s the weather warms up, remember you don't need to wait until your body meets a certain standard to wear what you love. You deserve to enjoy the clothes you want right now!
I spent most of my teenage and adult life restricting what I wore, telling myself things like, “When I lose weight, I’ll wear this,” or “As soon as my arms are thinner, I’ll wear this.” Even after losing 100 lbs, I still felt I couldn’t wear those clothes. It took me a long time to realize that the real issue was my lack of confidence, not my body. I needed to change my mindset, not my appearance. I wanted to be confident not just for myself, but for the amazing women in my life, including my friends, family, and especially my little sister.
I NEVER want my little sister to see me hiding parts of my body. I never want her to feel like she can’t wear something, and I never want her to waste as many years as I have restricting how confident she feels in her body. I can’t undo the years of my own self-loathing and restriction, but I can do EVERYTHING in my power to ensure she grows up knowing it’s OK to embrace her body exactly as it is, because she sees ME doing it!
Confidence truly can be contagious. Taking steps to accept and embrace yourself can encourage others to do the same! I know now that I will ALWAYS carry more weight on my arms and legs, I will always have stretch marks, and I will always have cellulite. BUT I will continue to wear whatever makes me FEEL GOOD!
I DESERVE to wear the clothes I want to, and so do YOU! Wear whatever makes YOU feel good, regardless of whether or not you feel like you’re “good enough” yet, because you ALWAYS have been enough. Wear whatever makes YOU feel confident, regardless of the size, because your body is NOT defined by a number and neither should your confidence. Wear whatever YOU feel comfortable in, regardless of what anyone else is wearing, because you are dressing YOUR body, for you!
Rock those shorts, that top, that dress, and remind yourself as many times as you need to that summer DOES NOT have a size!
Love,
