More often than not we find ourselves constantly comparing who we are to the rest of society, and I’m sick of it. Whether it be to celebrities, siblings, significant others, or even your best friends, it’s time to embrace who you are for you.

Over the course of my childhood, especially my teen years, I always compared myself to someone else who had a better nose, or who was more successful at an art form I loved, or my least favorite… someone who was “perfectly skinny.” It’s nothing new in today’s society, but I fear for the next generations to come as our mentality forms to this idea of needing perfection to be happy. Our brains have conformed to this idea that we need to look like Victoria Secret models or Abercrombie models to be happy with ourselves. I’ll be the first to admit that I fell for this mentality among everyone else I was friends with, and it was the worst time of my life thinking about it. Our children will grow up thinking that they need to conform to the Barbie look, and that’s outrageous. I was never happy with myself until I just stopped caring what I looked like, or what guys would think of me.

Please stop thinking you need to be skinny to get people to like you. Embrace your curves, every pudge, and every love handle, you are beautiful. If you think you need a six pack of abs for a girl to want to be with you, that's incorrect. I personally don’t really care what you look like as long as you’re a gentleman, and a lot of women feel the same way. You can’t be happy with yourself until you become comfortable in the skin you were given, and that’s a fact.

Stop looking into a magazine, it's not worth your time. If you feel the urge to go to the gym a million times a day just to get the photoshopped look, stop right there! Being healthy and going to the gym is completely different than over working your body to become something you were never meant to become. Please don't starve yourself either, your body needs the nutrients to maintain energy.

Don't let anyone tell you that you aren't beautiful because of the way you look. This is my number one rule that I have for everyone. Don't ever let anyone tell you to look different or become someone else, it's just not right. Be you, you're perfect the way you are and nobody can take that away from you. Body positivity has taken social media by storm over the past year alone, and I couldn't be any more happy to embrace who I am alongside that hashtag. I challenge each and every one of you to post a photo on social media with the hashtag #bodypositivity, I promise you'll feel amazing after that.

You are who you are for a reason, embrace every piece of you.

XOXO,

Sophia