When did it start, exactly? When did it become such a big feat to actually love yourself? I see it so often now; we, as a society, struggle to accept ourselves. And why? Whoever told us not to?
I know many people, myself included, who struggle with insecurities regarding our bodies, personalities, fashion choices, lifestyle choices and so on. Somehow it’s so easy to find something wrong with ourselves. We’re not strong enough. Not pretty enough. Not smart enough. But whoever created the proverbial “enough?”
It’s time to say, Enough is Enough.
We need to decide to stop listening to society’s versions of perfection, because face it, we’ll never become that. And why would we want to? Why would we want to fit into society’s perceptions of perfection, when we can make our own definition of what “perfect” really is.
I like to think that we are all imperfectly perfect. We’re all different, we all have our own thoughts and dreams, so why would we all try to fit into the same mold? It just won’t work. We are imperfect in the eyes of society, but what about our own eyes? Aren’t those the ones that matter? Be perfect in your own eyes and it’ll be much more rewarding.
A few months ago an interesting campaign was done by Revlon and the producer of the “First Kiss” video that involved creating something called “The Love Test.” The campaign in its entirety was called “Love is On” and showcased the idea that if every woman gave herself a few moments every day with makeup, fragrance, chocolate and a mirror, she would see herself as beautiful. I didn’t believe the results until I saw it, but the findings were amazing. Mr. Delphani, the CEO of Revlon, said the “Love Test” confirmed the power of taking a “moment to love yourself first, be confident, and engage with your special self, not your ordinary self.” The campaign went beyond makeup, and channeled what was really important: loving you.
I know when we were younger, it was simpler. The idea of “being enough” was never on our minds. We just were. We were happy to be bouncing around in our ignorant bliss because no one ever told us we were less than enough. No one ever told us we were less than perfect. Because we’re not.
I guess what I’m trying to say here is that we are enough. To all you girls out there, You are enough. You are pretty enough, you are smart enough and you sure as hell are strong enough.
So I hope in time your insecurities melt away, because I believe that each and every one of us deserves to be happy. Because happiness is a choice. It’s an attitude, a frame of mind. Every morning when we wake up, step out of bed and put our feet on the floor we can make the choice to be happy. I’m not saying it won’t be hard, but why wouldn’t we take a chance on positivity?
Because honestly, what have we got to lose?
And in the wise words of our girl Demi Lovato, “What’s wrong with being Confident?” So go out there and find your special self.