Learn to Love Yourself

Unfortunately, plenty of people judge the proverbial book by its cover. Finding differences between humans is easy. We come in all shapes, sizes and colors; it is important to brace who you are. Nowadays, fashion models aren’t the same. They’re no longer just the tall, thin women on the runways; that status quo has gone by the wayside.

You are who you are and your body doesn’t define you. Shopping for plus size clothing isn’t nearly the hassle it used to be. It’s now easy to find  trendy plus size clothing online for affordable pricing. The fashion industry has finally started to catch on to the fact that beauty is diverse. 

That industry is what dictates to the masses what is attractive and that becomes the social norm; for this reason alone, fashion must incorporate vast diversities. 

If the definition of what is beautiful is going to be defined by models and designers, they must include people of all races, religions, shapes and physical abilities. When what is portrayed as “beautiful” doesn’t represent all people, biases and stereotypes are created and reinforced. The only way to avoid the negative body ideals and destroy size and difference prejudice is to make sure all people are represented.

Misconceptions

There are plenty of misconceptions about full-figured women. Some people associate bigger women with being unhealthy, lazy, or desperate. Can you imagine random strangers having preconceived ideas about who and what you are because of the size of the clothing you wear? It sounds pretty ignorant and ridiculous, yet it happens every day.

Just like with women who wear smaller sizes, not all of them love working out. Does that make them lazy? Absolutely not. Your health is not dictated by the shape of your body. Plenty of people who wear smaller sizes have health issues or don’t enjoy going to the gym. 

Also, there are definite discrepancies among clothing sizes. Most designers have very different fittings for the same size. What’s important is to stop judging yourself by the size on a clothing label. People weren’t meant to be identical. Stop berating yourself for being whatever size you are and learn to embrace the skin you’re in.

Embrace Yourself

Self-confidence is sexy. Self-confidence not a number or a size, it’s how you see yourself. More often than not, you’re your own worst critic and biggest enemy. You need to learn to accept yourself. Can you look at yourself in the mirror and smile? Think positive thoughts about your appearance? If not, you need to take steps to fix your self-talk. 

Start small, look at the reflection looking back at you and find two or three things that you like. Find parts of your physical self that you love. If you can, jot these things down and when you look at yourself, focus your attention on these things you like about yourself; do not let your eyes wander anywhere else. 

Be kind to yourself. There is enough negativity that surrounds you. Allow your self talk to be positive and to be your own. Block out things other people have said to you, and form your own positive self-image. Don’t rely on the compliments of others, if you have a negative self-image you won’t believe them anyway. If you see and believe your own compliments to yourself you will not only see them, you will feel them.

Find clothes that flatter your shape and put your best foot forward. If you look good, you feel good. Get rid of the baggy, comfortable clothes and take some time to fix your hair and makeup. When you learn to love and accept yourself, you’ll find the rest of the world won’t seem nearly as critical as you thought.