It's true that the COVID-19 pandemic has not been kind to our bodies; many of us have found ourselves eating our way out of our slim-fitting clothes and if the prospect of a new diet seems daunting you are not alone. Today is all about letting go of that need to have that "summer body" the magazines always talk about and embrace the body you have.

Photo Credit: PixabayPhoto Credit: Pixabay

1. Perfect 10 - The Beautiful South

A wonderfully romantic song about loving your other half no matter what size they are, this song was released in 1998 from the album Quench. It's a duet between Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott, and reached number 2 in the UK thanks to its positive lyrics and infectious chorus.

2. Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen

Possibly one of the most iconic songs about loving bigger ladies ever written, this was the B-side to Bicycle Race and featured on 1978's Jazz album. It was famously the opening theme to 2004's Super Size Me, but while it appears to be a celebration of larger women, many have criticised the track as instead fetishising them.

3. Juice - Lizzo

Lizzo is the body positivity icon of the 21st Century and she frequently sings about loving her body, particularly on the critically acclaimed 2019 album Cuz I Love You. Juice does away with modesty and boasts of being "not a snack at all" but "the whole damn meal". 

4. All About That Bass - Meghan Trainor

When Meghan Trainor made her debut in 2014 with All About That Bass, the world was inspired by the rare image of a curvy popstar who knew the struggles the average woman has with their bodies only too well. She'd struggled with her own negative self-image for years before she decided to write this song of self-love and acceptance.

5. Biggie Smalls - cupcakKe

The majority of this Chicago rapper's back catalogue is NSFW thanks to the hyper-sexualised language, but this particular track from her 2017 album Queen Elizab*tch is more about loving your food and refusing to conform to society's beauty standards at the cost of not being able to enjoy a burger.

6. Video - India.Irie

Self-love is a common theme in India.Irie's work and her debut single Video from 2001's Acoustic Soul remains her most popular song to date and was nominated for four Grammys at the time of its release. It focuses on body positivity from body shape to body hair to clothes tags, and is all about the importance of being yourself.

7. Scars To Your Beautiful - Alessia Cara

Released in 2016 from her debut album Know-It-All, Alessia Cara talks about the importance of embracing yourself as a person, rather than relying on your physical appearance to be what defines you. Everyone has beauty inside them, and whatever is in the mirror only enhances that.