To The People Who Think Their Insecurities Aren’t Valid | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

To The People Who Think Their Insecurities Aren’t Valid, They Are And You Are, Too

Guess what. You're valid!

317
To The People Who Think Their Insecurities Aren’t Valid, They Are And You Are, Too
Lynnsey Kwaak

It's inevitable. It's summertime. It's the time of year when we see beaches full of beautiful people flaunting everything they have and perfectly staged Instagram posts meant to commemorate the amazingness of summer.

I'm sure you have seen so many inspirational messages preaching body positivity and loving yourself no matter what you look like. And although I adore and support all the love behind these messages, I always feel like those messages are missing something important.

Let's take a step back for a moment.

Accepting yourself the way you are is easier said than done. There have been numerous times when I wanted to change something about the way I looked. It is so important that everyone knows that if you are not at the point where you love and feel completely confident in your body, that is OK.

Self-love is oftentimes a difficult and nonlinear journey that jerks around in so many unexpected directions. There are days when I feel so beautiful and other days when I don't. That is OK.

You can preach body positivity and self-love all you want—and don't get me wrong, I absolutely believe that everybody and every body is beautiful — but let's not forget that there is still yet to be a significant and consistent representation of all body types in the media and elsewhere. And even if there was, it would simply be an attempt, because let's also not forget that every single body is different.

I feel as though I speak for a lot of people when I say that even though body positivity is becoming more and more present, it is still so difficult to not compare ourselves to others. The idea of the "perfect body" has become so instilled in us that I am worried the damage is beyond repair.

I am very petite, which we have been trained to think is conventionally attractive, but I still do not love how my body looks most of the time. One of my legs is a lot longer than the other and so one of my hips juts out noticeably more than the other. I don't wear a lot of tight clothing for this reason.

People tell me all the time that I shouldn't feel insecure about the way I look, but in my eyes, being reasonably insecure is natural and no one should be afraid to acknowledge that. However, let's not use that as an excuse to bask in self-pity this summer.

Yes, it is OK to not love everything about our bodies, but remember this:

You are beautiful. Every little piece of you. Every single day.

On the days when you have all the confidence in the world and on the days when you have none.

You're allowed to have insecurities no matter who you are, what you have, or what you look like. But regardless of what it may be, it will never detract from your beauty.

Have an amazing summer!

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
campus
CampusExplorer

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

1608
woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 14 Stages Of The Last Week Of Class

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

1062
black marker on notebook

December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 20 Thoughts College Students Have During Finals

The ultimate list and gif guide to a college student's brain during finals.

264
winter

Thanksgiving break is over and Christmas is just around the corner and that means, for most college students, one hellish thing — finals week. It's the one time of year in which the library becomes over populated and mental breakdowns are most frequent. There is no way to avoid it or a cure for the pain that it brings. All we can do is hunker down with our books, order some Dominos, and pray that it will all be over soon. Luckily, we are not alone in this suffering. To prove it, here are just a few of the many deranged thoughts that go through a college student's mind during finals week.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

28 Daily Thoughts of College Students

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

1677
group of people sitting on bench near trees duting daytime

I know every college student has daily thoughts throughout their day. Whether you're walking on campus or attending class, we always have thoughts running a mile a minute through our heads. We may be wondering why we even showed up to class because we'd rather be sleeping, or when the professor announces that we have a test and you have an immediate panic attack.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments