She Ran a Marathon in Her Underwear and Was 'Appalled' by Her Cellulite. Then She Realized Something
She Ran a Marathon in Her Underwear and Was 'Appalled' by Her Cellulite. Then She Realized Something
Cara Lynn ShultzTue, May 5, 2026 at 7:32 PM UTC
0
Bryony Gordon ran the London Marathon in her underwearCredit: Bryony Gordon/Instagram (2) -
English journalist and author Bryony Gordon ran the London Marathon in her underwear to celebrate body positivity and real body capabilities
After seeing photos of her cellulite, she initially felt shame but reframed it as proof of her strength
Gordon encourages others to embrace their bodies and reject societal pressures to look "perfect"
Bryony Gordon wanted to make a statement.The English journalist and author ran the London Marathon in her underwear to celebrate body positivity — but was later "appalled" to see the cellulite on her thighs.
"I nearly didn't post this because it made me feel such, just such visceral shame," Gordon said in a May 3 Instagram video after she was photographed during the race, which she ran in her underwear "to show you just how brilliant your body is and that it doesn't have to look perfect to do incredible things."
But, as the 45-year-old shared, "I'm not immune to this self-loathing that is endemic in our society as women." After she was tagged in a photo, Gordon said, "I was appalled. I thought, 'Oh my God, is this, is this what everyone has been looking at the whole time I was out there running 26.2 miles? Look at that cellulite!' "
"It looks like the ripples in sand or waves in the ocean," Gordon said. But, as she shared, "I had a moment and I spoke to myself. And I thought, 'No, what I'm looking at here is the thigh of a woman who ran 26.2 miles. The incredible, incredible legs of a woman who can do really hard things.' "
Advertisement
— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The marathon was Gordon's fourth, and as she said in her video, "I wanted to remind you that this is why I do what I do, to show you what real bodies look like, to show you what real bodies are capable of, but to remind you that it's okay to have legs like this, it's okay to look like this."
"We live in a society that wants to make us feel bad, then we might buy the supplement subscription, we will buy the diet plan, the PT thing, the cream that's gonna get rid of this cellulite," she said, adding, "You don't need to do any of those things. You are incredible, just as you are with cellulite, whatever size you are, you're amazing. You are incredible. I'm incredible, we're all incredible, and can we just for a moment take a minute. And remember what glorious, wonderful creatures we are. Big love to you today and you said delight. It's incredible."
Gordon emphasized her point in her caption, writing, "Please share this far and wide, so we remember what our incredible bodies are supposed to look like! Remember: Your body is amazing, and so are you 🫶"
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
