Episode 118: Part 2 of The Curvy Surfer Girl Journey With Elizabeth Sneed
In this episode we sit down with....Elizabeth Sneed.
Elizabeth is the visionary and pioneer of the Curvy Surfer Girl movement. A self-described women's advocate, social change leader, entrepreneur, surfer, model, and environmentalist. Her goal is to continue building a community of women worldwide to share the stoke of surfing while encouraging women to pursue their dreams by diving deeper into their individual power through self-love and confidence.
In this conversation we talk about:
The birth of Curvy Surfer Girl- how Elizabeth got her idea and launched the movement.
Behind the scenes of an Influencer- finances, followers, setting expectations, vulnerability, and more
Some of the toughest decisions that Elizabeth has made since starting her business
How her personal relationships have changed with success and online exposure
Elizabeth's body image struggles since starting Curvy Surfer Girl and how she's overcome them
Advice for facing fear and feeling comfortable in your skin going into Summer
Connect with our guest...
Resources we mention in this episode…
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TRANSCRIPTION Episode 118: Part 2 of The Curvy Surfer Girl Journey With Elizabeth Sneed
Katelyn:
All right, Elizabeth Sneed, round two, let's just jump right into this conversation because there's so much to talk about, especially after learning so much about yourself in part one of your stories. So I really want to hear about the birth of curvy surfer girl, for everybody who's just joining this conversation, highly recommend that you go and listen to part one of Elizabeth's incredible journey and her story. And where we left off, you had just gotten back from swimming with the whales had this amazing manifestation experience for the few years leading up to that, and just getting to Hawaii, all of your body image story that really came to life throughout those years, and then getting back from the whale experience, getting this job with the person that you had mentioned before. And what comes next, because you hinted in the first part that that's when the idea for curvy surfer girl got planted on your mind. So after you got back from the whale experience, what, what came next for you?
Elizabeth:
So Well, first of all, I just want to express my gratitude to you and your audience for staying with us this long, so thank you going into, you know, so right after I got back from the Wales, it was right around November, I got hired to work at the capitol in January. And then the pandemic hits. And I lost my job in April of 2020. And this was now my second round of long term unemployment in Hawaii. And I was just so lost on how to recover from this a second time. So of course, I go to my place of refuge, which is the ocean. And I just cried my eyes out, like sitting in the middle of the ocean on my surfboard. And I started thinking about what is it that I really want out of my life, like if money or or there were no obstacles in my way, like money was no object, what would I be doing with my life, and I was like, I would just be spinning it in the ocean as much as humanly possible, like as much as my body would allow it. And so I looked down at the ocean, and I started like talking and praying to the water. And I was like, please make me a vessel of something greater than myself in service to the ocean, so that I may be in the water as often as humanly possible and use whatever joy and talent I have in service to this to a higher purpose. I don't know what it is, I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing. But clearly, it wasn't what I was doing. So I asked the ocean to guide me towards this higher purpose of my life because I felt the most connected in that space in the entirety of the world. And when I got out of the ocean after saying that prayer, I opened up Instagram. And I saw one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen. I saw Kanoa Greene, holding a surfboard, and she's a plus size woman from Florida. And I had never in my entire life seen a plus size woman associated with surfing ever. And in that very moment, it was almost like some kind of divine force or the cosmos, God, whatever you want to call it, downloaded into my mind, the entire vision of the curvy surfer girl movement. I mean, it hit me almost instantly like divine inspiration. And on the screen of my consciousness, flashed the entire concept of women's body positivity in surfing. And it was like I was the one that was asked or tapped or chosen to bring it forth into the world. And I was really scared. I didn't have any idea honestly, like how I was really going to pull something like that off and I was very insecure if I was the right person to be leading this movement and this concept because I was very insecure about the level of surfer I was which still to this day could be considered in the beginner intermediate category of surfing. So I went home and I you know, really like, for weeks all I did was search for plus sized curvy, thick fat Surfers on Instagram like every combination of handles and wording that I could think that would be associated with a body positive movement for women surfing. And there was nothing. I mean, literally, like I searched and scoured the entire internet for weeks. And with the exception of quinoa, green, and one other woman in, I think it was like Latin America, I couldn't find anything. I mean, there were like two or three photos of this evening concept on the entirety of the internet. And so I decided that, you know, since it didn't exist, and I was kind of gifted with the concept of this idea that I would begin strategizing how to bring it forth into the world. And I called one of the best surfer photographers on the Hawaiian Islands. And I explained my idea, and I said, I don't care how much money it takes, I will find the money, I'll take out a loan, I'll do whatever I need to do. And I paid him. And we went out. And he got the very first images ever of me surfing on a surfboard. And they were magnificent. And then I went out and I hired another photographer that I regularly work with. And we got all of the lifestyle images, and I had accumulated about 30 to 45 days worth of content. And then I started deeply thinking about my captions and how I wanted to present the concept to the world. And within the first month, I had over 1000 followers. And within six months, there were 10,000 members of our community. And then in another six months, there were you know, it just kept exponentially growing. And now we're approaching that 100,000, you know, follower community mark, which is always a really big milestone for any content creator. So it's just been a whirlwind journey. And it's been nonstop every single day, I post something on curvy surfer girl. So you can see based on how many posts I've done, how many days it's been since I started the movement, I believe it's almost 700 days, we've been going strong.
