Recently I shared an image of myself in a short skirt and received an influx of messages thanking me for posting it. Why? Because my legs are covered in a whole host of scars, ranging from large pigmentation patches (always wear suncream!) through to small dents and dark spots. I had hundreds of girls telling me that they hadn’t seen a blogger with legs which had scars like theirs and they found it inspiring that I got mine out with pride.
This is the sad reality of the online world. Often the images we see on social media are edited within an inch of their life. Most influencers use apps like “facetune” or “photoshop” to smooth out their limbs, remove any pimples, define their abs and whiten their teeth. (They can even change the shape of their body!). As a result, we get a distorted perception of what normal people look like.
Should we all be perfectly smooth, silky and blemish free with sculpted muscles like the girls on instagram? I am a “girl on instagram” and let me tell you, I have a whole host of so-called imperfections:
- My bum cheeks are covered in white stretch marks which show in every bikini I wear.
- My thighs are dimpled with cellulite which shows when I walk, run, sit or stand.
- My legs are scattered with numerous scars.
- My face is covered in acne scars and hyper pigmentation.
- My nose is large and “hooks” at the end.
- My teeth are wonky.
- I bite my nails.
And thats to name just a few.
I am here to show you that every single person has what society dictates are “flaws”. But what even is a flaw? Why do we see these features as negatives? As I have grown older and become more comfortable in my skin I honestly just see them as part of who I am. I never really think of them or notice them. They don’t define me, they don’t define my confidence and they certainly don’t define my happiness.
I wear shorts with pride, showing off my scars. I pull my bikini bottoms up high, revealing my cellulite and stretch marks. I often skip on makeup, turning up to meetings with my acne scars on show. And I don’t photoshop my instagram posts, I share myself as I am.
Why? Because this is me and I am proud of who I am, and I hope I can inspire you to be proud of who you are too.
