BODY POSITIVITY ADVOCATE | COMMUNITY BUILDER | AUTHOR | PODCAST HOST
Through her empowering messages and authentic journey of self-acceptance, she’s built a huge, vibrant online community that encourages people to embrace their unique beauty and love themselves, exactly as they are, and her posts are so refreshingly real. Ariella’s on a mission to challenge society’s beauty standards and help others find confidence and self-worth — and we love everything that she’s preaching!
Ariella’s story
For 28-year-old Ariella, growing up in Wollongong has always given her a sense of calm. “I just love it so much. I can’t imagine moving to a busier place. I like being away from the hustle and bustle,” she says.
Like many of us, Ariella’s relationship with her body hasn’t always been easy. “When I was younger, I thought I had to be a size zero to be beautiful. I did all these fad diets, constantly feeling like I wasn’t enough. I compared myself to everyone around me — and I thought that’s what beauty was.”
But over time, her perspective shifted dramatically. Today, Ariella loves her body for all it is, including the things society often tells us to hide. “I love my body, and I love all the lumps and bumps and my cellulite,” she says with pride. “We’re all beautiful because we’re so unique and individual, and that’s the message I love to share.”
Ariella has also changed her perception of her body, in that it’s not just what it physically looks like. “I see my body differently now, and my favourite thing about it is what it does for me. I can go on walks, and I can dance, and do everything that I love to do, because I’m living in a healthy body. And I think that’s my favourite thing,” she shares.
Ariella’s journey to self-love hasn’t been instant — it’s been a process of growth and discovery. “It’s definitely been a journey, and I still have my days, but I love how unique and different I am,” she says.
It’s this experience that’s driven her to become an incredible advocate for others struggling with body image.
Going viral
It all started with a push from her partner to share her story. “I started posting YouTube videos and taking photos of myself, which I’d never done before. It felt really uncomfortable at first, but I just leaned into it,” Ariella recalls. “I started sharing my journey on social media, and slowly, I began to connect with people who related to my message.”
Her big break came when she entered a competition with Beginning Boutique, an Australian brand. “I was the ‘bigger girl’ in the competition. The other girls were smaller sizes, and I remember feeling like I wasn’t good enough,” she admits. “But I just told myself, ‘You’re never going to get this chance again. Just be confident.’”
That confidence paid off in spades. Ariella’s win, followed by the brand sharing her photos on their socials, made her go viral. “It’s crazy, but as soon as I started posting, my following just grew. People saw my body, and they saw confidence in it, and they related to it because it’s real.”
Today, Ariella has a massive online following, with 817,000 followers on Instagram and 1.7 million on TikTok. But it’s not just about the numbers for her. “It’s been a crazy journey, and even though I was still struggling with self-hatred, I was showing up every day. I was being real about my body,” she says.
Ariella’s honesty and authenticity are what set her apart. “I love to post pictures of me just being myself — sitting at the beach, not sucking in, showing my cellulite. I think it’s important to show the real side of life, not just the filtered version,” she explains.
Even though she’s faced her fair share of negative comments, Ariella refuses to let it derail her. “I get a lot of hate comments about my body, telling me I need to lose weight or go to the gym,” she says. “But now, when I see those comments, I just ignore them. I focus on the positive messages from my community. They’re the ones who’ve got my back.”
And that community, The Self Love Bible, is growing every day. With 45,000 followers on Instagram and 20,000 members in her Facebook group, Ariella’s mission is clear: to help people embrace their bodies. “I want people to see that you don’t have to be perfect to be beautiful. I’m real, and I want to help others feel that same way,” she says.
Ariella’s book, The Self Love Bible, is another extension of her work. It’s an interactive journal where she shares her story, and readers can reflect on their own journey to self-love. “It’s all about building that community and empowering people to love themselves as they are,” she says.
But she’s not stopping there. “We’ve just started a podcast where we interview people about their toughest struggles and how they overcame them,” Ariella shares. “It’s been incredible hearing people open up and share their stories. It’s all about creating a space where people feel safe to be vulnerable.”
Looking ahead, Ariella’s focus is on expanding The Self Love Bible community and continuing to inspire others. “Self-love is a journey, and each day is going to be different. But I want everyone to know that they’re worthy, they’re enough, and they’re important.”
Reflecting on her own life so far, Ariella offers this advice: “I would tell my younger self that she’s worthy and enough, and that she just has to be brave and keep going. There’s always a way out, and you’re stronger than you think.”
Ariella’s story is a powerful reminder that self-love isn’t about perfection — it’s about accepting yourself exactly as you are — and we’re big fans of how she’s helping others do just that.
For more of Ariella’s empowering story, head to her Instagram page.