Hey guys! So you might have already guessed (or seen me talking about it on social media), but I've decided to start a blog series! Basically, the idea behind it is to write blog posts, either fortnightly or monthly, surrounding important issues that girls have to deal with. This could be anything from self-confidence and body image issues to sex and relationships. I'll be asking you guys over on my twitter what posts you want to see so make sure you're following me so you can have your say!
So for my very first post of the series, I'm going to be talking about how you can take the first steps towards body confidence and self-love.
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Something I've been insecure about my whole life is my body. I've always been naturally skinny and I used to get a lot of comments about it as I was growing up. A lot of people used to tell me I looked like a 'stick' and that I 'need to eat more'. I know that they never meant it in a horrible way, but I couldn't help but feel upset about it.
I just want to make it clear that I was never bullied and no one ever made fun of me for my weight or the way I looked. People often complimented me on it, but it was the little comments people made, often with good intentions, that made me feel insecure. I never even had boobs or a bum until I was in my late teens and I hated that I was such a late developer! Even now, I'm still a small size but I've learnt to love my body shape and embrace the 'flaws' I used to be so self-conscious about.
I know it's hard at the time, but it's important to remember that puberty, growth and development happens at different times for everyone. There's no set age or date that girls will wake up and BAM they've hit puberty, the same as there's no set body shape. Everybody's different and that's the most important thing to remember!
In todays society, it's difficult to be happy with the way you look when there are so many different pressures on young girls. Instagram shows us the best sides of peoples lives, but what you don't see is the amount of pictures they had to take to get that perfect one or all the different angles they attempted in order to find the most flattering. The truth is, nobody looks perfect 24/7 and Instagram hides that so well.
An unbelievable amount of pressure is put on women, through the use of the media, to have the 'perfect' body. From perfume to cars, women's bodies are used to sell products. In all forms of media, women's bodies are photoshopped into the 'perfect' body that (according to the media) we should all aspire to have.
The only problem with this is that it's fake. No woman will ever be able to achieve the perfection seen on TV and in magazines, not even the models themselves, because the image itself is not real! Women's bodies are constantly reshaped into the idealistic body that men crave and women wish they could achieve. Because of this, a woman's value is based on their body and because these images are plastered everywhere you look, many young girls self-worth become based on these unrealistic body standards that they will never be able to achieve.
Young girls all around the world are constantly pressured to live up to societies confusing expectations of prettiness and having the perfect body, hair etc. It's come to the point where we're obsessed with our looks and the struggle to be 'perfect'.
But there's no such thing as perfection or imperfection - we're all human and we come in all different shapes and sizes.
For most people, having confidence in their appearance is hard. You're always going to find something that you don't like about the way you look, but the chances are no one else is going to notice it - or something that you might hate about yourself, another person may love.
No one is ever going to be 100% happy with their appearance and it will take time to start to see yourself more positively, but starting notice the things you like about yourself will improve your confidence so much.
If you're struggling with body confidence or self-love, remember that there is no perfect size or shape. It's the uniqueness within each person that makes you beautiful and no one should strive to achieve a body type designed by the media to make young girls and women question themselves.
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