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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Illinois chapter.

Feeling beautiful in your own skin and in your own body is empowering. You feel a sense of limitless potential. You have this bounce to your step. You feel as though you can conquer the world. You feel completely and utterly at peace with yourself. 

If you have not felt this, then this article is for you. It is essential for you, as a woman, to feel this sense of empowerment. It enables you to feel confident in many different areas of your life, not just in your appearance.

Acknowledge Your Own Negativities

Already, you might be thinking there’s no way that you can feel entirely beautiful in your own skin and body. If this is the case, then ask yourself why. What insecurities are holding you back? What do your insecurities stem from (or who)?

It’s essential to ask yourself these tough questions. Don’t let yourself off the hook. In order to fully accept yourself, you need to accept yourself for how you currently are. Strength and flaws in all. It might seem better to block all those negative thoughts about yourself, but you must face them head-on.

I’ll use myself as an example here. One of my insecurities is the size of my thighs. In order for me to feel content in my skin and body, I need to reflect on what I’ve previously thought/said about my thighs. I need to consider why I’m insecure about my thigh size. Where is this coming from?

Practice Positive Self-Talk

After you acknowledge your negative self-thoughts, you need to revise how you think/talk about yourself. If you say something mean about yourself, then say you take it back. Treat yourself like a younger version of yourself. Are you going to degrade your 5-year-old self? Nope, you are not!

If I were to be practicing self-talk, I would say that my thighs are so strong. They allow me to cycle and walk to all of my favorite places on campus. 

Try to turn what you see as negative into something positive.

Quit the Comparisons

Stop comparing your beauty to someone else’s. Admire someone’s beauty and compliment them, but don’t yearn for what someone else has. You are unique and gorgeous. Don’t try to be someone that you’re not! Let yourself glow!

Wear What Makes You Feel Beautiful

Stop dressing for other people, especially for the male gaze. Pick out outfits that make you feel absolutely stunning! Wear the prints and all of the colors. Experiment with different patterns and textures. Choose to wear whatever you want, not what someone else does.

All in all, treat yourself with the utmost kindness and respect. You deserve to feel beautiful in your own skin and body. You are gorgeous, queen!

Autumn Bunzell

Illinois '27

Hi there! My name is Autumn Rose, and I'm from Utica, Illinois. I live minutes away from Starved Rock State Park. I attended LaSalle-Peru Township High School which consists of only about 1,200 students. Within my family, I'm the youngest in a close-knit household, and I have an older sister who I absolutely adore. As well, I have a golden retriever and a grey tabby cat. Currently, I'm a first-year neuroscience student at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Both the physical and psychological aspects of the human brain fascinate me. In addition, I'm interested in nutrition and how this field can be applied to neuroscience. There is a field labeled nutritional neuroscience that studies how the consumption of food, minerals, and supplements impacts an individual's cognition, mood, and overall brain health. Outside of the classroom, my hobbies vary tremendously. Music wise, I listen to Bryce Vine and Bazzi, but I also love Etta Mae, Arethra Franklin, and Frank Sinatra. As I do my morning routine, I listen to health and wellness podcasts on Spotify. In between classes, I do yoga and Pilates. At night, I love to do some skincare, and then crawl into bed with one of my books. Typically, I partake in crocheting and baking in the colder months. As a side note, my favorite season is fall because of the cool weather and all of the pumpkin/apple candles, foods, coffees, etc.