We've all had those days, where your hair doesn't fall right and even a messy bun can't control it, your pores are the size of craters, your legs barely fit into your jeans and your zits are taking over your face and ruining everything in their wake. You're uncomfortable in your own body and would give anything to have someone else's. You don't love yourself, instead you despise your body, the only thing you will ever have that is completely your own. These days are rough; you want to pull, pluck, and pick yourself to perfection but, no matter what you do, you can't fix the mess of your own body.
It took me a while, but I started to realize on these days that my body is not perfect, but it is miraculous. I'm always going to want to stop the jiggle in my thighs, but without them I wouldn't be able to run for miles or ride horses or dance the night away. For all of my life, I've hated this part of my body, I'd cover them and tan them and hide this part of me. But, I've come to understand that although, I may sometimes hate them, my thighs are strong and powerful and allow me to do the things I love. Because of this, I have learned to love them and all their imperfections.
It's not easy to always love my imperfections though. I can't help but see all the perfect faces and toned bodies that cover my Instagram feed and feel jealous that I will never look like that. I tell myself, if only I'd stop eating ice cream and do all my squats, I could look like these perfect women. Maybe then my face would miraculously clear itself up and I'd never have another zit again, or maybe I could just start wearing more makeup to hide my insecurities. But, the thing is I don't want to do these things. My favorite part of college has been late night milkshake runs with friends and being too busy to worry about squats and thigh jiggle. I've never enjoyed wearing a ton of makeup and covering up my skin has always felt like oppression. I'm not perfect and no one else is either, so why should I constantly worry that my imperfections are the only thing people can see?
On these days, where my body feels like it's acting out against me, I tell myself that I am more than my imperfections. I am strong, intelligent, and full of life. A few pimples and some fat on my thighs is not stopping anyone from seeing that. Our insecurities are only able to stop us from doing great things if we let them. We are capable of anything and everything, it's not worth our time to worry about the things we can't change. Love your body and love yourself, I promise you are better than the imperfections you see in the mirror.
Here it is: A makeup-less selfie featuring all my zits, puffy dark circle, and a crooked smile. It's not perfect, but it's me, and that's more than enough.
