When you look in the mirror, do you love what you see? Why?
Better question -- why not?
Is it your freckles or curly hair? Maybe it's the gap between your front teeth or the cellulite in your thighs. Possibly the acne scars on your cheeks or you wish you were just a little shorter/taller. Is your nose just a tad too big and your chest too small? Now I propose an even deeper question: do you seriously not love yourself because of the tiny physical "imperfections" (which you are the only one who thinks they're flaws)?
I also ponder who was the one who told you these things are not beautiful? Movies? Bullies? Magazines?
I'm done with the questions, so just listen now. I understand the daily struggle of not being able to 100 percent truly and genuinely accept yourself physically. I mean, what's a girl (or boy) to do? Every single day we're confronted with images of perfection on all platforms of media. Headlines about how to drop 10 pounds in a week or where to get the best spray tan.
We are told from a very young age that there is an image we have to fit.
On the other hand, we're told to love every inch of ourselves and to not care what other people think. To live your life exactly how you want to and embrace our frizzy hair and extra weight. Be confident and go out into the world with a big smile, ready to face acceptance and rejection as if they affect us the same way.
But I do not believe this is a realistic remedy either when it comes to the war on self love. Who the heck can carry an act like that all 24 hours of every day?
But what happens when you put the mirror away and are unable to pick yourself apart? You have to focus solely on who you are inside, the part that isn't plastered on the outside where everyone can see it. Are you kind, educated, loving, generous, funny, trustworthy, loyal, motivated?
When you think of all the traits that make you up, do they have a tangible appearance? I didn't think so. But these authentic characteristics hold so much more beauty than I think a lot of people realize.
It's important we love, respect and value ourselves. However, we don't achieve those things from being the hottest one in school, in the work place, or in the world! We must nurture our strengths and even clutch our insecurities. With that being said, don't beat yourself up too much over the hard days when you can't even fake the happiness.
Everyone has times they need to break down or doubt themselves. Forgive yourself when you lose the battle, but keep in mind you're fighting a war. There's a whole lot of life left to be lived, and I'm going to love myself despite the ease with which I lean toward the opposite. Are you?
