Influencer Gabriella Lascano says the body positivity movement went too far and left her feeling brainwashed

18 February 2026

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Gabriella Lascano, a content creator who once stood as a prominent voice for body positivity and self-love on social media, has publicly distanced herself from the movement she helped popularize, describing a transformation in her own beliefs that she now characterizes as a retreat from what she sees as an increasingly radical online community and an emotionally fraught experience that left her questioning her own health and identity.

Lascano’s journey began more than a decade ago when she started sharing messages of acceptance and empowerment for people of all sizes, particularly plus-size women who had long felt excluded from mainstream fashion and wellness spaces. At first, she said, the encouragement and solidarity she received felt transformative, a chance to help others feel confident and seen. But over time, she says the movement evolved in ways that conflicted with her evolving perspective on health and well-being.

In interviews, including one with The New York Times that has since attracted renewed attention, Lascano spoke candidly about how she found herself gaining weight to the point that she could no longer enjoy simple activities like traveling or going on roller coasters, moments that forced her to confront how her lifestyle was affecting her daily life. At her heaviest, she said she approached 400 pounds despite once promoting the idea that people should love themselves at any size. As she gained prominence online, the language around body positivity in some corners of the internet, she said, began to feel more extreme and less connected to nuanced conversations about health and self-care.

The turning point for Lascano came after the death of a close friend who had also been a leading body-positivity advocate, a loss that jolted her into examining her own relationship with the movement and her message to others. In 2023 she released a video in which she denounced aspects of the body positivity community, saying she felt guilty for having been part of a platform that she now believed sometimes encouraged unhealthy habits and discouraged individuals from acknowledging legitimate health concerns. Critics of parts of the movement have long argued that in some spaces on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, celebrating bodies as is can stray into overlooking the serious health risks associated with obesity, such as heart disease and diabetes.

Lascano described feeling brainwashed by the rhetoric she once shared — a phrase that captured both her sense of disillusionment and the intense self-reflection that followed. Although her comments drew backlash from some in the body positivity community who saw her critique as a betrayal or fatphobic, she has stuck by the idea that true self-love can and should coexist with the freedom to pursue personal health goals, whatever they may be. Through her own weight loss and refocused lifestyle, she said she felt more like herself and better able to reconcile self-acceptance with her physical well-being.

The controversy surrounding Lascano’s evolution highlights broader tensions in the ongoing cultural conversation about body image, health and the role of social media in shaping people’s expectations. On one hand, body positivity has been celebrated for challenging narrow beauty standards and fostering inclusion for individuals who once felt marginalized. On the other, critics argue that some factions within the movement have become hostile toward any discussion of weight loss or fitness, framing them as betrayals of a community ethos rather than legitimate personal choices. Lascano’s story sits at the intersection of these debates, illustrating how the drive to promote acceptance can collide with very real concerns about long-term health and quality of life.

Her critics have labeled her stance both courageous and contentious, with some praising her honesty and others accusing her of reinforcing harmful stereotypes about body size and health. For many observers, her narrative underscores the complexity of conversations about embodiment in the digital age, where influencers and followers alike navigate pressures to conform to shifting cultural expectations about fitness, acceptance and identity. Some health experts have weighed in more broadly on the issue, noting that neither extreme — rigid weight fixation nor uncritical celebration of unhealthy habits — is likely to foster well-being for the average person, and that a balanced approach to body image is essential.

Lascano’s own messaging today includes an emphasis on personal agency: she believes individuals should feel empowered to pursue health improvements without shame, even as they maintain a positive relationship with themselves. She continues to create lifestyle and beauty content outside the specifics of body positivity activism, framing her past involvement as a chapter that taught her important lessons about humility, reflection and the dangers of adopting rigid beliefs without room for nuance.

Her public reconsideration of her earlier stance has sparked a lively conversation across social platforms, with fans and commentators debating the merits and perils of online movements that center identity and self-image. Some applaud her for speaking truthfully about her experiences and encouraging a more inclusive and flexible understanding of self-love, while others worry that her narrative could dissuade people from engaging in supportive communities that have helped many feel accepted for who they are.

Ultimately, Lascano’s story is a reflection of how influential digital movements can shape individual beliefs and behaviors, for better and worse, and how the journey toward understanding one’s body and identity is deeply personal and often evolving. Whether seen as a cautionary tale or an inspiring pivot, her candid reckoning with the body positivity movement speaks to the broader cultural moment in which people increasingly wrestle with questions of health, acceptance and the role of social media in defining both.