Ísold Halldórudóttir

Ísold Halldórudóttir is 23 old woman hailing from Reykjavík, Iceland. Ísold is reclaiming her body back, and by doing so objecting to an inherently fatphobic world. She talks about how when she might feel discouraged by a strangers comments online, she’d actually “genuinely just want to talk to that person and figure out why they hate my body so much, or someone else's”. She is a true representation of the new generation, a vegan pansexual fighting for acceptance whether it is about peoples bodies, gender, sexual orientation as well as human and animal rights. She started campaigning as a body activist after Instagram deleted her page without any explanation, her only assumption being that she shared photos of her body and wasn’t shy to do so. She has been featured in magazines such as Dazed as well as Love Magazine, both huge international fashion magazines which most people can only dream of being featured in. Ísold did exactly that, she dreamt, fought and worked hard, and not slowly, but quickly and surely, she reached some of her highest dreams and started shifting the meaning of beauty, one shoot at a time.

While brands such as Universal Standard, whom Ísold has modeled for, and Skims show models in all sizes while you shop online, meaning you can literally click and see what your size will look like on a model in, (you guessed it right), your size! More over brands like ASOS and Aerie have stopped retouching their photos all together. While this is all a very welcome change to the industry and our society, it simply isn’t enough. Ísold says “ We’re getting there. I feel like by speaking up, and having conversations, even when you don’t agree with someone, that’s change”. She is speaking up. Change is happening, and Ísold’s part of it.

Tell us firstly, what is it that you and others stand for as body activists?

Ideally I’d like to say that in general, as an activist my main intentions are always to raise awareness towards the things that are being held unsaid or hidden. Obviously when you talk about other people’s body image or your own, it automatically becomes very personal. So from that perspective I think it’s important to have an open mind towards every opinion regardless if you agree or disagree. 

For me specifically I think being an activist is about opening up a conversation. 

Do you feel like the term ‘body positivity’ has been taken out of context? Do you feel even though people say they stand for it there is still a lot of fat-phobia within our society?

Oh absolutely. I don’t think people understand what it truly means to be body positive. While I’m a big advocate for self love and acceptance, I don’t think someone who’s never experienced being fat can fully understand what it’s really like.

What do you think about the idea that ‘plus size’ models are in fact ‘normal’ size people, presented as ‘plus size’? Is there still a lack of presentation of the fat body in the fashion industry and media?

Personally I don’t like to use the term ‘plus size’ as I find it degrading. I don’t really understand why we need to label everything or put everyone in a box. If anything I think it only demoralises our worth. The lack of representation is always going to be there until we see bodies of all kind being advertised everywhere, to the point where we don’t have to use any hashtags or labels. 

You created the hashtag #fatgirloncam, tell us what you wanted to achieve with it, and has it done that for you so far?

When my Instagram account got deleted I felt like I didn’t have control over my body. It’s like someone took away my rights and said  I couldn’t be at peace with how I looked. At first I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but I knew I had to make another account and that’s when the hashtag came to mind. In all honesty, it was the best thing that could have happened because now I’ve been able to build a community of honesty and that’s what #fatgirloncam represents. I wanted to make a stand and say fuck you to the man upstairs, and do it anyway regardless of anyone’s opinion of me. 

You’ve recently started getting a lot of momentum on both instagram and within the fashion industry, does it feel good to know your voice is being heard?

There’s no greater feeling seeing people accept you the way you accept yourself. Looking back to when I was younger I could’ve never imagined my life being the way it is today. The amount of support I receive is incredible. It’s a dream come true. 

Being a body activist, do you feel like there is genuine change happening within the fashion industry? 

People are loud. I’ve never experienced this kind of change where you see people of all gender and pronouns, sexual orientations and size be so fucking loud! It’s like we’re waking up from all the bullshit. That’s genuine. 

Do you feel like there’s change happening within society?

We’re getting there. I feel like by speaking up, and having conversations, even when you don’t agree with someone, that’s change.

What celebrity, model or activist do you think is truly doing a good job portraying the fat body today and fighting for acceptance of it?

There are so many. A lot of them I’ve met through instagram which again would probably never have happened if my account hadn’t been deleted. I’ve met so many incredibly talented and passionate people in 2019, all of whom are also very loud. Challenging the media and breaking society's standards.  

Here are some of my favorites:

Lotte Van Eijk ( @lovaeijj )
La’shaunae ( @ luhshawnay )
Águsta Ýr ( @iceicebabyspice )
Enam Asiama ( @enamasiama )
Lauren Crow ( @4locrow ) 
Ady Del Valle ( @_adydelvalle )

We’ve spoken about reclaiming our bodies, and how the only thing which is solely ours in this world (ie our bodies) but still their appearance is judged and controlled by other people. How do you want to change this, and how do you believe we can change this as a community of people?

At some point our habits become comfortable and sometimes they can lead to our own destruction. When we look at a person we immediately start to judge them, comparing ourselves to them. This is something that we’re all guilty of, the power lies in acknowledging our own involvement and breaking down these habits that the media brainwashed us to believe. Every time I start to doubt myself, or questioning my worth based on my appearance, I ask myself why? No really, why do I think my cellulite is bad? Why is my stomach so unattractive? Is it really my opinion or someone else’s? 

Why do you think being called fat has become such a loaded and insulting term as it is today?

We get so obsessed trying to look our best. Buying clothes that flatter our figure, shapewear that will hide our rolls, even though it’s already obvious to the world that we have them, so why do we do it?
To me it’s simple; the media doesn’t want you to feel good. They want you to buy their product and for you to do that you need to be vulnerable to breaking bad habits like having an extra slice of that cake. I say eat it, eat the entire thing and then buy another.

What kind of effect do you think social media has on today's teens, and has had on you?

I think with social media being such a big part of everyone's lives, it can become very addictive. Not to mention it’s extremely easy to get access to the idea of a perfect life, when people generally only post a fraction of their day to day lives. It becomes a fantasy, which is why I try to keep things very open with my audience to let people know that it’s okay to have a bad day, there’s no shame in being human.

Do you ever feel demoralized by negative comments you see on the internet towards either yourself or other body activists and fat people?

I usually try not to pay attention to any of that stuff, it’s definitely hard though because most of the time I genuinely just want to talk to that person and figure out why they hate my body so much, or somebody else's.
I guess you just have to pick and choose your battles and go on from there. 

What was your personal high point of 2019, and what will be your main personal goal in life or your career, in 2020?

I think becoming a paid model was a really big achievement. After that it was no longer a hobby but a career. Being featured in Dazed Magazine, working with such talented people who I’ve admired for so long. 2019 was nothing but a dream come true, it defined me. As for 2020 and the future, I’m staying optimistic. I’d love to move to London or New York and pursue modeling full time, I think that's probably one of my biggest goals

What advice would you give to people struggling with body image and low self esteem?

You’ve got to learn to be your own person. Everyone is always trying to tell us what to do, what to eat, what to wear, it becomes exhausting listening to them. Figure out where your insecurities come from and acknowledge that they’re there, only then can you really move past them. At the end of the day, it’s not about what you look like but how you feel. I know that sounds like such a bullshit answer but it’s true.

Surround yourself with what makes you happy, and then keep going!

Words by Lilja Hrönn.
Photography by Anna Maggý.