The Highs And Lows Of Body Confidence

Here we have some photos of me in my underwear and let me tell you that even a couple of years ago, I'd have laughed in your face if you told me that I'd even think about sharing images of my bare skin. Don't get me wrong, I realise that I'm definitely considered slim and my body type is constantly celebrated and glorified, on social media, on TV and on virtually every advert going and because of this sometimes I feel a bit....well, wrong discussing an issue like body confidence. Larger body shapes are systematically shamed and excluded, with slimness being considered "normal" and "beautiful", weight loss being applauded at every turn and constant pressure on us to look a certain way. People like Grace Victory and Callie Thorpe discuss this way more eloquently than I ever could and it's thanks to influencers like them that I truly understand the problem of fat-shaming in modern society. However, here I want to focus on body confidence in general because I think we can all agree that no matter your size, shape, height, weight, race or anything else, we all suffer from body confidence lows and it can be difficult to deal with.

My body is something I've always had been very self-conscious of and I know I'm certainly not alone in this. I don't think I've ever met anyone who is truly, truly happy and comfortable in their own skin and that is incredibly sad. We're constantly tearing ourselves apart, emphasising our flaws and faults and forgetting the things we love about ourselves. We're conditioned to deny compliments, taught that we shouldn't be "full of ourselves" because god forbid we feel comfortable in our own bodies right? 

*UNDERWEAR SET: c/o FREYA 

For me, I gained more confidence as I grew older. As a teen, I absolutely tore myself to pieces. I didn't like to wear bikinis on holiday because I was worried about my "outie" belly button, I didn't wear low cut tops because of my itty bitty little boobies, I wouldn't wear crop tops and it took me so long to let anybody at all see me with no top on. As I've grown older, more mature and wiser, I've grown more comfortable in my body and in a way, I think social media has helped me in that respect. People like Grace and Callie are absolute angels for this, speaking out and encouraging all kinds of self love and I adore Callie's The Confidence Corner Instagram page, an account dedicated to showcasing all types of beauty, both inside and out. Confidence is not tearing other people down to raise yourself up. It's accepting that you look good and other people look good too and it ain't a competition. I have way too many days where I feel like shit, where I look at stunningly beautiful people on Instagram and feel like a pasty potato and I'm trying to get past those days. I put on my favourite underwear, do my hair and make-up exactly how I like it, take some banging selfies and try to get back into sass mode but it's definitely hard. Body confidence is a journey for sure and I know if we all had attitudes like Grace and Callie, the world would be a much brighter place.

What do you do when you're not feeling great about yourself?

Amy x