Having a positive outlook on your body is not always easy, especially with the presence fat shaming and the pervasive “perfect” image in society. The media is beginning to represent girls of all sizes, but that doesn’t mean insecurities will go away right away. I personally have trouble looking at parts of myself, such my acne, my pores, and my eczema (a dry skin condition caused by allergies). Over time I’ve realized that I really like my eyes and my curly (though VERY messy) hair. It is these parts that I focus on. Acceptance of who I am took most of my life to reach.
Who you are as a person and who you want to be can be connected to body positivity. The question is: How does one accept a version of themself that they don’t necessarily like? How do I learn to love what I hate about myself? Here’s a small guide to accepting the curves, freckles, and stretch marks that are a part of you:
Change your mindset
Look at the bright side of what having a specific trait means to you
Is your hair curly? Is there a way to embrace it?
Is there something you can do to change what you want to?
Is there a divide in who you are and who you want to be?
Have the deep conversation with yourself to see what you truly want to find in yourself.
Change what you see
TV, magazines, and other media show a particular body type. What is unbeknownst to society is that everyone is beautiful. Because the promotion of a particular body type is something we, as an accepting, understanding, and active generation, want to change, we should support the images we want to see as representative of ourselves. Fenty released 40 shades. The television show This Is Us has a main character dealing with body image issues. If you see something in media that you disagree with, don’t support it. Call for the change you want to see. Don’t accept society for its misgivings. Do accept yourself for who you are.
Eat whatever you want. Especially what you love.
Do not deprive yourself of the pleasure and nutrition that is food. If you are going to diet, do not let that stop you from eating what you like. Do not go on a diet that makes you miserable. Do become healthy if that is your goal. Don’t force yourself into something you ultimately don’t like.
Be you
Don’t conform to an image of yourself that does not reflect who you want to be.
Be your best self, especially if that means that you are on the road to loving what you do and who you’ll become.
Be the best version of yourself, everyday and always <3
Xoxo,
Jane P.