This is #HerByAnya, our way of sharing the stories of our everyday women. Because you deserve to be celebrated as you are.

Learning to embrace your body is certainly easier said than done. That’s why we spoke to three young women who generously shared their journeys with us.

Meet Wei Lin (@weiilinnt), a business undergraduate who may be petite in height but towers over so many of us when it comes to heart. Her story really touched us—because who hasn’t experienced the struggle of living up to someone else’s expectations of how we should look and be?

Read on to discover how Wei Lin learnt to love her body. 

THE WEIGHT OF EXPECTATIONS

“When I was younger, I disliked how my body looked,” she shares. “I was overweight and had been since I was a child. I felt looked down upon by my peers. I felt pressured to live up to what I thought were society’s expectations—that petite girls have to be slim—

so I made myself lose 15kg in a short amount of time.”

Wei Lin describes the start of her relationship with exercise as a struggle, but she persisted because she wanted to change how she looked. Every morning, she would drag herself out of bed to go for a run. “It was difficult, but during every run, I would tell myself that all of this is temporary and my hard work will eventually pay off.” 

LEARNING TO SHOW UP FOR YOURSELF

Wei Lin acknowledges that she began exercising because she disliked how she looked—and such reasons can leave you feeling bruised in the long run. But she managed to transform those negative feelings into something positive. 

Now, she glows whenever she talks about her love for running!

“Eventually, my morning runs became habitual and I realised that running is a form of therapy for me. It allows me to properly organise my thoughts.” 

She also noticed that simply making time to move—to show up for herself on the track or in the gym—made a big difference. “I noticed that making an effort to be active allows me to be a better version of myself. Maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle also taught me discipline.” 

OWNING YOUR OWN BEAUTY STANDARDS

Over time, her active lifestyle helped her embrace her body and shed the crushing weight of what others think she should look like. “In the past, I always saw my height and body shape as disadvantages. Now, I take pride in them, as they make me unique.” You can definitely see that in her smile! 

“Today, I am a very active and sporty person. My favourite workouts include running, hiking, gymming, cycling and dancing.” 

IT’S A PROCESS

It’s important to note that weight loss doesn’t automatically result in more confidence, and Wei Lin can attest to that. Even though she thought she would feel better about herself once she lost enough weight, self-acceptance was still a process. 

“Despite losing a lot of weight, I still did not feel confident enough to wear clothes that revealed my stretch marks and excess skin,” she tells us honestly. 

A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY

Wei Lin reveals one more thing. While being active has taught her how to love herself, it was our activewear that gave her a boost 🥺

“Last year, my sister introduced me to Anya Active. I realised that Anya’s mission and vision, which is to encourage women to lead an active lifestyle while embracing their own bodies, closely aligned with my own experiences. 

“When I obtained my first few pieces of activewear from Anya, I immediately fell in love with the design and fit.

"They made me feel much more confident and comfortable in my own skin. I hope to show other petite women that they can look great in Anya Active, too!”

This is the reason why we do what we do! :’) 

This was #HerbyAnya, and we hope you were inspired by Wei Lin’s story. Feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments!