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Earlier this year, after taking a cheeky snap beside the pool, Australian singer Amy Sheppard – of the band Sheppard – was ready to post a photo to her Instagram. After mulling it over for some time, “I thought I’d Facetune it because I had cellulite all down the back of my leg,” she tells WHO of her insecure moment – a moment that would go on to inspire a legion of fans.
“I spent 10 minutes trying to airbrush the cellulite. And I had a light-bulb moment. I thought, ‘What the hell am I doing? Who have I become? And who do I think I am that I can’t have cellulite? Why is it something
to be ashamed of?’ And I had all these questions.”
So, she jumped out of the airbrushing app and shared the picture with her 60,000-plus followers.
“I’m not a Barbie, so I posted it and it quickly became my most-liked photo,” she says, adding that the reaction has been incredible. “I’m overwhelmed at the positivity coming in and everyone using the hashtag [#kissmyfatass]. I’m so happy it’s come across the way that I wanted.”
A response the 28-year-old didn’t expect was the emotional expression from male followers as well. “I’ve had a couple of guys speak out and say, ‘It’s not only the girls.’ Increasingly, men are targeted by beauty brands and celebrities are being shamed for having ‘dad bods’; I think it’s nice to see talk about it because men aren’t as open with sharing their experience with body image.”
Admittedly, Sheppard reveals she’s struggled with her appearance and felt she was overweight “since 7 or 8 years old”. And it seems one simple action on social media went on to not only encourage followers to embrace their insecurities but also helped her face her own lifelong challenge – by channelling her energy into writing a new song with
her bandmates, ‘Kiss My Fat Ass’.
“I actually wrote the song with George [Sheppard] and Jay [Bovino] – we write all our tracks together. We had a writing session coming up, two weeks in the studio, and we were trying to think of something we could write about. And I thought, ‘Well what’s wrong with “kiss my fat ass”?’ [Laughs] So we all did it. It was just such a fun song to write – obviously for me the lyrics came really easily, and it was great to see the boys give ideas as well.”
The band has also released a video featuring a diverse range of women including Tiffiny Hall, mum of one and the founder of health and fitness program TIFFXO (tiffxo.com). “Tiffiny is someone that I’ve admired for a long time, especially after she had her son Arnie and she started posting her journey back to health and fitness,” says the star. Also featured is Paralympian Monique Murphy, who was chosen “because she’s an amazing swimmer, she just represents what people can do despite what they look like.”
All in all, the one message Sheppard would like to leave her fans with is this: “It’s fine to have a bit of jiggle or stretch marks – it doesn’t mean you can’t be successful or beautiful. What’s important is the positivity you have and the kindness you give to others.”
For more on Amy Sheppard, pick-up a copy of WHO on-sale now!
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