How many times have you watched the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and found yourself body shaming yourself about 2 minutes in because you don’t have this “ideal perfect shape” that the models on the screen possess. As many young girls and plenty of teenagers are well aware of, it’s not very often that a model comes around and makes you actually feel good about yourself.
British model Iskra Lawrence, a stunning and inspiring model, has used social media as a platform to boost the confidence that young girls have with their bodies. As an #AerieREAL model, Iskra has brought the much needed attention to eating disorders, body image and the importance of self-love.
The model, who never allows photoshop to be used on her body, has been modeling for years- but openly discusses how she hasn’t always accepted her shape nor her size. “I’ve had to forgive myself for the times I saw retouching of myself with slimmer arms, a thigh gap, unachievable smooth skin, with no cellulite or back fat, and thought that’s how I should look in real life.” As young, impressionable girls, we couldn’t agree anymore with this statement. Sometimes, we all just need a little self-love.
Luckily, Iskra Lawrence just gave the TED talk we’ve all needed. Iskra opens her TED talk with a simple, yet accurate and overlooked point: “The most important relationship we have is the we have with ourselves, and we’re not taught about it.” When thinking about it, of all the things we learn in school or from our parents, self-love is never one of them and often a forgotten part of the curriculum.
Iskra then talks about how social media is a “weapon of mass destruction to our self-esteem”. Social media in contemporary society proves to be such a new-yet-powerful influence on mental and emotional health which negatively impacts many young girls.
However, maybe one of the most truthful and relatable statements Iskra mentions is: “I know when I was younger, I would look in the mirror every single day and hate what I saw. Why don’t I have a thigh gap? Why does it look like this thigh ate the other one?”
Iskra might embody the ideology of body positivity, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s immune to days where she feels negatively. She ends her talk with suggestions of two confidence-boosting tricks that help her remember just how important she is and how much she loves her body.
The mirror challenge: Iskra challenges her audience to stand in front of a mirror and pick out five things that you love about yourself and then five things you love about what your body does for you.
The gratitude list: This is something Iskra recalls needing to do in the dressing room (where, not to mention, she says that “your inner demons are waiting to pounce on you.” talking about just how bad dressing rooms actually are.) She says to keep a list of things you’re grateful for to help bring you back to the bigger picture and dissolve the negative thoughts that these “dressing room demons” may bring.
Watch Iskra’s full Tedx Talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR_hq7OVzHU
Other Iskra Lawrence Videos:
StylelikeU “Whats Underneath” video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1E_W5Vf5jU
UNMUTED: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnU_8VlemjE
Iskra Lawrence Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iskra/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Iskra
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamiskra/
Other self-love advocates:
Aerie: https://www.ae.com/aerie/aerie/s-cms/4840006
Dove: http://selfesteem.dove.us
Dove Advertisement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=litXW91UauE