New Year, New (Improved) You…
That’s usually the consensus at this time of the year, with many of us making resolutions and looking forward to starting over in the new year.
Some of us are still struggling with self-confidence and love and we hope the new year brings you more peace of mind, love and happiness for yourself and others.
Going into 2017, we wanted to inspire you to look ahead feeling empowered and hopeful for the new year. So we reached out to 7 body positive influencers in the plus size world to offer their advice on loving yourself more in the new year and starting a love affair with yourself:
#1: ShaKera of The Real Sample Size
“In 2017, we should focus on self-love and self-motivation. Let’s dig deep within and challenge ourselves to new heights. Self-love, self-care, and self-awareness should be our goal to be the best Body We Can Be.”
#2: Beth of One Fabulous Mama
“Be kind to yourself! None of us have it 100% together. Our lives change as we walk our paths. We change with the journey, in our own time, at our own pace. Self love and radical self acceptance go hand in hand. How do we heal though, undo a lifetime of negative self talk? With practice. Reach out, reach in, be aware of who you are, who you want to be, and who you are becoming. That fierce warrior woman, the rock star, super hero, goddess… she’s simply there, waiting for you to embrace her as often as you can.”
#3: Marquis of Marquimode.com
“There is no shame in having a body, no matter what size or shape, so remember what you can do with it. Experiment with a new clothing style, dye your hair, wear a bright color, get a spray tan, try out a crop top, paint your nails, don’t be afraid to be yourself and do whatever makes you happy. Remember that your body is beautiful and you are worthy of celebrating it.”
#4: Alysse of Ready to Stare
“For 2017, I want people struggling with self acceptance to focus on learning to love themselves and tuning out opinions from others about what they choose to eat, wear, say and generally do by existing as a plus size person in a fatphobic society. Everyone has an opinion but the one that matters most is the opinion you have about yourself! Focus on learning to love yourself without apologies. The more that we can, as a society, learn to just let others live their own lives without conditions, the better!”
#5: Chardline of Plus Size Beausion
“Your body is yours and no one else’s. You are the only person who has to wake up to your body, and you are the only person who has to deal with it too. Don’t let society and people who project their insecurities onto you tell you, how to handle YOUR BODY. It’s okay not to like what you see, and you won’t feel 100% every day. Just make sure those feelings are coming from you and not because someone else made you feel this way.There’s always room for change if you want to change. The era of people policing our bodies and telling us how we should feel about decisions we make for our bodies ends now!”
#6: Ady of iam_adydelv
“When you feel down or others put you down with their words or actions, just remember you are a person too and you can be and feel amazing on your own. Pick yourself up, head held high, put something cute on and just live carefree, live for you. Your flaws makes you unique and it’s what makes you special so use them to your advantage.”
#7: Corissa of Fat Girl Flow
“The thing about loving yourself and knowing your worth, is that it doesn’t exactly make you automatically feel smoking hot every second of every day. But you still live and know that you love yourself unconditionally. For far too long, I was held back by the idea that my life would not start until I lost weight. I was sure I would be happier if my body changed, I was certain that happiness was this magical thing that only people with abs and perfect complexions experienced. I was seriously misguided. I realized that there is no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ body shape. We all deserve the right to wear whatever makes us happy and live life as we are.”
Follow us on social media @plusmodelmag and let us know how you will love yourself more and be more body positive in 2017!