Loving your body can be a difficult task, even when everyone says it is so easy. I know that for a fact. Summer is approaching fast, and you know you will be at the beach accidentally comparing your body to the girl next to you. So, how do you stop comparing? Here is what I would teach my younger self about loving your body every step of the way.
Body positivity is nothing new, but it is something that I feel needs to be brought up every summer when we are all most exposed.
A Danish youth magazine recently conducted a study of 1,000 participants in the age of 12-16 about body shaming. The study showed that three out of four girls would change something about their body if they could while a third of the participants saw this as a reason to stay away from the beach during the summer.
This can easily be related to the fact that the number of depression and committed suicide cases among youngster has been rising through the years. I do not even feel surprised because I know I would feel the same way about my body in that age.
I love social media because of the ability to inspire, share and stay connected to the rest of the world. Though I feel sick when I think about the girls that are just a couple of years younger than me, who have no choice but to grow up with social media by their side.
Social media has a way of twisting things to make them seem instant and beautiful, which is fantastic as a creative outlet and marketing tool. But during the teenage period in our lives when we are so vulnerable, it can easily seem as if models and influencers around the world have these wonderful lives and amazing bodies, when in reality there is so much (unflattering) work behind it.
Here are some lessons I would give my younger self about body image, and loving your body every step of the way.
Know that it is just a body and that everyone has imperfections
Think of your body as a remedy, instead of a doomed state that you were born into. Your body gives you the ability to move, run and jump meaning that we should care for our bodies as much as we can throughout our lives.
Care for your body by giving it food as fuel, sleep to regain strength, and move to get stronger by each day. View your body as your child. How would you care for your child, and what would you feed it?
Remember that every body has its imperfections, even though you might not see them at first.
Be grateful for all of it because someone will find what you hate most about your body beautiful
Whether it is the freckles that magically appear during the summer or a crooked toe that you have, do not be embarrassed about it. A scar tells a story, and all ‘imperfections’ are beautiful in one way or another because that is what makes you, you.
I am flat chested. I have had big thighs all my life. I have struggled with impurities and bacne. I am petite meaning that I will never get a career as a runway model.
These are my perfect imperfections. I have learned to accept it all, and I am just grateful I have been lucky enough so far to have avoided illnesses and diseases. Our well-beings are more important than our psychical appearance after all.
Remember that your confidence and a smile is always an added value to your look
We all know those overly confident people that just shines up the whole room. They may be annoying and loud at times, but we all envy the way they stand and talk like they are the A-list star at the party.
Confident people have one thing in common. They have accepted who they are and what they stand for. You have to believe you have a beautiful body in order to gain that beautiful body and posture.
Lastly, a smile never hurt anybody. We have all heard this before, but it is true. Even faking a smile will trick your brain into thinking positive thoughts, plus you will appear more approachable toward the people around you.
What do you hate, and at the same time love, about your body?
Juliana is a fashion blogger and content creator, who is based in Copenhagen. She spent the last two years living in London, where she studied Fashion Communication, while building her career in digital storytelling.