The apology appeased a few of her followers, with one user commenting, “Be yourself, say what you want, but don’t ever feel pressured to apologise just to appease the overly sensitive”.

The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) says that, “Negatively commenting about the size or shape of anyone’s body can be extremely damaging to them potentially leading to low self-esteem, anger, self-harm and even mental health disorders, specifically body dysmorphic disorder.”

ANAD estimates that 30 million people in the United States suffer from an eating disorder.

While Li’s apology may have satisfied some people, there are hundreds of lifestyle and fitness influencers who don’t spread messages of body dissatisfaction and shame, and inspire millions to find acceptance, positivity and confidence in their own appearance.

Victoria’s Secret featuring a plus-size model may mark a new milestone

Cassey Ho

Cassey Ho, who runs the 4.72 million-follower strong fitness channel Blogilates on YouTube, has been an advocate for body positivity throughout her 10-year career online.

Despite being a certified Pilates instructor, online trolls criticised Ho in her at-home workout videos for being “too fat” to teach or give advice on health and fitness.

Instead of staying silent, Ho released a video on YouTube in 2015, titled “The ‘Perfect’ Body”, which looked at the issue of body-shaming and cyberbullying. The video went viral, with over 13 million views to date.

In 2018, Ho did another viral post on Instagram, where she Photoshopped herself in a series of images to show how “perfect” or “ideal” body types throughout history have varied so much from decade to decade.

Ho’s creative commentaries on the body-shaming culture have helped shine a light on a very real and damaging issue.

Chessie King

This London-based fitness influencer revolves her entire channel around body positivity – and it’s a popular topic. In only a few years online, King’s channel has grown to over 640,000 followers and it’s not hard to see why.

With uplifting and entertaining videos that underscore how to love your body, King’s channel and community are warm and embracing.

Marathon runners beware: 9 unexpected costs to keep in mind

In April, King collaborated with popular English television presenter Davina McCall in a viral Instagram video where the duo sing King’s slogan, “I don’t care what you think about me”.

The influencer also speaks at schools and talks to advocate for body acceptance and positivity.

Speaking to The Telegraph, King said, “In schools, we need an hour a week just focusing on body confidence. We have this incredible movement of women in sport empowering everyone, it makes me realise we can do anything.”

Kelsey Heenan

Kelsey Heenan, fitness influencer and co-founder of the Hiit max fitness app, has inspired countless women and men with her workout tutorials and fitness tips online.

In June, the trainer directly addressed body-shaming and cyberbullying in an Instagram post that was captioned: “But where are your boobs?”

This question was a comment made by someone on one of Heenan’s recent videos, and she goes on to say that she is often the recipient of these thoughtless, vitriolic comments online.

To tackle the trolls, she wrote: “There will always be people out there that are going to try and bring you down on your journey … As long as you are happy and healthy, do you.”

7 of China’s best wellness resorts for some exotic ‘me time’

Jessamyn Stanley

Jessamyn Stanley is a yoga teacher, body positivity advocate and author of Every Body Yoga, published in 2017, a year after winning her Shorty Award for best in healthy living.

Eight years ago, Stanley was just another woman trying out yoga poses at home. She started uploading photos to Instagram to see if she was doing the poses correctly. From there, Stanley became an advocate for ‘plus-size’ women everywhere, encouraging everyone to consider yoga fitness.

The yogi teaches all around the United States, most recently in Savannah, Georgia, and Oakland, California.

Discussing her weight in September, the yogi wrote: “My weight fluctuates because I am human. Because there are things in my life which change my vessel. It’s not a mistake or a malfunction.”

Jem Wolfie

The 28-year-old fitness influencer has been an inspiration to her 2.7 million followers for years. Not only is she an advocate for body positivity, but she has worked her way to amassing a multimillion dollar empire, with businesses and sponsorships in fitness, merchandising and a sports drink.

K-pop’s dark side: star ‘was weighed 10 times a day on extreme diet’

Wolfie has spoken on her social media channel and with reporters about her issues with body-bashing online.

In September, Wolfie told LADbible: “Some days it can be draining when you’re constantly called fat. It can be exhausting to have negativity constantly shoved down your throat every day.”

In March, Wolfie advocated for more women and men to express themselves online however they wanted, after receiving negative comments about her own social media presence and curvaceous figure.

She wrote, “Shirt off, Bikini shot, whatever! I am happy and confident with my body and I have NOOOO issues showing it off, I eat well and stay active to feel good in my skin and hopefully even inspire a few of you!”

Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter