Today's the day! The sun is shining and everything is going to be okay! Got a bit side tracked there...didn't I! Anyway, enough of that! Today is the first ever guest post for the #SpeakUp series! The first email I received was from Charlie! Today Charlie is going to be kicking off the series with a discussion on the very important topic of body image and accepting yourself. This is such an important topic that affects so many people. young, old, boy, girl- the whole lot! Which is why it needs to be talked about so much more! I am so glad Charlie picked this as one of the first topics, I am sure Charlie's advice will be very helpful and beneficial to so many other people out there!
" Body Confidence is a major part of young people's lives, it's very easy to get carried away with wanting the perfect body, especially when most magazines include models with unrealistic body image. It was only a few months ago that I was also struggling with my body image, but with the support from my friends and family, I slowly overcome and now I don't feel as bothered about being too 'thin' anymore!!
Nobody's perfect, there I said it. But I'll tell you what, every single one of you reading this are perfect in your own individual way. There are so many unrealistic body images around of what women have to look like. Personally, I think it's ridiculous that we are expected to look a certain way because no matter our size we are all beautiful!!
Although I'm all for a bit of exercise, I only believe you should do it for you and only you!! It doesn't matter what your friends or others think if you're happy with your body then don't feel like you have to change it due to peer pressure!! Some days when you're not feeling your best, put yourself in front of a mirror and think 'I Am Beautiful' doing little things like complementing yourself can instantly make you feel that little more confident!!
I want to quickly finish this post by saying You Are Beautiful, every single one of you reading this is beautiful in your own individual way and don't let anyone tell you different. Just strut your stuff with your head held high!!"
I second everything Charlie says in this post! As I have also been through periods of having quite a negative perception of my own body image, I can relate to everything she says! Size really does not matter! If you want that last piece of cake, go and have that God dam last piece of cake. It's not going to kill you! It's important to do things in moderation, although I may need to practise what I preach here, balancing healthy and unhealthy, is definitely needed! You should never be defined, or let anyone define you by the number on the clothing tag. Rip it out! Cut it off! Do whatever! It doesn't matter as long as you are happy. Don't let your own perceptions, stop you enjoying the good times!
Thank you very much for Charlie for being the first guest writer in the series and for writing such a positive and helpful post!
If you would like to contribute to the #SpeakUp series by writing your own guest post on a topic you think affects young people's health and wellbeing, that you have been through. You can find out more details HERE or drop me an email at thriftyvintagefashionbusiness@mail.com and I will get back to you as soon as possible!
I really hope that lots of you will be able to join in with the Twitter chat between 8-9pm using #SpeakUp where we will be discussing body image and accepting yourself further!
How do you cope with negative body image? What do you do to make yourself feel more confident? Let me know in the comments below!
Thank you for reading, as always x