Katelyn:
Wow. That's incredible, Elizabeth. And I'm really curious about some of the, like, the behind the scenes, bootstrap kind of nitty gritty details of your business, because I think a lot of people might be curious about this, having this inspiration, and then actually making a business out of it. Because there's no doubt about it. This is your purpose. This is your calling. And this also came at a time where you just mentioned you lost your job. And so needing that, needing that financial support needing that next step in your career, this seemed like it was also aligned with that as well, too. So when you were putting this together, from a strategic standpoint, what, where were you feeling like you would monetize in the beginning? And has that shifted at all?
Elizabeth:
Well, people don't realize this, but I made almost no money through Curvy Surfer Girl up until, I mean, just recently, like, within, like the last three months, this was something that I did, I had to spend thousands and thousands of dollars to start curvy surfer girl, and to present the idea, the way it's been presented on social media, I had to hire incredible photographers, because the thing is, when you're a plus size woman trying to break into an industry that really did not want you to be there to begin with, I had to break a lot of boundaries, I had to ask people to, you know, to take photos and and do things that traditionally were not being done in this space? And ask people to even examine their own, you know, feelings on these kinds of topics, because, I mean, it was something that just didn't really exist, but there's always been surf and water photographers. And there's, you know, there's always been curvy women in the water. I'm not the first, you know, plus sized curvy woman in the ocean. It's just that there was never anyone that wanted to turn the lens on these individuals for, you know, reasons that align with patriarchal values and standard beauty expectations of the Western world.
Katelyn:
Yeah, how did you get past some of those boundaries and barriers that you just mentioned? Like what were some of the biggest challenges that stand out in your mind from the beginning?
Elizabeth:
Well, I mean, I had to have someone that was even willing to consider doing it, which honestly, that was the hardest part. I mean, a lot of surf photographers and videographers are very established and most of them are contracted with all of the primary corporate surf entities. And so I was pretty much a lone wolf, I was kind of going, there was a David and Goliath situation, because I was actively calling out the surf industry for these prejudiced practices against women. And it was hard and don't get me wrong, like I've paid a price through friendships through social standing in the community, to take the stance that I took, and really stand behind it. But in the end, you know, when we look back 20, 30, 40, 50 years from now, this will affect generations of women and young girls that maybe previously thought that surfing and watersports were not accessible to them because of their body types. And so I decided that I would take whatever he whatever challenges conflict struggles that came with this territory, because once again, I felt like, you know, this was something that was gifted to me to do and I have the, the personality and the dynamic to withstand, you know, the windfalls that that came as a result of being someone who was standing up against a traditional industry, right?
Katelyn:
Absolutely. And I feel like there's, anytime you start a business, there's always bumps and challenges and things that just kind of come out of left field that are so shitty, you know, for sure.
Elizabeth:
I’m not first person to like stand up for social justice cause and have, you know, any form of backlash, I mean, today, the truth, I feel like I've been of all of you, if you look at the whole perspective of what I've done, I feel like I've, I've got a lot of support compared to maybe what how it could have turned out. I mean, there was all I knew there, were always going to be challenges. But you know, I feel very blessed and supported by the community as a whole. And I mean, going back to making this into a quote, unquote, business,I drove Uber for eight to 12 hours a day, while I was a full time content creator, so that I could pay my bills and make ends meet. And I mean, I was eating like once a day, because I didn't have enough money to do everything I needed to do and continue doing curvy surfer girl, but I wasn't going to give it up. And I struggled and scratched my way through that entire process until literally just this year, I've, you know, finally been able to align with some really incredible brands, because one of my things is I was not going to sacrifice the integrity and the values that I instilled into this movement to work with an organization that did not completely 100% share those, because I had been approached to be sponsored by other, you know, companies and corporations. And I just felt the the intention of what I was doing and what their vision was, was not aligned. And I had to say no, and these are some really large contracts and really, like, they would have changed my life as I know it today. But once again, it comes you know, what I've done required? Sack it requires sacrifice. I mean, I had to ask myself, you know, do you want to go and be aligned with this brand that doesn't 100% Agree or or align with everything that you've built in you represent? And I had to say no. And so that obviously extended my quote unquote, suffering, right, because I had to keep driving Uber and keep doing, you know, like small jobs to make ends meet. But now you look at where I'm at today. And I just recently became sponsored by Jolyn. And Jolyn is one of the most incredible companies I could have ever asked to have a partnership with the enthusiasm of every single individual in that organization is in outer space. I mean, they are so thrilled to be working with with me with the curvy surfer girl movement, bringing, you know, literally every vision I have for women's surfing to life, to fund that and to invest in it and to bring a community together around the concept of inclusion and diversity and body positivity within this space where it has not traditionally existed.
