The Loop
Julianne Beffa
Exclusive
Sarah Nicole Landry: Fearless, Fun, and Full of Life
With millions following her online, Sarah Nicole Landry, AKA @thebirdspapaya, has created a space where imperfection is celebrated, vulnerability is power, and women feel truly seen.
- Story By: Julianne Elise Beffa / Photography By: @brendanwixtedphoto
Showing up as yourself in a world that constantly tells you to hide your flaws, perfect your look, and smile flawlessly is no small feat. Sarah Nicole Landry, also known as @thebirdspapaya, has made embracing the opposite her life’s work. With millions following her online, she has created a space where imperfection is celebrated, vulnerability is power, and women feel truly seen. Loose skin, cellulite, heartbreak, motherhood, divorce, and every messy, joyful, complicated moment in between are welcome on her platform. Her honesty resonates because it is real, human, and relatable. Whether she is navigating relationships, self-image, career challenges, or parenting, Sarah reminds women everywhere that showing up unapologetically is a triumph worth celebrating. She has turned her story into a world where women feel empowered to step fully into their lives with courage and confidence.
Nightlife, like social media, is a stage, and Sarah knows how to own it. She has watched women arrive at events with every intention of looking perfect, only to let go of the pressures once the music starts. “We put so much pressure on looking perfect for a night out. But then you go into the bathroom, and women are ripping off their shapewear and shoving sticky bras into their purses. They have stopped caring. They are being present. The thoughts of perfectionism start to leave as the pursuit of enjoying the moment takes over,” she tells LOOP in an exclusive interview. Over the years, her nights out have changed as she has grown. In her thirties, they were a chance to reclaim identity after motherhood. Today, a perfect night might be dinner with friends, a theater show, or even board games at home. Presence, she says, is the new luxury, and showing up authentically is the real measure of success.
We put so much pressure on looking perfect for a night out. But then you go into the bathroom, and women are ripping off their shapewear and shoving sticky bras into their purses. They have stopped caring. They are being present.
Sarah did not leap into vulnerability overnight. “To be honest, it was not one big leap. It was a tiptoe,” she says. Fans were commenting on her appearance, praising her for being perfect, while she knew the truth. She had cellulite, loose skin, and all the things that society tells women to hide, and sharing that truth could help others feel less alone. When a lingerie campaign photo went viral, it was not just about the image, it was about the permission it gave other women to show up as they are. “My vulnerability may have helped others, but it helped me the most,” she reflects.
Looking back at her twenties, Sarah sees moments she wishes she had embraced differently. “I always felt like I would get more chances to do things. You do not. Sure, in some ways you do. But I wish I had honored where I was at the time.” She spent years hiding herself, her body, and even parts of her children’s childhood from fully participating in life. Her advice to younger women is urgent and simple. Do not sit life out. Show up now. Every choice, every step, every risk matters.
Even after building a massive online following, posting personal content was terrifying. “I almost always felt like I was going to throw up the second I hit share,” she admits. Criticism came quickly and sometimes harshly, but so did validation and love. “People left nasty comments and poked and prodded at me from every angle. But you know what else happened? An overwhelmingly positive and validating response.” For Sarah, the lesson is clear. Showing up fully is never without resistance, but moving past fear is where the growth happens and where life begins to open in new ways.
Sarah’s approach to beauty is playful, freeing, and revolutionary in a world obsessed with perfection. “You will never be enough in society’s eyes. So instead of trying to pacify society all the time, just show up. However that looks for you,” she says. She has experimented with filters, injectables, and bare-faced confidence. “All of it are just choices. Some come from self hate, some from empowerment. The point is we should be allowed to move through these choices without being piled on with more shame.” Her philosophy is simple but radical. Judge less, accept more, and allow yourself to evolve.
Three years ago, Sarah gave up alcohol due to migraines, and the change transformed her life. At first, social events felt strange, but she quickly realized how much alcohol functions as a social centerpiece, shaping how people gather, celebrate, and interact. “Nothing in my life lacked without it. Once you de-centered alcohol, it really became less of a thing. Everything I thought I would lose- fun, connection, confidence- was not true.” Women today are rewriting what it means to celebrate and participate in nightlife, and Sarah is at the forefront of this cultural shift, showing that you can have connection, joy, and fun without the pressure to drink.
Heartbreak and setbacks have been part of Sarah’s story, but she has emerged wiser and stronger than ever. “Date yourself. Find out who you are so you can introduce that person to others, not shape yourself into who another wants you to be. You are not someone’s other half. You are a whole,” she says. On rejection she adds, “Every single rejection was a push onto the track I was meant to be on. You can sit in the sadness and frustration, but trust that it is leading you exactly where you need to be.” Even in heavy moments, she has rituals to stay grounded. “Memes. Honestly, memes. Laughter can pull you out of a dark moment more than anything else.”
Date yourself. Find out who you are so you can introduce that person to others, not shape yourself into who another wants you to be. You are not someone’s other half. You are whole.
Sarah devotes half of her working hours to replying to DMs herself. She never outsources because authenticity is everything to her. One story has stayed with her for years. A woman on a plane shared that she booked her first family vacation postpartum because Sarah’s posts gave her courage to show up as she was, swimsuit included. “Seeing her husband and kids a few rows ahead, knowing what that meant for them, and knowing I had a part in that? Absolutely magical.” These small ripples of courage, spreading into real life, are exactly what make Sarah’s work essential and enduring.
If she could give one piece of advice to women stepping into adulthood, it would be this: “Enjoy it. Every weird little bit of it. Do not be afraid of mistakes, be more afraid of regret. Let that lead you to the life you want to live fully.” Career, relationships, social life, or personal growth, Sarah’s message applies everywhere. Show up, take space, and be unapologetically yourself.
As she steps into her forties, Sarah is redefining what life at this age can look like. “I am excited. I am open. I am ready,” she says. And in ten years, she hopes people remember that she showed up. “In the hard moments, in the great ones too. If I did it, maybe they will think they can too.” Sarah Nicole Landry’s story is one every woman needs to read. It is a reminder that courage is the best outfit you can wear, fun is mandatory, and the most luxurious night is the one where you show up fully for yourself.
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