I have always struggled with body image ever since I was little. I would always compare myself to other girls who were prettier than me, skinnier than me, had nicer hair than me, etc. In high school, it was really bad. People were mean and made me feel like I had to change myself into something I wasn’t. Being a teen, you are constantly having photoshopped pictures of these flawless models shoved in your face. When you are young, you think that those are real people. Your image of a beautiful person is distorted. Over the years, I have found ways to reach for a better body image, and I want to share them with you. No way do I have total body positivity. However just like everyone, I am constantly working on it every day.
Surround yourself with people that pick you up.
Back in middle school and beginning of high school, I surrounded myself with people I thought were my friends. However, friends do not tear you down. Once I found real friends, I thought better of myself. You need to make sure that the friends you have are supportive of you and make you more positive about yourself. With all the love, you will begin to feel more confident in your own skin!
So what if you changed sizes?
In the past, I have been guilty of trying to make a pair of pants last longer than they should. Even when I am just about grown out of them, I don’t want to admit I have gone up a size. If you have gone up or down a size, it is no big deal! Get clothes that fit you in the right places. Once I accepted the fact that I went up a size, I looked even better because the clothes I had fit in just the right way for my body type. In turn, I felt more confident! I know it sounds scary at first, but as soon as you try on a different size, you will thank me!
Embrace your imperfections.
I have already blogged about my scars and how uncomfortable I was with them (link here):
And That’s How I Got This Scar
However, this is a big part of being body confident! We need to accept what makes us different from others; what makes us unique from those around us. Embrace every scar, birthmark, stretch mark, etc. Celebrate the fact that you are unique! Without this acceptance, it is so easy to beat yourself up.
Realize that everyone has insecurities.
It is easy to feel alone in your insecurities. You want to be just like your favorite celeb, because they are perfect, right? Wrong! The Instagram post that popped into my head at this moment is by Bella Thorne a few months ago. (This is just a snip of her post, I’ll link it down below so you can ready the whole thing as it is quite long, and there is some language, so I do not want to offend anyone)
She looks stunning, am I right?! She seems so confident in herself and her body online, but she struggles too. Who would have guessed someone that so many people look up to has body image problems just like the rest of us?
Be unapologetically you!
There are no two people in the world who are exactly alike. Do you know why that is great news? It’s great news because that means that there is no one like you, and that you are like no one else! Embrace who you are, you shouldn’t be ashamed. Wear what you want, go where you want, BE who you want. Now time for a video from one of my favorite movies, The Greatest Showman, that lets us know that no matter what we look like, we can be just as confident and body positive as anyone else.
I am not saying I am so body positive that I never have problems with looking in the mirror. I do. We all do. However, we cannot let that keep us in hiding. We were given our appearance, our life, everything for a reason.
What are your ways to stay body confident? Let me know in the comments below!
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