Katelyn:
That's incredible. Congratulations that's so significant in your career. And honestly just for this movement in general. It really speaks volumes. And it's, it's really exciting to hear for you. I'm curious about some of those moments where you did have to turn down a big offer. And you don't have to mention any names specifically if you're not comfortable, but what were some of the values being presented on their side that were not aligned with the values on yours? Do you remember?
Elizabeth:
Well, for example, when I was being courted by some of these companies, one of the primary issues was they didn't have a line of plus size swimsuits available. And, you know, I was like, Well, would you like to partner up with me to create that and to design thoughtful pieces for women with curves and that or plus size? And they said, No, we're, you know, we're not interested in doing that we're just interested in having you as part of our team. And so I was like, well, that's not in alignment with the values that I represent. If I'm going to be part of an organization, this needs to represent the the demographic of women that are part of my community, which are women from a size extra small to a five XL. And if we can't do that, and I can't even wear the swimsuits that, you know, I would be required to wear to be part of the organization, then I don't see this is a fifth. So there were just like, foundational things kind of like that, that I was working through. And ultimately, I just felt at that time, the companies didn't really fully understand the impact of body positivity of body diversity, and what it meant and how it's really changing and affecting women's lives. I felt like maybe it was more of a commercial opportunity to be part of the larger body positive movement and and show face for being inclusive. But yeah, not necessarily reflect those true values within the individuals that are spearheading it. Sure. So that was my experience.
Katelyn:
But how did you make these decisions? Were you? Were you working with any kind of mentor? Or have you? Do you have like a process before making the decision? Or does it just kind of come to you in the moment?
Elizabeth:
Well, these are I mean, these kinds of decisions took a massive toll on me. I mean, I'm a strategist by nature. And I was right, I was in politics before this, and re running campaigns and doing large, you know, important things, right? So like, I'm a strategist at my core. And so I mean, I'm looking at this opportunity, and there's always a lot of things to consider, right? It's like, okay, well, if a large corporation signs me to be one of their sponsored athletes, then I gained worldwide worldwide recognition through that company. And then when I gained worldwide recognition, there will be even more women that can come into this space as athletes on other, you know, corporate levels of the surf industry, and then that will trickle down to everyone else that can then see that reflected in a very large commercial setting. And so I considered that impact, like, the millions of people that would would see for the first time maybe in their lifetime, a curvy, woman surfing, because of the reach of these, you know, institutions. But then I said, you know, well, what's, what good is it do if all these millions of people see it, but then there's not something with substance to really back it up. And so there was a lot of tears, a lot of anxiety, a lot of phone calls with my mom with my best friend. And we sat down and we analyzed it every which way we could and, you know, ultimately came to the, to the decision that the companies that had approached me in the timeline that they had approached me because I, you know, I haven't talked to some of these people in in over a year now. So I'm sure their values in understanding of this have shifted. But at that time, I just, you know, we all felt like it wasn't the right place for, for me and for the movement to be because I've built a community. I mean, I know a lot of the women that are part of the curvy surfer girl community, we message back and forth, and they leave me comments almost daily, and a lot of people have flown out to come and see me in Hawaii and I have a very personal relationship with, you know, almost 70,000 people, and it's wild to say that but I think that you know, the the way that we've built this and cultivated it is I mean, everyone's very close. And so I just didn't want to have that feeling that I'd let down so many people that were, you know, relying on me to pave a path in a dense forest, right that you know, something that I've never really been done.
Katelyn:
It's incredibly admirable, and it shows your integrity and leadership, and just your integral leadership, I guess, and how you've built that trust with your community, it's, it's just not surprising that you've grown so quickly, because you are so aligned with your values, and forthcoming with staying true to those values. So it makes sense. And I have no doubt about it, that those were some really tough moments. me making those decisions, I can't even begin to imagine the agony over some of those things, but incredible that you are, where you are today because of it, and how you've represented your community through that as well, too.
Elizabeth:
Well, I will say I mean, I'm really personally proud that no one has been able to like, no one in this, the corporate surf universe has really been able to take credit for the curvy surfer girl movement, like, I'm happy that it's influenced the industry as a whole, because it has, I mean, we can directly see that as more and more corporations start doing body positive campaigns for women's surfing. But you know, I'm really proud that I can really say I stood on my own two feet with this community by my side, because I couldn't there's no doing this alone. I mean, it took every single person that follows the curvy surfer girl account to get where we are. But that's, it's almost like running a presidential campaign with no corporations backing you up, you know what I mean? Like, it's a real accomplishment and achievement, to be able to, like self fund a journey like this and totally bring it to life without a major investor, like most surfers have.
