a friendly reminder that there are imperfections behind every instagram post and every blog post and alllll the beautiful photos.
When I received this set and another in the mail from Stronger a few weeks back, I tried them on and immediately felt BLAH. I do NOT look like all the other girls on the Stronger instagram page and website in these sets. I have a weird, short torso (remember this) and I’ve got a little extra love in some places that don’t look that great in this set. BUT, I decided to roll the dice and see how it looked in my shoot with Halle. After all, this set perfectly matched the color scheme for the shoot.
While we were shooting, I definitely did not feel my most confident and quickly rolled thru these shots in order to get through to the good stuff. When I got the photos back from Halle, at first I was upset and a little embarrassed. The sitting pose was nottttt flattering when it came to my stomach and the way the shirt rolled into the leggings and so on. I thought I could not possibly share these with the brand, they would straight up reject them.
But the more I looked at the photos, I reminded myself that it is all about the angles. The standing ones (below) were fine. I don’t hate the way my body looks in my daily life, so why should I hate the way my body looks in these photos? There is all kinds of body positivity happening over on instagram with *instagram vs reality* and if you are following the right people, you get consistent reminders that all of our bodies are different. This is another reminder that there are imperfections behind all of the beautiful photos on instagram and social media. Even last year, I couldn’t have dreamed of posting these photos for people to see. But now, I am confidently posting them as a reminder to myself and to all of you that the struggle is REAL.
We are only human. Of course we are going to compare ourselves to others. It is impossible not to on social media. But, at the end of the day we have to remember to love ourselves, and be kind to ourselves.
On a Q&A that I did over on my personal instagram, someone asked for more raw moments or moments where things didn’t go my way because it looks like my life is perfect. I was FLOORED by this comment because my life is faaaaar from perfect. This year was hard for everyone and I feel personally victimized, like so many of you. I am trying my best to share imperfect moments with you guys, and this post is a reminder to you all that we all have moments of insecurity, anxiety, embarrassment and frustration. And that is a-ok. That is life.
One thing we can do to try to combat our fears and insecurities is continue to lift each other up. Comment on your favorite instagram posts, follow girls who are open and honest and REAL. Respond to stories, DM new social media friends. And for the 100000th time, love yourself. Be unapologetically you. That’s the best version of yourself.
At the end of the day, I am thankful for this Stronger set for another great discovery in self love. Their sets really are the best and I love the message from the brand. Not to mention they are sustainably made.
