Growing up, I always compared myself to other girls, thinking things like “she’s more toned than me,” “her skin is clearer than mine,” and “how does she have no cellulite?” It drove me crazy, and still does sometimes. But what I didn’t know is that every girl has thought similar things.
Coming to college from a very small school, I was amazed to see so many young women who were all so different, but just as beautiful as the next.
As we get older we all become conditioned to strive for media-portrayed perfection, but lately that idea of perfection has changed. From being toned and fit to striving to have a more curvy body type, we are always comparing ourselves to someone else.
Whenever I’m feeling insecure and can’t seem to get myself out of a funk, I have to remind myself how beautiful I am, regardless of how hard it may be to believe in the moment . One thing that helps me get out of the funk I’ve put myself in is to think of things like Christmas lights and pansies (my favorite flower). Neither of these items look anything like one another, but they are both so beautiful in their own way. Our bodies are unique and that should be celebrated. We aren’t meant to be carbon copies of what is deemed “acceptable.” All bodies, thick, thin, covered in scars, stretch marks, freckles, and anything there, far and in between, are beautiful.
Beauty is subjective. Just because you aren’t someone’s cup of tea doesn’t mean you aren’t piping hot.
Finding beauty in yourself can be hard sometimes, and that’s normal, but you have to remember that the little quirks your body has are what make you, you. And you are beautiful inside and out.