Katelyn:
Yeah, and I'm so glad that we're having this conversation too. And I actually want to hear more about your thoughts on social media and the direction that we're headed with it and some of the, the challenges that you've faced or aha moments that you've had. But I think personally speaking, one of the one of the biggest things that can feel so disruptive some time in sometimes in the Instagrams, Instagram space, let's just use that, for example, is just the perception of followers to the financial value that is perceived by people. And I think that this is such a incredible story for kind of a behind the scenes look of what that is, sometimes just because somebody has a massive follower count, doesn't necessarily mean that they are, you know, financially successful because of that as well, too, and vice versa. And I think that it's so incredible, that you have been so intentional, with your community first, and your passion and your mission and your purpose for all of this, and your dedication to continuing to grow and build this community through yours own self funding as well to look where it's gotten you financially. But what are your thoughts on that just, I guess some of the comparison that people have or just ideas that we have, as a culture around follower count to, you know, financial abundance, or lack thereof, or whatnot, what of what have you realized about that in your journey?
Elizabeth:
Well, so a lot of people assign personal value to follower counts. And the way I've always seen this, like, since the very beginning is, if this popped off on any level, it was not really a reflection of my personal value. This is an opportunity. Like, I really believe especially coming from a political space, like this is where my education was, this is where I spent 10 years of my life. I feel like every individual has way more power than they're even giving themselves credit for. And I mean, literally, every single person has a significant amount of influence in the world. They maybe just don't know how to tap into it yet. And that was my case, right? I mean, I was a oblivious on social media before I did curvy surfer girl, I had, like 500 followers, and I would get, you know, like 25 likes on a photo and I was psyched about it. Um, so when you go into the influencer space, it's very easy for people to, you know, maybe even perpetuate the idea that like, Oh, you're more successful, and you're more popular, and you're more everything, because you have all of these followers. The way I've always viewed this is, this is a community, each one of those followers that reflect a number is a person with an individual life and a set of values and, you know, is going out there and living in the world. And they're coming on the curvy surfer girl page and sharing that lived experience with me, like, these are people this is 70,000 People with names and lives and mothers and fathers. And this is resonating with them. And so my philosophy on it is, for every, you know, person that's on this account that has grown to 70,000, for example, that is a leverage of the idea that this needs to change. This is a group collectively using their voice behind me as the primary leader of the movement, saying we agree with her, we are lending our support to her by by following her and by commenting and engaging with this, because this is an important idea that we want the world to shift and care about. So for me, it's it's really about leveraging the power that every individual has given me to go out on the world stage and make a difference for women surfing, it's not about a person, it's not a popularity contest. It's not about how much money you can make. Because to tell you the truth, the amount of money you make as a social media influencer is completely dependent on you. There is no guideline to getting paid as a social media influencer, if you got on today. And you decided you were going to be charging $5,000 a post, as long as someone is convinced that that's your worth, and that's your value, you will get $5,000 a post, you'll get $10,000 of posts, or you can get $0 per post, there are very successful influencers out there that still do things for free. And there are people every day willing to go and take pictures for companies and brands for absolutely free. And one of the big things about being an influencer that a lot of the world may not understand because this is obviously not their career path is that influencers are extremely hard working individuals, right. I mean, we have to be models, strategists, set producers, storytellers, the list is endless of the things that we have to do on the back end, to create one post. I mean, we're talking hours, sometimes days or weeks of planning, depending on what it is. And I think that brands, I mean, especially like small businesses, all the way up to corporations think that it's acceptable to ask influencers to give their time and their talent for free. Now, if I walked up to you, and you were working at the Apple Store, and Apple just said, Hey, we want you to just come in and sell iPhones for us for free for two hours, nobody would do that. Nobody would go waitress or bartender at a restaurant for two hours for free. Nobody, you know, is working for free. But influencers and content creators, they're very much this expectation that you should be giving yourself to us just because, you know, I'm doing something that's positive as well. I get a lot of companies, especially smaller businesses, and I know that they don't know any better, but they send me swimsuits and they're like, hey, you know, like, I give all of my proceeds to environmental causes. And I'm a small business and I don't have a budget, I don't have money. It's like, okay, well, I'm sorry, but I have invested probably $20,000 of my own money driving Uber, skipping meals, trying to survive to get where I'm at right now to develop something that is a value to people to the world to society. And I can no longer do anything for free because I already paid the price of entry and it took me You know, almost two years to pay that price to get to where I'm at right now. So, you know, a lot of people have to understand that, that to that, you know, nobody should, should have to be asked to work for free. And just because you know, you're an internet entrepreneur doesn't make an exception.
Katelyn:
I think that's such a valuable lesson for life to whether you're an influencer or not like, even if you don't have any type of business online, and you're just a person in this world. It's, it's a matter of your time, and how you value your time and what you're saying yes, and what you're saying no to right. And just your worth your worth, as well, too. So I feel like that's so valuable. You sharing all of that in a way that can be applied to almost anything in life, really just respecting deciding first what your values are, what you are going to say yes and no to in your life, who you're who you'll spend your time with how you'll spend your time, all of these things. And sometimes that is a financial exchange. And sometimes it's it's really just your, like, your personal interests and your personal time and whatnot. And so that's, that's super valuable. What have you. What have you picked up on in terms of mental health on social media? has that impacted you at all? What are some practices that you have around just maintaining a, just a really healthy mind online?
