Thanks to the total world domination of the hashtag, weekly #WomenCrushWednesdays are a celebration of the strong, supportive and meaningful relationships we have with the women in our lives. Mothers, sisters, girlfriends, coworkers, BFFLs, baes… anyone! The best part is that this hashtag isn’t gender binary exclusive. Wednesdays have become the day to say “Hey world- look at this person whom I’m hella thankful for” by sharing a (typically unflattering, triple chin, champion of embarrassment) picture all over social media. International Women’s Day was March 8th this year and it was fantastic seeing so many women challenging patriarchy, beauty norms, sexism, transphobia and saying “Hey World- I love the women in my life”. This is like a large scale version of Women Crush Wednesdays.
But with this new movement of female solidarity and compassion, there seems to constantly be one person who just isn’t getting enough love. And that person is you.
Now I will admit, before writing this article I never would have entertained the thought of choosing myself as my #wcw. It was actually thanks to a beautiful and wonderful friend’s Snapchat story which featured a quick snapchat with the caption “My #wcw is myself because I can”. This caught me off guard because it hadn’t occurred to me how often women are building each other up but don’t spend that much time openly expressing their self love.
As an advocate for positive attitudes and female empowerment British actress/feminist superstar Emma Watson knows that in life we make mistakes. We will never be perfect all of the time. Our hair may look like a mess, our skin may be having “one of those days”, and our mood may just be BLAAAAAAH. And that’s okay. Self-acceptance, let alone self-love, is a long and difficult process for a lot of people. Everyone has a different relationship with their bodies, skills and abilities. What we have to remember is that someone sees value in you. Qualities that you admire in other people you probably have within yourself.
Taking a few selfies and posting them on social media isn’t suddenly going to be a magic solution to any sort of negative self thought, but it’s a small step to acknowledging that you are worthy of love and value. You are beautiful both inside and out so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
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