#PerfectlyMe Celebrates The First-Ever National Body Confidence Day

Seventeen has declared today—Monday, October 17, 2016—the first ever National Body Confidence Day! It’s important to note that the magazine’s initiative is not just a one-day thing; it’s a movement. It’s time to celebrate how amazing we all are—bodies, minds and spirits included. 

The mag has teamed up with Instagram to start this movement, which includes a hashtag and a safe space community on the social media platform. Seventeen wants to hear from you, and so do the millions of girls around the world who are bound to get involved with this initiative.

Seventeen launched the program along with the release of their November issue, which features Ariel Winter. Winter, along with other fabulous young women, were among the first to share their body confidence stories with the mag. 

 

I’m completely honored to be on the cover of @seventeen ! Inside the issue, @seventeen and @instagram celebrate self-acceptance and body confidence with their #PerfectlyMe initiative. Get inspired and join the movement by posting a photo or video of you, your friends, or anyone that inspires you to embrace yourself and feel #PerfectlyMe

A photo posted by ARIEL WINTER (@arielwinter) on Oct 17, 2016 at 11:51am PDT

 

 

Here at Seventeen, we’ve decided we’re long overdue in declaring the first National Body Confidence Day. Join the movement by tagging your photos #PerfectlyMe. Tap the link in the bio to learn more. pc: @blackprints

A photo posted by Seventeen (@seventeen) on Oct 17, 2016 at 8:05am PDT

Seventeen and Instagram want to hear from you! Celebrate yourself and others because we’re all so special. Post about your body confidence with the hashtag #PerfectlyMe for Seventeen and Instagram to see!

 

Growing up, Jody Heakes (@jdoday) was frequently bullied about her weight. “I remember (now cringingly), in middle school dumbing myself down, pretending not to know things, because I’d decided that I would much rather be labeled as ‘the stupid girl’ than ‘the fat girl,’” says the 21-year-old. “Today, I pride myself on being a thoughtful and intelligent woman.” Jody was interested in photography, but it wasn’t until she graduated from high school that her mother encouraged her to model. “I was always behind the camera, never in front,” Jody says. “Switching roles and seeing photos of myself made me realize that I wasn’t as unattractive as I felt.” Her participation in the body-positive movement online feels like an extension of her studies at the University of Toronto — she’s a fourth-year student in history and equity studies. “I strongly believe that representation matters, and not only representation of different body types, but different ethnicities, ages and abilities,” Jody says. “Confidence comes with time. It has taken me over five years to reach the level of acceptance with myself that I have now. I can only imagine how much better I’ll feel five years from now.” Who or what inspires you to feel #PerfectlyMe? This month, we’ve teamed up with @seventeen to celebrate people who are redefining body standards and inspiring confidence on Instagram. Use the hashtag to share your story. Photo by @jdoday

A photo posted by Instagram (@instagram) on Oct 17, 2016 at 8:01am PDT 

 

“My version of #PerfectlyMe is letting go of the never-ending fight to be someone else. #PerfectlyMe invites ME back into the equation, not as a form of settling for myself, but as an act of welcoming that self home, accepting her singularities, celebrating her deviance.” —Rebekah Taussig (@sitting_pretty), a writer, teacher and PhD candidate who lives in Kansas City, Missouri. “Growing up with a disability, I developed a lot of coping mechanisms early in life — detaching from my body, always smiling no matter what I was experiencing on the inside, never admitting sadness or shame. Even when I received the positive affirmation I was seeking, it was never enough to make me feel full. With time — so much time — I’ve been working to shift that burden of acceptance to myself. Accepting myself frees me up to actually experience life — to use this instrument I’m living in. Why do we treat our bodies as objects to beat into submission, to criticize into doing better, to overcome and rise above? I want to work with my body. I think we’ll get further and fuller that way, but it’s slow. I’m learning.” Who or what inspires you to feel #PerfectlyMe? Use the hashtag to share your story. Photo by @sitting_pretty

A photo posted by Instagram (@instagram) on Oct 17, 2016 at 8:02am PDT

 

• ariel winter
• body confidence
• self confidence