Elizabeth:
Well, I mean, we all go through challenges. And you know, a lot of people don't know this, but I struggle quite a bit with depression and anxiety. And I've gone through two breakups. I've lost my grandmother in the last year. And I mean, I've gone through some pretty heavy things, right. And, you know, a lot of it is understanding. And this is a big thing, I think, for all content creators, what is too much to share, and what's just enough to share, because the lines of like your personal life are often blurred, as a content creator. I mean, like, if we all go into an office, you know, we're not necessarily sharing like, intimate details of our lives with our co workers. We're going in, we're sitting down at our desk, we're turning our reports in, we have social conversations, I mean, people will know if someone in your families maybe passed away or celebrate birthdays. But when you're in an online space, your life becomes your business. I mean, like literally, like people want to know what I do from sunup to sundown, because, you know, that may resonate with them on some level of their life. So you really have to be comfortable with sharing quite a bit of your life, if you're going to be an influencer, because it's inevitable, I mean, it's going to affect a lot of how you communicate and relate to people. So you know, learning to find the boundaries that fit with you. I mean, there's some, some influencers have decided that they're going to share absolutely no aspects of their personal life. And then others like me share more of it, because I feel like, you know, I've felt alone in a lot of experiences in my life from being diagnosed with a severe form of psoriasis to going through. You know, being a plus size woman in surf culture, and not really having a role model or anything to look up to, in that regard. I felt alone, you know, through breakups, and all kinds of things. And these are things that, you know, I think every human really experiences in their lives, like, these feelings of being isolated and alone, and the pandemic only exacerbated it. So I try to use my personal experiences and turn them into like life lesson or teachable moments for people. Rather than then making it as like, a play to gain sympathy. I try to really think deeply because I'm like, okay, in six months, if I look back, how am I going to turn this challenge into a lesson that can live on past that post, you know, if someone else is going through my page, and they're struggling with a breakup with depression, with the loss of a family member, and, you know, or body image issues, or, you know, whatever it may be that we're going through in life, I really tried to take those aspects of my personal life and, and make them into teachable moments that will live on through the legacy of the platform because it makes people feel seen and heard and understood, even in their own life. If we've never met each other.
Katelyn:
Yeah, I really get that. How has this impacted any of your personal relationships? Just Deciding to be this vulnerable online and also so consistently as well to your, just like you said, you're showing up, you know, not all day, but a good majority of your day, every day sharing the ins and outs of your life. So what have you noticed in terms of your personal relationships outside of your, your community?
Elizabeth:
I mean, it's been hard because I've made relationships as right Elizabeth, the curvy surfer girl. And I've, I've lost friends, which were extremely deep losses to me because of, you know, the, the movement and, and having to be who I am within that and having to stand strong by my values. And then, you know, some people no longer aligning with what I represent. I've had, you know, I've become friends with people who are only friends with me because of the element of celebrity that I now have. And you know, that's been hard on me. So I've kind of had to retract and just keep a very small close circle of people who primarily knew me before I was curvy surfer girl. Because those are the people that have history with me, and I don't really have to explain who I am what I represent the challenges of, of getting to where I've been right now, because I think a lot of people may be assumed that I was making a lot of money on curvy surfer girl, even up up till, you know, recently, which was not the case, I've even been accused of like having the surf industry buy me out and stuff. And I'm like, I've never received $1 from the surf industry. And so you know, it's just a perception thing. And I'm, I'm happy that people perceive me as successful. I mean, that's a beautiful thing. But you know, a lot of people don't understand the back end of all of this. And so having a very close group of people that do know me and understand the challenges of getting to where we are today, and all of the crying and the anxiety and the depression and everything that led up to this moment, right. Even the victories and all the joy, right. There are very few people who understand the whole picture of it. Yeah, well, but another aspect too, is the community aspect, right, like going out into, you know, Waikiki, and a lot of people know who I am now. And I, I get criticized or judged more harshly than someone else, I mean, because I have, like, when I serve, now, I, I pretty much have to have a camera on me. Because if I don't have a camera, then that's a potential missed opportunity to create content for the account. And people can perceive that in a variety of ways, they can perceive that as pretentious or stuck up or, you know, like, disruptive even in the lineup, because there's cameras and drones and people filming me while people are trying to enjoy their surfing session. And I tried to be exceptionally thoughtful, and go do these things at like the break of dawn, when there's the least amount of people out there, and I try to go to breaks that are not as crowded so that less people are disrupted by any you know, and it's not, I wouldn't say it's incredibly disruptive, right. But it can be a little bit annoying if you've got a drone flying overhead, or, you know, you've got a photographer in the water. So I mean, I try to be very thoughtful, but people can still even interpret that the creative process that I have to go through as a negative experience around. And so it's just constantly managing my own expectations, as well as expectations of people around me being strategic and thoughtful. And, of course, you know, I am not a professional surfer. And I make mistakes in the lineup, whether that be you know, having to ditch my board on a big wave or, you know, paddling for a wave multiple people or paddling for, and all of that combined, right? It's something I have to continually manage because now I'm a public figure, and people have a very different perception of me than an anonymous person. Maybe that would be given more grace in the same scenarios.
