A Letter to My Younger Self About Body Positivity | The Self-Love Revolution: Radical Body Positivity for Girls of Color Monday 11 May, 2020
I received a free copy of The Self-Love Revolution: Radical Body Positivity for Girls of Color in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
We are in interesting times and I have been practicing Self-Love more and more these days. Over the past few years, self-love has been a beautiful buzzword of having high regard for your own well-being and happiness. Self–love means taking care of your own needs and not sacrificing your well-being to please others. In short, don’t settle than what you deserve. I came about this amazing book, The Self-Love Revolution: Radical Body Positivity for Girls of Color that gives us all a strong reminder what this world means for us women.
The Self-Love Revolution: Radical Body Positivity for Girls of Color is written by Virgie Tovar. A beautiful book to push the self-love movement specifically to women of color who can read powerful life lessons and tips to have strong body positivity. Lets be honest, we are in a society that tells us at a young age what beauty looks like. Since it happens at such a young age, self-love can been tarnished in the pre-teen and sometimes not get restored for decades. The beauty standards in America are unrealistic at times and this book is a beauty reminded of what self-love is supposed to look like. This book is beautiful for pre-teens, teen and yes even adults. Inspired by the book, I wanted to write a short letter to my younger self about body positivity.
Dear teenage version of Kiwi,
This is the future adult version of you writing you a letter to reassure your self-esteem stay intact. You are going through a body growth process that might make it seem like you are a late bloomer. Well to society’s term probably you are. It’s ok to not have large breast. I know that bothers you. I know you feel self-conscious about your breast, as many of your peers has surpassed you in that department. I already know your thoughts, you are seriously contemplating breast implants as soon as you can after high school. You feel that will make you more womanly.
I am here to tell you that there is some relief. Your breast will grow slightly, but you will not be in the D cups love. Sorry. It doesn’t matter because your breast size doesnt define you. Don’t feel like your breast size will determine what kind of social circles you will be shunned from or if it will affect your dating life. It wont!
You want to know something amazing that will happen in your adulthood? Your self-esteem will be higher than ever. You will love yourself, your body and yes even your breast size because its YOU. When you grow into your adulthood, the older you get the higher your self-esteem and self-love will grow. You will be natural all around from your hair to your makeup and you wont alter your body. You will not! You will not alter your body because you realize going under the knife is not worth the value of your life and health. You will not put foreign objects inside yourself, in fear and realization that it isn’t permanent and it can potentially lead to fatal health risks.
I want you to know you are ok just the way you are. Bodies come in all sizes and shapes. Whoever like and love you, will love you for who you are and not the shape of your body. You are not lacking. Think of it this way, where you are not as robust in your chest, you are curvy in other places. Trust me your body will fill out into a beautiful womanly shape. Please stop obsessing over your chest size.
I know you are still young, still balancing between childhood and budding adulthood. The best thing you can do while you are growing physically still and mentally, do not compare yourself to your peers. Self-esteem mean you are responsible for your own self-image and not what society deems as attractive. You keeping your self-esteem high now, will benefit you into adulthood. Trust most most adults who didnt figure out self-love as a child/teen will grow up fighting even as a woman. Self-love yourself hard, so that you can be an inspiration to other young girls who are looking up to you. Trust me you will have a lot of young girls who depend of your self-love to inspire them to embrace and love themselves.
Self-love is the best love. Keep growing youre doing great!
Love,
Thirty-something-year-old Kiwi
I could of used a book like this in my teens. I didn’t have severe self-esteem issues as a child, but I was self-conscious about my chest size. I wish I had The Self-Love Revolution: Radical Body Positivity for Girls of Color resource to affirm self-love into myself a little more. Well it never too late to self-love yourself more!
“Virgie Tovar is the badass bestie we all prayed for in middle school. Her new book is a revolutionary manifesto, one that’s essential reading not just for surviving the most toxic parts of modern culture, but also for embracing our own needs and power. Unflinchingly real—with page after page of quote-worthy truth bombs— this book is a delicious call to arms for the next generation of girl rebels.”
—Laurie Santos, professor of psychology at Yale University, and host of The Happiness Lab podcast
This book would make for a great gift for a pre-teen or a teenager. This would make for a great read for many adult women. This is an overall beautiful book for girls and woman who need the reassurance their self-worth and self-love with relatable topics and discussion to keep body positivity strong and powerful. Self-love is always the best love!
