people would get mad and be like, ‘If you’re midsized, then what are we?’” Grundell told The Post. “I didn’t want the negativity, so I try not to use it now (online). But I still classify myself as midsize because I’m not a stick-thin model, and I’m not plus-size. It’s just a good way to find people like (yourself).”

Dr. Racheli Miller, a body image expert and founder of the Compassion Practice in NYC, shared that online exposure to different types of bodies is more important than ever.

“Research shows that exposure to a diversity of body sizes — particularly midsize and plus-size bodies — positively improves body image, body satisfaction, and body appreciation for women,” Miller told The Post. “It’s beneficial to look at images of influencers who are your size or larger. This also decreases weight bias. 

“Until the midsize movement, we largely only saw plus-size models and models who fit the thin ideal, leaving a large portion of the population unrepresented in the realm of fashion,” Miller continued. “Now, we are seeing more representation across the weight spectrum.”

Grundell sees the rise of midsize influencers as particularly important to our modern social-media diet.

“It’s almost like brainwashing, when you see all these people who look the same,” said Grundell. “You go, ‘Well, I’m not good enough, because I don’t look like that.’ We need midsize creators to show up and be themselves — be squishy, tall and short, and whatever they are — so that other people can realize they’re normal. That it’s OK.”