I don’t really do this often..but…this is a special occasion. Today is #internationalwomensday and #selfiesunday so i’m gonna do this; so this #selfie is a little different today obviously. I’m not going to add a filter…and also, I’m smiling. My real smile.

Usually in my pictures I’m smirking or just giving a small smile, to show my dimples, as I’d usually put it. However, the reason I actually do this, is because I’ve never really been comfortable with my smile. I’ve never really liked it.

Also, my teeth are quite yellow…obviously. I drink quite an obnoxious amount of coffee, so I’ve stained them fairly permanently. And yes, I’ve tried to whiten them, I’ve gone to the dentist and had them cleaned only to end up here at this point again.

And my hair is quite curly as you can tell also, that’s right. My hair is curly, tangled and unmanageable. And I love it. For years, I hated my hair. I wanted to have straight hair like my sister has, I tried to straighten it everyday to avoid it being this way. But, now I actually spend a good hour in the mornings on the weekends, to do my hair and make it even more curly. I absolutely adore my curls. They make me, me.

Of course, I have lipstick on, I’ve actually grown to enjoy it. But that’s all. I don’t normally wear makeup anymore. I spent quite a lot of years covering my whole face in concealer and painting my whole face one solid color to cover everything up; i.e. pimples, freckles, pores, blackheads, stray hairs, scars, etc. I had gotten used to not showing anyone my bare face however I tried to deny it. I’m sure everyone could tell. I didn’t know how to actually use makeup. Technically, I still have no idea how.

But, the more I think about it, the more I enjoy the way my face looks without makeup on it. I love the bunch of freckles on the bridge of my nose. I don’t mind having visible pores on my cheeks. Everyone has pores. It’s a known fact. I don’t get a lot of pimples or blackheads anymore but when I do, I don’t like to cover them unless I have to. My skin is very sensitive and it will breakout even worse with lots of makeup.

The more I get to know my face, the more I am absolutely in love with it. Nobody else has this face, unless…I somehow become the victim of a creepypasta and someone starts wearing my face as a mask;

ANYWAYS..point is, nobody looks like me, there’s only one me. And I love me.

That said, since it is international women’s day, I feel it’s very imperative that I go into detail here. As a woman, (wow yeah that sounds weird..I’m not a grown up! I’m a child….I’m sure I’m only twelve. No, joking! Joking!) I want to be able to have some positive impact somewhere, which is hard when you don’t know exactly how to do it.

But, I grew up with lots of different, but strong women in my life. I didn’t grow up looking up to women celebrities, however strange that seems. But somehow.. I didn’t. I grew up with a clear understanding that real women didn’t look like celebrities. They look like my mum, my grandmothers, aunts, cousins, neighbors, teachers. I had a mindset as a kid that helped me separate real people from the ones photo shopped in the magazines.

However, now I catch myself sometimes wishing I was thinner, taller, tanner, had whiter teeth or straighter hair.. And that’s something I know I grew into because it’s a learned behavior for women. Growing up, we watch adults, teenagers and even our peers talk down to themselves and we start thinking this is normal behavior.

Young girls, are learning this younger and faster now. Insecurity is bombarding them from all sides and peer pressure is getting worse the more we just ignore these and pass them off as “normal behaviours” for girls and women to all have at one point or another.

All women and girls hate at least one thing about themselves. All of us. There is at least one thing. And that’s a dangerous thing. We all know it is. But it’s internalized, learned and practiced. Almost instinctual.

So, today, instead of saying, I wish I looked like this, or had this, or was this or that…blah blah blah. I’m gonna list 4 things I love about me, that are just something I love about me. And I encourage all women and men, (because we’re all in this together) to do the same. Because it’s important to always love yourself. There is only one you.

1. I love the freckles on the bridge of my nose.
2. I love the birthmark on the back of my leg that looks kind of like a lumpy heart.
3. I love my one pointed ear.
4. I love the scar on the side of my neck.

#lovemyselfie #selfiesunday #selfie #lovemycurls #curlyhairdontcare #curls #lipstick #lipstickselfie #loveyourself #internationalwomensday