I take photos of myself every day. I have to. It’s part of what needs to be done for this blog. I have taken photos in the daylight, in the pitch black of night, in the snow, in the heat. Regardless of the weather or location, photos of myself with a product I’m reviewing is important for my readers, you guys, to get the full effect.

My mom calls me brave because I am constantly showing what I look like without makeup. As if it’s a badge of honor to show how I walk around my house, and in public, a majority of the time. (In case you don’t know, I really only wear a full face of makeup maybe 3x a week.)

I’m not afraid of showing my face, with or without makeup, every day. A majority of the time, I get more feedback and likes on the photos of me with little to no makeup! What I do struggle with is full body pictures.

I’ve been struggling with the way my body looks since I was in high school. I have had a roller coaster of a relationship with my body since then. I can go months loving everything about my body and just like that, one day I can hate it and feel bad about it.

Every time I see a picture of my body I cringe. Mirror pictures are the worst. It’s always crazy to me how weird mirror pictures are. I’ll be in my room, checking myself out in the mirror, thinking I look cute as hell. I take out my phone to snap a photo and I immediately hate the way I look in it. I wonder all the time if people view my body that they see in the photos, the one that I hate, or the one I see in the mirror, the one I love. I then proceed to spend the next 20 minutes trying to take a flattering full body picture. This exchange usually ends with me getting frustrated and on the verge of tears, giving up on the picture altogether.

It’s something that I’m working on. I’m trying to practice taking more full-body pictures, in order to get myself more comfortable with the outcomes and to learn different angles and techniques. I know that might sound ridiculous, but I promise you, it’s not. That’s how I became more comfortable with taking selfies.

I’m also getting back into running, and I’ll be looking into joining a gym once I can figure out where in my schedule I can fit it. But I won’t be giving up having the occasional ice cream cone (it is summer after all!).

If you’re struggling with your perception of your body or other people’s perception of your body, remember that is just it, a perception. How you view your body might not be the way someone who loves you sees your body. How the haters view your body doesn’t mean that’s the way you have to see your body. Plus, they should not be commenting on your body, to begin with.

I would love to continue talking about this in the comments. Let’s chat. Share your stories. No judgment here, just love.