It’s funny because I haven't had to think about not liking my body for ages. And I mean ages.
Seriously, it’s been a long time since I’ve been in a position where I have felt uncomfortable. Maybe that’s the pandemic or the fact that a lot of my work is still on zoom. I rarely look at myself in the mirror and hate what I see!
Anyway, when I get offered PR items from brands, I sometimes try things that I wouldn’t pick if it was my money. Essentially if it is free to me - I’ll go a little wilder. I saw the set I'm wearing today first on Lauren Nicole Coppin. She looked so good in it - so I wanted to try it.
Now, this dress is a good knitted piece - which has natural weight to slink down your body. This is so far from my normal - it is weird for me not to have a waist in a garment - and then a looser skirt. So this felt so alien to me, to feel clothes on my body, and for it to be form-fitting.
I looked in the mirror and said immediately no. I felt for the first time in a long time, that I didn’t like the way my body looked. I felt exposed and oddly proportioned. Adding the jumper on top somehow made it worse.
My mum was the one who told me what was what. She said, you look great, stop worrying. And you know what - she was right! I do look great - I just hadn’t seen myself like this to appreciate it before.
Sometimes a new garment can show us our body in a new light - that maybe we haven’t seen before. This is good - and this is natural. It is your body that carried you up until this point - without it where would you be?
So if you like a dress or a top but it highlights something you’ve not always shown - take some time to see it with the same love you show your favourite bits. Then wear it - because you look great!
We hold the key to endless possibilities in our brains, yet we spend considerable time hating on ourselves. This is so silly - and I want us to care so much less about this, and free up so much pleasure for ourselves.
We're all fab just the way we are, so whatever the garment, wear it, you look great darling!
Shot by Rachel Pechey