Katelyn:
Well, I think you keep bringing up perception and I think that is such an important concept in life. We have the ability to make things mean whatever we want. However, we want to perceive them. We get to choose that and we get to have different perceptions of things. And we get to choose how we receive other people's perceptions. And so it sounds like you have created. First of all, it sounds like you've created a super clear why around your purpose that really routes you in the non negotiable effort to keep moving forward, regardless of what type of feedback you get. And also really clear boundaries and decisions around how you're taking care of yourself. You know, especially around relationships and whatnot, so that it's no doubt about it, you know, the more successful you are in the public eye, there is a level of thick skin that you have to build up. But I really don't think it's necessarily the thick skin, I think it's the practices that you set for yourself and the things that you decide for support for yourself that really create that, quote, unquote, thick skin. How has this changed your relationship with your body? Since starting curvy surfer girl and your body image journey up to this point? You know, you mentioned that in your first part of this conversation, but being in the public eye, and representing a very specific size body in the public eye? How has that changed your body image?
Elizabeth:
Well, this might actually surprise a lot of people, because I've never actually said this, but I got insecure about not being big enough. Because one of the big criticisms I've received since I've become, you know, like this public individual is, well you're not, you're not as plus size as you should be to represent this demographic. And, you know, I always tell people, I'm like, I tried to bring as many people into this movement as possible, because this is about body positivity. And body positivity is inclusive of body diversity. And my, the core group of individuals I'm trying to create representation for happened to be on the curvier and plus side spectrum of the movement, because this is where there has been no representation historically, since the colonization of Hawaii. Because in Hawaiian culture, this, you know, really isn't an issue to say the truth. But, you know, since colonization happened and commercialization of surfing, we have not seen diverse bodies represented for women's surfing. And so I actually became quite insecure from all of the comments I got about, you know, oh, god forbid you lose any weight, you'll lose everything you've built, or Oh, you better not get skinny. Because if you get skinny, then you can't be curvy surfer girl anymore, and no one will follow you and your movement will die. And I you know, and then of course, you have the people saying, yeah, like maybe you should put on some more weight, because then you'd be a better representation of plus sized surfers. And so I ended up getting like really sensitive about that component of representing curvy and plus size women because, you know, I can still even fit into some traditional sizing, like I'm an extra large because I'm a size 12/14. And so I even got criticized for being able to fit into some traditional size, surf suits and surfwear. But if we really look holistically at the women that have been presented through the lens of the surf industry, these individuals and there's nothing wrong with them. This is not a reflection of these women. This is a reflection of the industry using these women to sell the concept of surfing. But these individuals are extremely lean. We're talking double 00. And there have been many, like several women in the last few years that have come forward and revealed that they had to maintain eating disorders to stay on the surf teams. Because if they weren't the same size as agency models, they would be dropped from their surfing careers in contracts. And so this is the level of fineness that was being shown to the world for the last 30 plus years. And so if you look at someone like me, even comparatively to the traditional archetypal, female surfer girl, I am significantly bigger than most Have them. And then of course, you know, we go into the plus size ranges, like the 1x, to the 5x. And those individuals, you know, have had zero representation up until the last couple years. And so what I've tried to do is block out a lot of that messaging. And because I mean, ultimately, it's negativity when it when someone is saying, You're too fat, or you're too skinny, or you're too anything, they're missing the whole point of what I'm doing. Because the concept didn't even exist, regardless of who is representing it. I mean, I'm not you know what I mean, I'm not a size double zero, not a two, I'm not a four. So it's not ridiculous for me to be in this category. And I chose the word curvy, intentionally, because curvy represents me. But it also represents anyone who affiliates with that term, which can be up to a woman in a 5x category. And it can even be a woman who is a size small that has larger breasts or hips for her frame. You know, a lot of petite girls consider themselves curvy as well. And you actually are seeing this on social media with Abercrombie triathlons, a lot of petite girls are going to the curve collections. Because while they're small, they still have curves, they have wider hips as a more petite woman or larger chests. And so that was really my whole thing is trying not to let comments like that deter me from continuing the mission. And also bringing in as many body types as I can, that are legitimate surfers to demonstrate the level of diversity within women's surfing, you know, because I can't be everything to everyone. And I've known that since the beginning. And so I've leaned into the community aspect of what I'm doing. And I've asked people of all different sizes and ages and skills to join me in creating that representation.
