DWTS Pro Emma Slater Sends a Powerful Message Ahead of Season 34 originally appeared on Parade.
The Dancing With the Stars family is cheering on Emma Slater.
Dancing With the Stars professional dancer Emma Slater posted a photo to Instagram on Friday, June 27, that is actually over two years old, but her perspective on it has done a complete 180.
In the photo< Slater stands tall and strong, absolutely rippling with muscles. And she writes in the caption that at the time it was taken, she hated this photo because she "didn't think it was feminine."
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A post shared by Emma Slater (@theemmaslater)
“I didn’t think it was feminine, and I looked at myself through a lens of self-judgment and criticism. I focused on all the parts about it I didn’t like. It was actually @daniellakaragach who convinced me to post it at the time (🫶🏻),” writes Slater.
She continues, “I just stumbled across this photo again, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much my mentality has changed. I didn’t see the same thing I saw back then; this time I saw a very feminine woman, who is strong and beautifully made. I honestly could cry writing this, I never talked about myself this way ever. I don’t know why I was so hard on myself, or why anybody is, for that matter. All I do know is we have these bodies and these faces for all of this life, so looking and talking to yourself with respect and through a lens of love is everything.”
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Slater finished by saying that her perspective has shifted and she sees “a different girl in that photo,” or, to be more accurate, “it’s not a different girl in the photo, it’s a different girl looking at it.”
“One with a healthier mentality, more self-compassion, and who is now the biggest champion for herself. It’s a beautiful feeling 🤍,” writes Slater.
She also left a comment saying that it has been a lot of work to get her mentality to change so that she stops “picking apart” her looks in the mirror and loving herself for who she is.
In the comments, her Dancing With the Stars family is so proud of her.
“You look absolutely stunning,” writes contestant Ilona Maher.
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“You’re beautiful,” writes pro Daniella Karagach.
Contestant Chrishell Stause writes, “I love this. It’s mind-blowing to think you would see anything but an absolute reason to wallpaper your house with this, but it shows that beauty has to also be felt on the inside. I love that you feel that now. This and you are stunning inside and out.”
“I remember loving this photo the instant I saw it,” writes contestant Amanda Kloots.
Dancing With the Stars returns for its 34th season in the fall of 2025 on ABC and Hulu.
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DWTS Pro Emma Slater Sends a Powerful Message Ahead of Season 34 first appeared on Parade on Jun 28, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
