We LOVE everything about the skin/ body positivity movement. Why? Because it’s all about loving ourselves the way we are. We all have flaws, or things we don’t like about our skin or our bodies… but why should these dislikes cause us insecurity or self-doubt?
The body positive movement inspires us to be our best, most confident version of ourselves, even on bad skin days, or when we hate how our clothes fit. The movement is about seeing ourselves and what we have to offer as a whole person, with all of our beautiful qualities as well as our funny quirks.
Here are some top tips for feeling your best self and rocking your skin!
@josephineelaine
Top tips from @josephineelaine:
"You are more than your skin! Stop comparing your skin to skin you see on social media because most of the time, it’s not real skin. Filters, photo editing apps, skin smoothers, the clone tool etc are used now more than ever, which means a lot of people are comparing themselves to unrealistic beauty standards.
It’s normal to see pores.
It’s normal for your skin to have texture.
It’s normal to have smile lines.
It’s normal to have acne."
Maia from @its_just_acne
We asked Maia...
What are your top tips for improving your self-esteem?
Firstly, please don’t compare yourself to photoshopped images. Social media is not real life. Secondly, there will be many ups and downs through life but it’s so important to make yourself a priority. Do things for you. Never listen to the negative opinions that others may have and try your hardest to talk to yourself like you would a best friend.
How do you deal with the ups and downs?
I’ve had many downs throughout life. I was severely bullied in secondary school and this affected me for many years.
As soon as I left school, I focused on myself and practised self-love.
If you are having a bad day, don’t feel guilty because of this. No day will be the same.
There is always a light at the end of the tunnel, just remain strong.
Your skin is healing every single day.
Acne will never define you. You’re more beautiful than you can imagine.
How did you gain confidence in your skin?
I have always struggled with confidence. I’m quite a shy girl but force myself to do things that get me out of my comfort zone. In school I was exceptionally shy, to the point even making and receiving phone calls from strangers was a real struggle for me. I then decided to push myself to not be so fearful of things. Another one of my fears was showing my real skin to the world and this is something I wanted to face. In September of last year I made my very first post on my acne positivity page. I didn’t think anyone would notice but since that day, I get hundreds of messages from people around the world, telling me that I helped them to love themselves. This warms my heart. If I can help just one person, this means I’m doing my job. Feel the fear and do it anyway!
Heather from @myfaceplusacne
How to be more confident in your skin...
Top tips from Heather:
"I am not acne free but I am free to…
Love my skin regardless of the spots or scars
Feel the sun on my skin without hiding under layers of make up
Leave the house make up free and feel confident
Challenge unrealistic beauty standards
Educate my friends and family about acne, it’s causes, how it made/makes me feel and that it’s completely normal
Don’t let society’s unrealistic ideas of beauty stop you from being free. I wasted far too many years trying to conform to these unrealistic beauty standards and it made me miserable. You are free to be you - just as you are ♥️"
@chantelle.alison
We asked Chantelle...
How did you learn to love your skin?
I started to change the way I spoke to myself in the mirror, when my skin would flare up I would put on my favourite song and dance while I did my skin care routine every morning and say positive affirmations to myself in the mirror. I would tell myself that I am beautiful, intelligent, caring and compassionate. After a while the voice in my head wasn’t so harsh anymore. I started working out In the gym a couple years ago, the more I started to take care of my body, the more confident I became, the more grateful I was for my body and the joy life can bring.
What advice do you have for someone who is feeling insecure about their skin and letting it affect their social life?
You are more than just your skin. Let your personality shine and others will see you for who you truly are. You will start to attract people who are interested in getting to know you and your skin won’t matter to them because they will be too busy noticing your smile and the way your eyes light up when you’re talking about something you love. There are good people out there, you need to put yourself out there to find them. Write down a list of things you are good at and that you love about yourself and read that list every time you feel insecure.
Every skin journey is different. How do you deal with the ups and downs?
My skin journey has been a roller coaster, when my skin has its flare ups it can be upsetting, I’ll cry and let it all out and then I’ll take deep breaths and calm myself down. Once I’ve calmed myself down, I will go for a walk, listen to my favourite playlist and take in the beauty around me. I’ve also been following more people on Instagram who have similar skin problems as I do because knowing that I’m not the only one going through it makes me feel less alone and talking about it to people who understands helps a lot.