Miss Universe Canada Siera Bearchell Slams Body Shamers: ‘My Body Is Not Naturally Lean And That’s Okay’

Miss Universe Canada contestant Siera Bearchell is fighting back against body shamers.

In a post shared to her Instagram account, the 23-year-old beauty pageant queen, who will be competing as Miss Canada in the Miss Universe pageant on Sunday, responded to critics blasting her for allegedly gaining weight.

“It takes discipline to be true to ourselves in a world that is constantly trying to shape us into something we are not,” Bearchell wrote. “People have asked me if I changed my body to prove a point. No. Our lives are fluid, dynamic and ever-changing. So are our bodies.”

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"It takes discipline to have the body of a Miss Universe." It also takes discipline to be accepted into Law School. It takes discipline to run a marathon. It takes discipline to be true to ourselves in a world that is constantly trying to shape us into something we are not. People have asked me if I changed my body to prove a point. No. Our lives are fluid, dynamic and ever-changing. So are our bodies. To be truthful, I restricted my food intake intensely at previous pageants and was miserable, self-conscious and I never felt good enough. No matter how little I ate and how much weight I lost, I constantly compared myself to others and felt like I could still lose more. My mental perception did not match the physical body I saw in the mirror. There were days I would eat a protein bar, workout for hours and struggle to fall asleep because I as so hungry. My body is not naturally lean and that's okay. I am healthy. I am fit. I am confident. I am me. This is who I am right now and I'm okay with it, so you should be too. My fellow ladies, remember that true beauty, and validation start from within. 💛 #confidentlybeautiful #missuniverse

A post shared by Siera Bearchell (@sierabearchell) on Jan 21, 2017 at 6:03am PST

“To be truthful, I restricted my food intake intensely at previous pageants and was miserable, self-conscious and I never felt good enough,” the Saskatchewan-native admitted. “There were days I would eat a protein bar, workout for hours and struggle to fall asleep because I as so hungry.”

Bearchell, who shared a number of body-positive messages to her social media last week, went on to conclude: “My body is not naturally lean and that’s okay. I am healthy. I am fit. I am confident. I am me. This is who I am right now and I’m okay with it, so you should be too.”