When do you feel most beautiful?

I feel most beautiful when I am surrounded by my friends and family. Especially my boyfriend. He has gone a long way to tell me every day how beautiful I am to him, even when I am just in sweatpants and a t-shirt. When I am with these people I feel safe and loved and confident to be myself because I know they will love me no matter what. I also really happen to love when my cheekbones are a tad bit sunburnt and my face is covered in new freckles :)

How do you feel the media’s portrayal of women’s bodies influences women’s body image?

I think it is hard for women and young girls to see past all of the photoshopping and retouching that happens to every single image out there. It is easy to look at a magazine and feel inadequate because there is absolutely no possible way to look like the celebrities we see there because they have all been photoshopped into creatures with physical features that would not physically and healthily support a human body. But instead of realizing this, girls just feel too fat, or too skinny, or too tall, or too freckly or whatever it may be, and that is very harmful. 

What does self love mean to you?

Self love is something that I struggle with daily. There are days when I look in the mirror and think “damn girl you look amazing today”, but there are certainly many days where I look in the mirror and I can’t help but nitpick and think “well, your stomach could be flatter; if only your thighs were smaller and more toned; why does my butt have to look like this; why can’t i just look like _____” As much as I hate to admit it, the bad days seemingly outweigh the good ones. But as I grow older, I have been better able to accept the fact that I will never be a size 0 or a size 2, probably not even a size 6 pant size because my hips are simply not made for that… quite frankly I would probably look ridiculous in that size pant because i’d have a massive and unhealthy thigh gap. I think learning to accept your body for what it is (in my case wide hips and muscular thighs) is the first step to self love. 

How do you feel negative body image affects a woman in her daily life?

Because I have not always been blessed with a positive self image, I have learned first hand that self esteem issues and social issues can arise. I have never really felt like I fit in with what the other girls I have been surrounded with looked like. I have always felt larger and more awkward, like I took up too much space in a room. Luckily, I made a really good friend before I developed confidence issues with this matter, and that friend has stuck with me for most of my life. I felt inadequate, like I didn’t have the right to talk to or make friends with the girls who I perceived to be prettier than I do, or I felt like they looked down on me immediately because I didn’t look like them. I am sad to say that I still struggle with this, even in college I am sometimes afraid to talk to girls who I think are prettier, or thinner, or more fit than I am because I am afraid they will judge me for how I look. And while, thankfully, most of the girls I have met are bigger than that and have been beyond kind and supportive… unfortunately this is not always the case and I have been met with sneers and snide glances and comments which hurts me a lot. For me, fitting in and finding confidence to be myself have been my greatest struggles as side effects of my self image. 

What's a personal experience with body image that you would like to share?

I have seen a lot in the media lately about different campaigns started by women of all different backgrounds, ethnicities, body types, and weights promoting acceptance and love of one’s own body. And while I am watching those campaigns I am saying to myself, “Hell yes! You go girl, preach!”. And I am able to carry that sense of confidence around with me for a while. That is… until I decide to go shopping. I am all for loving myself, and learning to accept my body for what it is, I have been trying very hard lately to do this. But accomplishing that goal is made nearly impossible for me when I go into a store and I am defined by a number that is usually at the bottom of the piles of clothing or sometimes kept in the back. I don’t know what stores are afraid of with putting that number out for sale, but none of the stores I typically like seem to be comfortable doing this. How on earth am I supposed to be comfortable with my body when something so basic and simple as clothing is not made for my body type? I understand that it is impossible to make a universal jean that fits everyone… but i highly doubt that the straight leg, tight, and tiny jean is closest to what everyone can accommodate. I would feel a billion times better about my body if I were able to feel comfortable and confident shopping for my clothing, and if I were ever able to find clothes that truly fit me well. Again, I am all for these “love your body” campaigns, but I seriously think that these campaigns will fail unless someone gets the fashion industry’s attention and makes a change. I am coming to love my body, and I think many girls are on that same journey… i just wish society would follow suit and make it easier for us to achieve that goal.