Today we asked some women to share the one thing they’ve learned to love about themselves.
“I’ve had to learn to love the slow pace of my journey. Things don’t happen for me overnight and I have lived a life of a lot of no’s! I’m not married, I don’t own any property, I don’t have kids and only within the past year have I really started to make strides towards a lucrative career. I’m a human slow cooker. Sometimes when I focus on what I haven’t achieved it hurts but when I think about how much I’ve been able to absorb by moving slow – I’m grateful.” -Shan B.
“I am still learning to love myself for being me every day. I think we all grow up in a world that praises beauty and discards everything else. It has taken a long time for me to accept who I am physically and lean away from comparisons. Our skin, bodies, hair, personal style-it’s all just packaging and learning to love myself despite a weight gain or pimples has been a huge challenge but also, so important.” -Susan A.
“I have had to learn to love my body. Growing up and becoming voluptuous by 4th grade was hard. I had big boobs and thick thighs and I just wanted to run and play outside like other kids. My body felt like a burden. I have come to know it as a blessing. It took me what felt like a long time. These legs and feet have taken me every place I’ve ever been. In order to love my life, I have to give thanks for this body.” -Natalie P.
“I struggled with the sound of my voice. That is such a weird thing, I know, but it was becoming more pronounced as I did more and more media. I would think ‘OMG is that what I really sound like? That is NOT the cool voice I hear in my inner monologue.’ I have had friends confirm that indeed, yes I sound ‘like that.’ This is something that I had to make peace with because it is part of who I am. I know that my message isn’t altered by the sound of its delivery, but every now and then, when I listen to a playback I’m like oh geez haha.” -Megan S.
“My nose. It is large and in charge and I used to always criticize myself for it. However, I have since come to accept it and now I don’t even think about it! I genuinely had to rack my brain to think about what I didn’t love about myself in the past for this question. I am so content with myself right now.” -Zanna V.
“This sounds really silly, but my accent. I grew up in the North of England with a Geordie accent, like my family, and then I won a scholarship to boarding school and got it bullied out of me. At home, people would always tease me for being posh, whereas at school I would be teased for being common. Now I’ve lived in London so long, my accent has adapted and it’s this big mix of everything and I find it hard not to be self-conscious because so much judgement and presumption is based on the way you talk. Now, I remind myself that the way I talk is part of my journey, but I do wish I still had my Northern roots in my voice.” -Ashley J
“My path towards a different career and life than that of my friends.” -Jen G
“I’ve definitely struggled in the body image and body love areas. Learning to understand that self-love comes from the inside, who you are as a person, what you offer to the world, being fueled by something greater than yourself and an appreciation for all the amazing things your body can do for you. That it has to be loved, nurtured and worked in harmony with, not fought against. That has been a huge one for me. And the most valuable.” –Laura Y.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this post.
