Self love has started to become so popular among society to the point where it’s almost “trendy.” Everyone you see on social media is advocating to accept yourself as you are, appreciate your body and practice self love. Forget about your insecurities and be you, be true, baby! Although the message is beyond amazing and should continue to be spread around to everyone, how much does a message mean if the people sharing the message are not staying true to their word?
Now let me say it here first that yes, there are people who have found the key to self love. There are people who fully appreciate every part of their body no matter what size or shape, and I look up to them for being able to do that. I’m not there yet, and I know a lot of people are still on the journey to finding that acceptance and body positivity as well. That’s okay! This is normal!
The problem comes when people like myself, who still struggle with body image and self love, pretend that they have a completely healthy mindset. They show all of their best highlights on social media and say that they love their bodies and have no insecurities. In reality, they are still trying to accept themselves for who they are. They share misinformation about their tips and tricks to a “balanced” lifestyle when their mentality is far from healthy and balanced.
People don’t do this because they want to hurt others and spread false information. They do it because they think that by spreading this positive message they’ll be helping others. They do it because these are the messages they want to hear from others and wish they could align with themselves. It’s not the message that’s fake, it’s the fact that their actions can’t support their words. It leaves followers and supporters confused while weighing down the messenger with imposter syndrome.
If you’re on your own journey to self love and body acceptance right now, here is your reminder to not compare yourself to others on social media. Don’t compare your body and don’t compare their body acceptance to your body image struggles. There are so many people out there who are putting on a front and saying they are confident in themselves when really they also need to work on loving themselves as they are. Each day you are making baby steps to loving yourself more. Every day is a day to be mindful of how you feel internally. Work toward showing your body and mind the love and care that it deserves. Self love is a never ending journey!