Appearance and Self-Image

I believe that most teenagers struggle with their self-image and appearance, especially in today's society. Even I struggle with it! According to a study published in the June issue of the Journal Body Image and reported by Cosmopolitan, found that only 28% of men say they're "extremely satisfied" with their appearance, compared to 26% of women. This study shows that many people are insecure or unhappy with their appearance. 🙁

The upsetting thing is that society has become so toxic on self-image that young girls and boys are being influenced to look a certain way. Today, society has built an unrealistic stereotype that people try to follow to be accepted by others. There is nothing more disturbing and upsetting than that. ☹️ Imagine your child going on extreme diets at such a young age or hiding their body because they aren't happy with their appearance. Think about how you would feel if your child thought in that mindset. It hurts, doesn't it? 😕

We all definitely want to feel happy about our appearance without caring how someone else will perceive us, so what can we do to fix this issue? ☀️ We can do a few things, but overall it takes time, patience, commitment, and an open mind. Nothing comes instantly, so if you want something, you have to work for it, even when it comes down to your looks. 🙂

The first thing we can do is change our mindset. ✨ I've mentioned this many times in basically all of my blogs, and that's because having a positive, open mindset is beneficial in daily life. ☀️ For example, stop thinking you have to lose weight to fit into clothes, start thinking about clothes that can work for you. Don't adjust yourself for the world. Let the world adjust to you. Small changes like that can make a significant impact on the way you see yourself. 😄

Another thing we can do is fake it until we make it. In my power of presence blog, Amy Cuddy mentioned how we have to not fake it till we make it, but fake it till we become it, in terms of building our presence. I also wrote a blog on this, you can check it out: http://wix.to/oEBYCFY?ref=2_m_cl We can do the same thing for the way we look at ourselves! 😄 Saying positive affirmations in the mirror in the morning can help boost your confidence, as well as your own perspective of your looks. ☀️ Saying things like "You look amazing today" or "Your body is beautiful" can help you be comfortable with your insecurities. You may not mean what you say at first, but with time and determination, you'll start to believe it, and even better - you will become comfortable and happy with your appearance. ✨

Lastly, learn to love yourself. ❤️ Self-love is so important in today's society, considering how cruel our world has become. Try forms of self-care, like painting your nails, getting ready just for the fun of it, or journaling, anything to focus on yourself. ☀️ You deserve it, and you are worthy. If you can't love and accept yourself for your imperfections, how can you love anyone else? Learn to accept your flaws and see the beauty in yourself because you are truly one of a kind. You are perfect in your own way. ❤️

Overall, accepting yourself for the way you look is difficult. It really is. I have struggled with my appearance for years, and I still am not happy with myself. I see my friends or people on social media, and I always feel bad about myself. Sometimes I would cry because I couldn't fit into something I liked or because someone would criticize me. ☹️Other times, I didn't even want to go to school because I was scared that people would make fun of me. 😕 However, I try to accept myself for who I am, accept my flaws and imperfections, and try to see the beauty in them. It's not always successful, and that's okay. It takes time. Everything does. 🙂

I hope this blog helps you because this topic is very close to my heart. ❤️ I hope that if you struggle with your looks, this blog encourages you to practice such habits to boost your confidence and make you comfortable in your own skin. ☀️ If you really want to be happy with the way you look, work for it. If you aim at nothing, you hit nothing. ✨ I believe in you, and I support your journey to loving yourself for you. ❤️

Key Tips:

🎯 Positive Affirmations: this helps boost your confidence, which will make you feel better about yourself as a result.

🎯 Open Mind: change the way you think, stop thinking you have to change for something/someone.

🎯 Self-love: practice forms of self-care, find the beauty in yourself, make yourself happy with your insecurities, realize that you are the only one of you, and that's special.

Let me know if you try these tips and if this works for you in the comments below! 👇

#appearance #selfimage #selflove #affirmations #positivity #change