WIN A COPY OF THE BOOK
Enter the Giveaway! One of 30 copies of The Self-Love Revolution: Radical Body Positivity for Girls of Color ($10.50-$17.00 ARV). Dates: April 14 – May 19, 2020.
If you are interested in this book The Self-Love Revolution: Radical Body Positivity for Girls of Color please purchase it here.
It’s all about learning to love yourself. Lovely post, thanks for sharing.
Self love is the first step to true happiness. I wont allow anyone body shame me.
I’ve struggled with my weight for most of my life, especially my belly. It’s important to love the body you’re in, it’s the only one you have!
My first reaction to your words after looking at your pictures was, “how could you have a problem with body image when you were so beautiful in every single picture.” And then I thought of all the times since I was a little girl that I was body shamed. Not necessarily because people were mean, but because that is how our culture thinks. Good for you that you were able to rise above. We should all write this letter to our younger selves as well as our daughters!
Self-love, self-care must always come first. You are pretty in a different way.
I can relate to this post. I have so many things that I could have said to my younger self. Now I am trying to teach my daughters, hopefully, they listen.
I wish my younger self could have been told this. It is tough to love yourself when you don’t feel good about yourself. Its amazing how much you change when you grow up and when you reflect back you realize how much time you wasted not being happy.
This is such a wonderful message on self-love. You are beautiful in many different ways.
Self love is Natural behaviour
hi
The Self-Love Revolution: Radical Body Positivity for Girls of Color, indeed the topic of the book and the theme is so relevant in today’s age of being glam all the time and on Instagram
Growing up, people around you would always have something to say (like “you’re too thin” or “you’ve grown big”, etc). But self-acceptance is the most important thing.
I really need to get this for my daughter. I feel like she is struggling with self love right now.
What a beautiful letter to yourself. I should write one as well because it took me ten years to be happy with my body. I have wider hips and big-boned, but I wasn’t too happy about that as a teen. I always wanted to be thin but no mater what healthy dieting and exercise I could do, I am going to be the same.
I really struggled when I was younger with body positivity. I wsh I would have known better back then.
Self love is one of the best love one person could get. Better have this one before loving others
an outstanding message to your younger self…. everyone should keep self love on the first coz nothing else matters more than yourself….
We should not let the criticisms of others bring us down. We should love ourselves more than anything else
Self-love and positivity are factor help you out when things are hard.
What a great idea. Cathartic practice. I wish I could tell my younger self SO many things. (Would I have listened, though? Lol. Not sure.)
Self-love is the first step for others to love you back. I am teaching that to my girls.
To my younger self, I would say: someone is always going to find something wrong with you so you might as well just be yourself. Don’t succumb to the negativity, you have so much to live for
This is such a great idea! I be there’s a lot that we’ve learned to tell our younger self
You look amazing!! I’m so glad body positivity is thriving now, we need more people like you.
You look gorgeous. Nothing is more beautiful than confidence! I had a difficult time with my self esteem in high school, I think that’s fairly common. More girls need this kind of encouragement.
You are really beautiful gorgeous and you have a good shape body. Self love is the best choice for me no matter what it is. Nice post.
I never dream of being a copy of another, that will be horrible. Everyone is unique and beautiful.
Self-love is a powerful message that we should impart to younger girls (and boys). Instead of criticizing ourselves we should appreciate more.
I always say”if you can’t love yourself, you’ll never love anyone” you first have to love yourself before you can love anyone else.
Self love is important before love anyone else. This is great post. Accepting and loving self is the first thing we should concentrate on.
The day I stopped following the societal path I began to realize my potentials. Thanks, this will go a long in helping a lot of people not only the ladies
This is so important!! I have 2 girls and each day I instill in them the importance of loving what God has blessed you with not allow the media to change you.
Such a wonderful reminder to self love. Don’t ever came up in your mind to copy others personality or look. We must love, accept and be proud of what we are.
This is such a lovely idea! Thank you for sharing.
maybe one day you can read this letter to your own daughter? and you’re right on — we should never judge ourselves by what society and the media call beautiful.