As the summer comes to a close, you will see the last few rounds of Instagram posts featuring girls with the body that you wish you had, in the bikini you wish you had, with the boyfriend you wish you had. And you'll spend a decent hour or two trying to take the perfect Insta pic to try and compete, forcing your cousin to take pictures of you in the pool from all kinds of strange angles to try and make you look your best. Put down your iPhone for a minute, girl, and remember to love yourself. I know, I know; this sounds super cheesy, right? But it's important, and here's why:

On a physical level, you have to step back every once in a while and say, "Man, I look good." And you should do this sometimes when you look in the bathroom mirror before you put on all your makeup; take note of your eyes that you got from your momma, or your skin that's soft and smooth. And that pimple the size of a quarter on your face? Or your eyebrows that are too thin? Appreciate them, too; as cliché as it is, all your imperfections make you, ya know, you. Anyway, you're probably the only one that notices that kind of stuff. You are your own worst critic. For example, I notice that I have one eye that's slightly higher than the other one. But that's just another thing that makes me Katarina. And I like that.

And while there's a lot to be said for appreciating natural beauty, I think that it's important to remember when you do up your hair or put on those fake eyelashes, you should feel good about yourself then, too. Personally, I love walking around with my hair all curled and my eyebrows on fleek. That being said, don't let anyone call you superficial or anything like that. If doing your hair and makeup makes you confident and happy, more power to you. On the flip side, if you feel most like yourself wearing no makeup, or maybe just a little mascara, or whatever, then do that. Basically, whatever makes you happy, make sure you do it. You look good for you, and whoever has a problem with it can look somewhere else.

Now, the last thing that we need to talk about is loving yourself from the inside out. Girl, I can sit here and tell you all day that you're a dime piece (don't you love that hip lingo?), but it's not going to make any difference unless you can believe it yourself. And this comes from confidence, which isn't a physical characteristic, but something you've got to find within yourself. So, where do you find it? Well, for me, I get it from doing things that make me feel happy, from remembering not to be so hard on myself, and remembering that though I can love how I look, there's more that makes up Katarina than just my face.

Now, to build up that confidence, I challenge you to find three things that you like about yourself on the outside. Then find three qualities you like about yourself on the inside. Eat that cookie dough with a fork, ride the roller coaster, surround yourself with people that you love, and remember to stay humble. But, also remember: You look crazy good.