Own your body

Body image. You can toy with it, look at yourself in the mirror and start nitpicking. We all are different and to be honest, thank God! Can you imagine how uncomfortable it would be, if we were all the same copy? Boring!! Oh, here is the 20871523452416.09.05 version of the prototype. Yes, I am grateful this world doesn’t exist.

One of the first big problems, when you do not feel comfortable with your own skin, is the subject of the clothes. What to buy, where to buy it from and how to wear it. And even when you finally decide to indulge in some shopping, you hesitate to wear your new skirt, since you do not believe it looks good on you. Well, stop. No, really. Look at me. Take a deep breath and go in front your full bodied mirror. We are in this together, honey. Look at yourself. What do you see? Is it big thighs? Or maybe too long of a torso? Are you seeing big tummy, bad skin or very broad shoulders? If that is the case, you are one of the millions of fabulous humans out there that do not understand their worth. You see, we are not only skin, bones and hair. We are so much more. You have an amazing sum of memories, beautiful body and mind, gorgeous soul and mistakes. Everything you have encountered has given you all the tools, that are unique to you. You should be so proud of how you look, because it is all a matter of a subjective point of view. What you see as a flaw, someone else wishes it was theirs. Own it. Own your body and smile. Today we embrace all the bodies out there and it feels so good. No matter what is bothering you, you are stunning. Inside and out. Struggling with what you see is natural, but that should not be the case. Whoever said that you have to be of a specific size or height to be considered beautiful is wrong. As I said, we are meant to be different. We all have our baggage and parts of ourselves we do not particularly enjoy, but loving yourself takes time. When you get to that final stage of acceptance, though, it is so worth it. The feeling of freedom and happiness is overwhelming and you know you can conquer the world. It will be a rocky road and every day even the smallest win is magnificent. You don’t need anyone to tell you how you feel or bully you on how to perceive how you look. Rely on yourself and take that first step. So, today we are going to try something new. Look in that scary-looking mirror, that has the tendency of making your knees weak, and say :” I AM A WONDERFUL AND BEAUTIFUL PERSON. NO FLAWS ARE ENOUGH TO BRING ME DOWN, BECAUSE THEY SIMPLY DON’T EXIST. I OWN MY BODY AND SOUL AND I AM HAPPY WITH WHAT I SEE”. It will take less than a minute, trust me. Don’t be afraid. I had to talk myself up for years and I finally got to the point where no camera or mirror scares me. I told you, it will get personal, darlings.

I could keep going, but today I will finish with a picture of myself. In the past, I could start pin pointing everything wrong with it. But now, I am happy in my own skin and I even pose for the camera. A little slaying never hurt anyone, am I right?! I decided to wear long black leggings, with cut on the calf boots, big printed shirt with a white cardigan. See, this is where somebody could have said “Kallia, leggings and a bold print? Maybe you should opt for something different”. Well, being the person I am I would smile and politely ask them to use their opinion for something useful. Like educating themselves! I believe you can be anyone you want and wear anything you wish for that matter and still look radiant and absolutely fashionable. Today’s lifestyle has objectified everything and I think it’s time for a change. So, next time you like something, but feel like it wouldn’t match your body figure, think again.

Stay fashionable (and happy with yourself),
Kallia Manika