Dear whom it may concern:
You are inspiring and powerful. The way you get through everyday facing an internal conflict is pain that you endure with a smile. That is strength and you are beautiful and you are enough. Let's start there.
You were given the life, body, and mind you were for a reason and it is time to put those lovely assets to use. Unapologetically. If you’re eating enough and healthily, body “flaws” should be no concern to you. Whether you’re insecure about your tummy rolls, ribs showing, or cellulite, you are as valuable and beautiful as absolutely every other woman. Embrace your “flaws” not as flaws but part of yourself that doesn’t need acceptance from anybody else. No partner should ever be the person to make you feel more beautiful about your “flaws” because it is your job to love yourself. So, embrace that belly, booty, and those thighs that God gave you and begin to love them. Your body is beautiful regardless of what society says. If you are healthy, happy, and confident, you are an image of strength. Period.
If you’re quirkier and louder than most, or shyer and more awkward than most, guess what? You’re you. You are exactly who you need to be, with the exact personality you need to successfully be you. Don’t make yourself uncomfortable trying to “fix” things about your personality you were comfortable with to begin with. It’s a waste of time and chances are nobody is judging you as much as you are judging you. Don’t be your biggest critic, especially when it comes to your personality because that is what sets you apart from the rest. Your personality is what makes you BEAUTIFUL.
We have all naturally struggled with self-love because of how the media portrays beauty. However, beauty is found among all of us. 42% of girls in the third grade wish they were thinner than they currently are. That is a significant percentage among children. Way too young are we exposed to seeing magazines preaching about the newest diet that will help you lose 4 inches off your waist promoted with a model that doesn’t struggle with weight rather than ever seeing a woman like Viola Davis or Lena Dunham on the cover speaking on all of their many accomplishments. Ideally, it would be wonderful to have a diverse selection of women on covers of magazines talking about their accomplishments, not about how proud they are of their slim or curvy figure. Strength does come from feeling good about how you look, but if we could talk about weight and body image a lot less than we do, it would do our younger generations a lot of good. If you ever feel like you’re struggling alone with self-love regardless of your age, you’re not. I think as women it’s important that when we see an opportunity to uplift one another up, we should.
My point is, we waste way too much time comparing ourselves to others and ideals instead of loving all of our assets as they are to begin with. Loving yourself is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Learning to not just accept, but LOVE the things about ourselves that other people call flaws is one of the most conquering lessons we can learn. So keep your beautiful heart and all of your quirks, and begin to learn how to love yourself. You are beautiful.
Love,
A girl that’s learning too
