Insecurity is a part of the human experience. Walking into a crowded room and feeling out of place, comparing your intelligence to other classmates, or producing negative thoughts about yourself are all examples of how insecurity makes way into our lives. For the longest time, my insecurities stemmed from my appearance.
From my freshman year to my senior year of high school, I would get up every morning and straighten my hair until it was practically lifeless. I looked at all my friends with silky straight hair and constantly compared my naturally thick and wavy hair. Same thing with my height. As a 5 ‘3 girl (on a good day), I would watch Victoria’s Secret fashion show models who reached 5’ 10 and compare my body to theirs.
I accepted that was a part of life, constantly craving what you don’t have. But wow, did I learn how far from the truth that was. As I started to get sick of repeatedly straightening my hair for 45 minutes a day, I began scrolling on Pinterest in hopes of inspiring myself to wear my hair naturally. Not long after that, I fell down the rabbit hole of finding people who had similar traits to me, and it truly helped me embrace my appearance!
One of my biggest beauty inspirations, who I need to thank, is none other than actress Mila Kunis. This actually stemmed from comments by my friends and co-workers of how I resembled Kunis, which felt like a game-changer to me. It was like I had someone to go off of because you know what celebrities like Kunis have that the average person doesn’t? Personal stylists. These are people who know how to make a celebrity look like their best selves.Â
Now if you put me and Kunis in a room it’s not like you wouldn’t be able to tell us apart (what a compliment that would be) but we both have dark long hair, light eyes, and pale skin. Because of our similarities, I would take to Pinterest and even watch her movies for inspiration to figure out what looked good on me, and what I felt confident in.Â
From Kunis, (and her killer stylists), I learned a few things, like how I loved the look of brown tight-lining on my colored eyes to make them pop, and the subtle smokey eye for going out.
Another one of my favorite people to pull inspiration from is influencer Summer Mckeen. I first took notice to her Instagram page in 2019, and I knew she was someone I would follow for a long time. Immediately her appearance stood out to me, specifically her eyebrows. Yes. Her eyebrows. One massive insecurity of mine at the time was my thick, dark, and (slightly) uneven eyebrows. So to see someone as stunning as Mckeen embrace her thick, dark brows, it made me feel like I could too.Â
About four years later here I am loving my eyebrows, and I honestly couldn’t imagine myself without my bold thick brows, as they feel like a part of my identity.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to experiment with your appearance. Life gets mundane so do as you please and style yourself in whatever makes you feel good. Just remember to embrace your naturally beautiful traits because they were given to you for a reason.Â
Although we always want what we don’t have, we thrive when we embrace that what we have, is meant for us!