Miss Canada Siera Bearchell shames body-shamers

Miss Canada Siera Bearchell has no patience for body-shamers. Photo / Instagram

Miss Canada Siera Bearchell has no patience for body-shamers.

Bullies have admonished the Miss Universe contestant for gaining weight since she won the Miss Canada title last December.

"I was recently asked, 'What happened to you? Why have you gained weight? You are losing points,'" Bearchell, from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, wrote on Instagram. "This was a reference to my body, of course. While I am first to say I am not as lean as I was when I was 16, 20, or even last year, I am more confident, capable, wise, humble and passionate than ever before."

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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

Bearchell has fans praising her for her body-positive posts.

"I am secure and that's what makes me beautiful," she wrote on Instagram. "When you call me lazy, fat, and mediocre, what are you saying to the women of the world?"

The pageant competitor said that restrictive diets made her "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," she wrote. "My mental perception did not match the physical body I saw in the mirror. There were days I would eat a protein bar, work out for hours and struggle to fall asleep because I was so hungry."

Bearchell has also posted this sound advice: "My fellow ladies, remember that true beauty and validation start from within."