Hello beautiful ladies,
I stumbled upon the photo below last month and it resonated so much with my spirit.
With advertisements and social media at its height, we are surrounded by so many different kinds of beauty. However, for someone who battles with self-esteem and self-love, the abundance of visuals may be difficult to deal with when it comes to our perception of self.
I’d like to be honest with you all and open my heart to let you know that I am one of them. Throughout the years I’ve lived in this world so far, I’ve witnessed the ever-changing societal definition of beauty: long hair, long legs, supermodel skinny, thick, fat ass, big boobs, perfect nose, bronze skin and soooo much more.
Though most of my life, I was regarded and see myself as beautiful, It would be a lie to say that I didn’t compare myself to society’s current definition one way or another. Remember the time when corsets and waist training came back to pop culture because of the Kardashians? Well, even I thought of getting one. Thankfully, I was able to gather power in me to focus instead in working with and appreciating what I have than what I don’t have.
Back in 2011, after being severely depressed, I made a life-changing decision to take care of myself. I started working out and slowly ate more of the better things for me. I quit soda and eventually said goodbye, completely, to McDonald’s. The more I took conscious action in caring for myself, the more I learned to appreciate the things I used to despise about me: my height, my nose, and even my (mostly) reserved behavior.
Since then, my greatest inspiration has been Zuzka Light. 
She portrays her beauty so humbly that it speaks for itself. Even more beautiful is that she uses it to help others (like me) appreciate what they have. I look at her and see how happy she is taking care of what she’s got, and I am motivated to do the same for myself.
I have also come to realize that when we see the beauty in ourselves, we learn to appreciate the beauty in others without envy or comparison but just love.
What do you love about yourself most? And who’s beauty do you find most inspiring? Let’s talk it up in the comments 🙂
Xoxo,
Katrina Jean Carter
Unshackled Beauty 