As a woman, I feel as if it is expected to always be insecure about some part of your body. Society doesn't tell you to love yourself the way you are, it tells you what is wrong with that. We're forced to view advertisements that promote ways to change our bodies to correct what isn't perfect. But there is no such thing as a perfect being so what exactly are we comparing ourselves to?

Nowadays if a woman is confident about her body she is perceived as cocky or conceited. But there is nothing wrong with feeling good about yourself. We are all unique and beautiful in our own way and we should embrace that. Don't fall to the traps of feeling like you need to dislike what makes you different or what doesn't match the models in magazines. Those standards are not real.

There will always be people who have something to say about your appearance or personality. But let them. Let them be so concerned with how you look because they can not face their own insecurities. Don't try to please everyone and conform to society's image of perfection. Those are impossible goals. You will waste so much time and effort trying to achieve the unachievable. Even the most beautiful supermodels and actresses are called out by the media for their imperfections. Realize that the only person you need to please is yourself. It is okay to say aloud that you are pretty or beautiful. In fact, it's more than okay, it's wonderful. Having confidence in yourself correlates to an overall state of happiness and success. It is so important to know your worth. If you don't see it, how can you expect anyone else to? Let people know that you know how amazing you are and they should know it too. Loving yourself just the way you are can be extremely difficult and I personally struggled with it for many years. But when you finally do, you feel invincible.

Together as women we need to encourage one another to recognize her beauty. Although the self love is found within, it doesn't hurt to compliment others to push them in the right direction. We are headed toward a world full of empowered and self-assured women.

Don't be afraid to love and accept yourself. And don't be scared to let people know it. Scream it to the world, "I'm beautiful!" Screw what society says about how you should look. We are moving past that and changing the standards. Know that you are perfect the way you are as long as you are satisfied with yourself. There is nothing wrong with being an empowered, confident woman, who knows what she is worth!