Are you thin enough? Are you pretty enough? Are you smart enough?
Society has taught us to value our aesthetics and to live out our lives by comparing ourselves to others. This has created an unhealthy emphasis on our looks. Magazines are plastered with photoshopped slim models, companies are making fortunes off of diet pills and fat reducing fads, and social media plastered with “thinspiration.”
We’ve been taught to shrink ourselves, and to fit a certain mold that barely anyone can achieve. The ideas of masculinity and femininity have shaped our society to define our roles and our looks. This societal pressure endorses eating disorders and poor self-esteem.
Not loving yourself is something you are taught, not born with.
Confidence plays a major role in how you interact with others, and how you feel about yourself. Our self-esteem has been bombarded with “not being good enough”. It’s easy to fall victim to these horrific idealizations we’ve been taught. Self-hatred is something we are taught, not something we are born with.
So why is confidence important? Confidence allows you to have self-assurance in your own abilities or qualities. It eliminates self-doubt and promotes positive self-love and pride. This is essential for a good self-esteem.
Confidence and being able to be comfortable in your own skin takes time.
Personally, I feel best when I have makeup on, with my dyed hair, dressed the way I like. It might not be what’s conventionally praised, but it’s what makes me feel the most confident.
Initially, I was hesitant to dress the way I do but gradually I stopped caring about what others thought. Everybody will have an opinion on how I look, but it’s my view of myself that matters the most. Once I stopped caring about what others think, it felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I gained confidence by staying true to who I was even if what I was doing wasn’t the coolest thing.
Remember, you are more than your looks, or your muscles, or the clothes you wear. You are not defined by the numbers on a scale, or your jean size. You have more to bring to the table like the thoughts in your head, your dreams, and the jokes you tell. Looks and societal expectations are only skin deep, it’s important to remember what’s beyond that.
Struggling with your body image or body confidence? Talk to us.
