Day 16: Views on your Outward Appearance #26DayBloggingChallenge

Look, we all have our insecurities.

For example – I feel that I am riddled in stretch-marks. My bum is flabby, my thighs too wobbly. I cannot stand my toes, the big toes are too big and the others look like stumps. The nails are awful… I won’t even start on my wrinkled old-looking hands and brittle finger-nails. My nose is too big, my chin too prominent. I cannot stand my freckles and my hair is damaged beyond repair from so much chemical treatment. My boobs are too small, my knees too knobbly, my legs too short. I feel stumpy – it’s not just my toes!!! I’m incredibly self-concious about the right hand side of my face where I have a disfigurement that I usually cover with my hair. No one else really notices it – but I do. It drives me crazy and it is the biggest cause for my low self-esteem.

My low self-esteem got to a stage of being so bad that I wouldn't wear a bikini without board-shorts covering my legs. Yet now, I go and model in front of 50+ women for a charity event, advertising airbrush tans!!!

 I was SO worried about the smallest little things and no one could understand why. Now I realize my body isn't bad.

Yes, I have stretch-marks.

Yes I'm not perfect - but no one is!

What you see in magazines of all those glamorous celebs is all air-brushing, photo-shop, plastic!! That isn't real!

We are the real women of today - and I recently heard this:

"Real women have stretch-marks and cellulite. Without it, you aren't a real woman!"

Now I'm not saying that this is the mind-set you need to adopt and suddenly pig out and become a major fatty.

Have respect for your body! Treat it like a temple.

Exercise, eat healthy - but still indulge every so often!   

It’s funny how you instantly start blabbing about your flaws though, isn't it?

A while ago I watched this incredible Dove advert. Watch it below – it brought tears to my eyes.

There are good things about my outward appearance too – but people never really focus on the good things about themselves do they?? That’s the sad thing. We all just seem to solely focus on the negative!

Some of my good physical qualities include my eyes. I love the colour as they remind me of the ocean. My smile is bright and vibrant. I have curves in all of the right places and pretty cool curly hair when I leave it to be natural and don’t GHD it (which I do more often than not...). I have plump, pink lips and pretty perfect teeth. I’m blessed with a gorgeous olive skin-tone. My skin is good, I don’t suffer from acne and rarely get spots.

I’m looking down at myself now in between typing this and trying to find other things I like. It’s hard.

I think that everyone, myself included, needs to focus on self-love.

No one is perfect – but you aren’t ugly.

What defines ‘good looking?’

Everyone has a different type – and everyone will find something else beautiful and that is one of life’s most incredible blessings.

Give YOURSELF a chance!!!