Katelyn:
It's so maddening. I mean, this is such a patriarchal theme that, you know, we can see, in almost any body, having a conversation like this today, who is a woman and it's really just that element of not enough, never enough, you know, you're never too thin enough or too fat enough or too, you know, whatever to successful, you're, you know, more successful than you should be all of the things right. And I think that it's particularly damaging online, because people love being critics, people love telling you what's on their mind, people love having an outlet for, you know, whatever is coming up in their life and projecting that. And so it's, it's also that element of that thick skin that we were just talking about as well, too. And it makes a lot of sense, right? Because you have created a specific category. But it is interesting to hear your personal experience from a body image perspective and your sacredness to your body, first and foremost, because this is your body and you've graciously and courageously created a brand and a community around not just your body, but an inclusive space for everybody. So it really is. It's really amazing to hear how you've gone through that, and how you know how you've really taken care of yourself through that process as well to Elizabeth, before we wrap up today, because I once again, I can ask you a million more questions. But we're at the time that this conversation is being released, we're coming into summer and one of the things that I feel like you have such a really powerful perspective on is being in a being in different size bodies, or different parts of your life, in bathing suits. Because you mentioned the first chapter of your story, you have been in a smaller body before you've been on a larger body than you are right now, before you've been on the body that you are today. Like you've had a wide experience in terms of the sizes and you've always been somebody who is, you know, in the water for the most part, at least in your experience living in Hawaii. So what are some? What are some takeaways from just being in different size sizes in your body and also advice that you would offer anybody who is really struggling with being in a different size with their body, going into summer and just having that anxiety creeping up of being in a bathing suit in a body that perhaps just doesn't even feel like there's right now?
Elizabeth:
Well, one of the most important things you can do at whatever size you are. And I, it took me a long time to understand this because of social media. I was trapped in the cycle of following very traditionally beautiful women that were extremely lean or had plastic surgery. I mean the Kardashians are like the primary example, right? I mean, and I followed all the Kardashians, and then everyone that looked like them. And what started to happen, psychologically, for me is my self worth just continually deteriorated to the point where I thought, if I didn't get plastic surgery, or have like liposuction, or a tummy tuck, or a nose job, or all of these things, then I couldn't be considered beautiful, because that was the epitome of beauty. But what I later realized after I kind of was able to break out of that very destructive cycle of following those types of individuals, is that there are women that looked just like me, that were I'm telling you breathtaking. I mean, like something equally as beautiful as the Kardashians, and all of the other celebrity influencers I was following. And when I started seeing women that looked like me, on social media, I suddenly had the most magnificent shift psychologically I have ever had in my life. I was like, Oh, my God, I can be beautiful. Like, if I'm looking at someone who looks like me, and my jaw has dropped, then that means the, you know, society, maybe it's an underground, you know, role. But like, society clearly thinks this is beautiful, because they have millions or hundreds of 1000s of followers. I think they're beautiful. If I think they're beautiful, there's at least a million other people like that. And so when I started changing who I follow on my social media, my self worth and self esteem, skyrocketed. I was like, Oh, my gosh, these girls have stretch marks on their hips and their stomachs and their arms like I do. And they have a double chin like I do. I mean, they don't have a razor sharp jawline. And they have the same pouch and roll as I do on my lower stomach. And they have wider arms. And these were things that I had literally not seen before, especially like in a large group of social media influencers. And so when I changed who I was following, it changed my internal dialogue in my mind about my own self worth and my own beauty. And that shift is what I hoped to bottle and capture and share with the world through curvy surfer girl, like every single picture I post or every video I post. My intention is I want to make somebody feel amazing about themselves. I don't want somebody going home, after looking at curvy surfer girl and saying, Wow, I need to change everything I am so I can be like her. I want the message and the takeaway to be because I saw curvy surfer girl, I love myself more, and I feel more beautiful about myself. That is what my intention is with every single photo I post on my account, or every single video, because that is powerful. That is something that when you feel that shift in yourself, you that translates to the real world that translates to when you put a swimsuit on. I actually had a woman say this to me. She watched my swimsuit triathlons for the last, you know, year and a half, two years. And she was like when I put a swimsuit on now, I actually think about you in my mind, and I save myself. I love the way curvy surfer girl looks in her swimsuits. And I looked like her. So I'm beautiful today. And I mean, it almost brought tears to my eyes because that was literally the epitome of what I've been trying to do, you know, for the last two years for women. And I think it just goes to show you, you absolutely have to audit your social media, to reflect, to be reflective of who you are of your values. And then you also have to get out of this mindset of apologizing for existing. And you touched on this just a few moments ago in your monologue about never being enough. Here's the honest to God truth. You will never be enough for the majority of the population, but to your people, and to the people that love you. You are always enough. You are always beautiful. And those are the people whose opinions matter and Above all, the opinion of yourself is all that matters. If you feel beautiful in a bikini, and you think you look sexy or confident or sporty, then you keep that feeling inside your heart and in your mind, and you walk out into the world with that, because you never, ever know who's going to look over at you wearing that thing that you're scared to wear, but you feel great in it. And you're going to inspire somebody to do the same thing for themselves. It could be a young woman, it could be an older woman, it could be someone just like you, but they looked at you, and they saw you. And because you had the courage and confidence to do what felt good for you, you're inevitably having a ripple effect on anyone who lays eyes on you.
