"God didn’t make you the way you are to punish you or because He was lazy that day. He made you beautiful and unique."
Michaelyn Robinson is a living testament to that mantra. Her story takes us on a journey from low confidence to unshakable self-love—where beauty is not just skin-deep, but something you embrace fully, flaws and all.
At 26, Michaelyn has traveled the emotional rollercoaster that many women know all too well. Growing up mixed—her father is Black and white, and her mother is white—she navigated body image like a pro-athlete but struggled with acne. Her athleticism gave her a solid sense of body confidence, but like many of us, she had her Achilles heel. For Michaelyn, it wasn’t her body but her skin. Acne wasn’t just a skin issue; it was a confidence killer, and it’s a struggle that persisted even into adulthood.
But, oh, the body woes came later. When Michaelyn turned 21, a birth control implant derailed the stable relationship she had with her body. Nexplanon, a tiny device with big consequences, caused her to gain over 40 pounds in less than a year. "My body was no longer my body," Michaelyn recalls, frustrated by the rapid changes. She went from a size 2 to a size 12. Stretch marks, a sense of lost identity, and frustration with clothes that no longer fit all started to take their toll.
What did she hate most about her new body? “My thighs, arms, and the stretch marks on my hips,” Michaelyn reveals. “I didn’t want to go shopping because nothing fit the same. I hated wearing tank tops because I felt like I had linebacker shoulders.” Let’s be honest: we’ve all been there, staring into the mirror, wishing for the body we once had.
So, how did she flip the narrative? It wasn’t a quick fix or a flash of inspiration. It was slow and deliberate—spiritual, even. Michaelyn used her faith to rewrite her story. One year, during Lent, instead of giving up snacks or cussing, she gave up something bigger—self-hate. Every day, she stood in front of the mirror and told herself she was beautiful. Over and over again until she started to believe it. No more calling herself ugly or putting herself down. Talk about spiritual detox!
The breakthrough in loving her body came when her cousin Gabrielle gave her a much-needed fashion intervention. “Why are you hiding your body?” Gabrielle asked. Michaelyn had been wearing oversized clothes, thinking it would mask her weight gain. Instead, her cousin encouraged her to embrace her curves and dress to flatter them. And with that advice, Michaelyn started buying clothes that showed off her hips and waist—sexier, more fitted pieces that highlighted her best assets. Confidence in a size 12? You bet.
These days, she’s in love with her body—especially her butt. “It’s one of the best features on a woman,” she says with a laugh. “I love the way it looks in jeans or a dress. I mean, who doesn’t want something to grab onto?”
When asked about shooting with SMV’s photographer Karlo Gomez, makeup-free, she didn’t even flinch. She’d stopped wearing makeup two years ago, except for special occasions.
“It was freeing to show off my cute little freckles,”
she says, radiating confidence. “Plus, Karlo helped me feel so comfortable—he captured angles I wasn’t used to.”
So, how does she stay healthy? Michaelyn walks almost every day and works out twice a week, but her focus is mainly on balance. She’s a Southern girl at heart, and fried food is her kryptonite. “I just double up on the veggies,” she jokes. Portion control is her secret weapon.
When it comes to body image advice, Michaelyn keeps it real.
“If you can’t love yourself, how do you expect someone else to love you?”
She’s been both skinny and thick, and she’s heard it all—from "you need to eat more" to "you need to cut back." Her advice? "The only opinion that matters is MINE."
In a world filled with edited images and impossible standards, Michaelyn’s parting wisdom is simple but profound:
“God made you beautiful and unique.”
And as she stands in her unedited, makeup-free glory, it’s hard not to believe her.
For more of Michaelyn’s journey to self-love and body confidence, follow her on Instagram @_glenc0c0. You won’t regret it.
