Phases, Freedom & the Evolution of Body Positivity For over a decade, Gabriella Lascano built a platform rooted in self-love. In 2010, long before brand deals and viral TikToks, Lascano began posting on YouTube. She has shared that from a young age, “I always knew I was bigger.” She dreamed of being a star but believed her size would disqualify her. Online, however, she found something different: a community of plus-size women who felt empowered seeing someone who looked like them living boldly. “That just made me feel like I had a bigger purpose in what I was creating,” she said in a recent opinion video. With more than 600,000 followers across platforms, Lascano became part of a digital wave that helped redefine beauty standards. She spoke about confidence, fashion, and taking up space without apology. For many women, the body positivity movement felt like paradise — no pressure to shrink, no demand to conform. But over time, her perspective shifted. Three years ago, Lascano post...
Ask Candace Is Back - #2 There’s something powerful about questions that linger. A while back, we invited readers to write in, about love, bodies, confidence, boundaries, and the quiet thoughts that don’t always make it into group chats. The responses came. Some arrived quickly. Others trickled in over time. And a few sat with me for a while, waiting for the right moment. That moment is now. Ask Candace was always meant to be a space where honesty could breathe. Not perfection. Not performance. Just real conversations about navigating life in a body, and a world, that often has too many opinions. Since our last column, so much has shifted. Bodies are being policed again. Thinness is being repackaged as “wellness.” Dating feels heavier. Many of us are healing, unlearning, starting over, and redefining confidence on our own terms. So we’re bringing Ask Candace back, not because I have all the answers, but because sometimes what we need most is to be reminded that we’re not alone, not bro...