Katelyn:
I totally agree. I think that is, I mean, everything that you just said, is so inspiring and powerful. And I'm so glad that you said and I'm so grateful that you said it. And I think that one of the things as it relates to inspiration, is I just want to also echo that, and offer an asterix to that as well too, that you get to inspire. And you also just get to live your freakin life, you don't have to be an inspiration, if you don't want to, that's, you know, you, you get to put on the bathing suit, you get to go out and do the things in the world that you want to do. Just because it's your life just because hey, man, you get to do it. And the amazing part is that you probably will inspire somebody, but that doesn't have to be your entire purpose. And I know that's not what you're trying to say I just want to caveat that and kind of expand from what you're saying as well, too. Because I really do think that it is a matter of no matter what size body that you're in. You have a right to live your life unapologetically and, and take charge and make the decisions that you want to because it's your right. Period, end of story.
Elizabeth:
Absolutely. There is no nothing you have to prove to anybody you're not going out. You're not putting a swimsuit on for E News. I mean, or maybe you are like, a lot of people think that, you know, they're, they're going to be judged like they're in a beauty pageant when they go somewhere. And it's like, I mean, to put this into perspective, think about you, when you go to the beach or the pool, you're not sitting there being a beauty judge, right, you're in, you're going to the beach to enjoy your life to go swimming to go, you know, like under the palm trees and drink your pina colada. And everyone else is doing the same thing around you like nobody is out there with a tabloid saying, you know, so and so was out here at today in a bikini that they should not have been wearing. It's nobody cares, right? Like, you can go out there and live your life unapologetically. And it you know, you deserve to be able to do that. It's just like what you said, like you're not trying to prove anything, anybody you're you know, you're not living your life to be in a magazine cover, like you're going out there to enjoy your existence as a person, as an individual as a woman that you know, is putting a swimsuit on to live a little life. And I think where we can get insecure about that, because we've all experienced that those thoughts of oh my god, I don't want people to judge me or I don't want, you know, as it relates to even family or friends or whatnot for sometimes those are the people that were the most fearful of having opinions around us, right. So what I always like to offer in moments like that for myself, for this community, for any clients that I'm working with, is that it's really a matter of boundaries, and our emotional boundaries. And the truth is that if you're dealing with body image struggles, you're most likely insecure about people having judgments about you, because you're probably judging yourself and judging everybody else around you, but your own thoughts or your own thoughts, their own thoughts, or their own thoughts, and it's almost always a reflection of their insecurities is being projected on to you. So not about you more about them, and vice versa. So, yeah, I mean, there's so many complexities here. And this is why I love podcasts conversations like this, because there is so much nuance to, to just conversations like this.
So I mean,like my big takeaway from all of it, even in my own personal experience, like if I could really say one thing, all of this is rooted in fear. And at some point, you just have to have the courage, courage is being afraid and doing something anyways. You just have to have courage to go out and live your life. You have to be willing to just say, You know what, this makes me uncomfortable to maybe be in a swimsuit in public or to wear or do or be in a space that, you know, isn't necessarily totally reflective of me. But I deserve to live a life like you said, I deserve to live my life. So you just have to grab fear by the balls and say we're going to the beach. Yeah, you know, and that's it. Like, yeah, I'm afraid I might be insecure. But you know what, I'll get the confidence as I go along the way. Yeah. And you just keep doing it. And eventually, the fear fades, it really does, the fear will fade. But you have to be willing to go out there and take, you know, the chance to be seen and to be yourself and live authentically for that to happen.
Katelyn:
Love that. I so appreciate you, Elizabeth. And I just, once again, want to just express my gratitude for you being here in our community and sharing your truth and all of the incredible work that you are doing in the world and just the change that you are creating for just so many people. It's so exciting. Where can everybody find you connect with you and get into the surfy girl surfy? curvy surfer girl.
Elizabeth:
Surfy girl that could be a line.
Katelyn:
Maybe oh, maybe we're manifesting right now. Where can everybody find you and connect?
Elizabeth:
They can find me on a Tik Tok and Instagram primarily. I read I respond to most every DM I get on Instagram and try to get to all my comments. But that is the easiest way to have access to me. I'm on there every day, 12 hours a day, more or less creating content and responding to people and providing resources for the journey to start surfing or you know, to find supportive equipment, swimsuits, and even you know, tutorials for your upcoming experiences if you want to get into surfing,
Katelyn:
Amazing. Thank you so much. That's incredible. We'll link everything in the show notes to keep it super simple. But I appreciate you and I look forward to just continuing to watch your journey and seeing what you do next and cheering you on.
Elizabeth:
Thank you so much, Katelyn, and thank you for having such a wonderful conversation with me and thank you to your audience, you know for listening and for helping me continue to grow this movement so that you know we have measurable change.
Katelyn:
Absolutely.
