Insecurities, who doesn’t have em right? If you are living, breathing or existing, at some point you’ve been insecure about something, maybe it’s your nose, your teeth, your hair, or your maybe your webbed feet. Insecurities rob us of our confidence, our potential, and it robs us of truly appreciating our differences, things that ultimately set us apart from the crowd.
So, what’s my insecurity?
Truthfully, I’ve had many, but one, in particular, has been with me since birth. I was born with quite the distinctive birthmark, which for a long time, I’ve hidden. I’ve fielded so many questions about this simple mark on my stomach until it made me self-conscious. I’ve heard everything from, “Do you have vitiligo”, “You got what Michael Jackson got”, Did you get burn”, “You should hide that with makeup”, and my all-time-favourite from my little sweet cousin, “Did your mom iron you?” While I simply chuck up many questions and comments as a case of curiosity, many have been simply ignorant. Especially the ignorant doctor who diagnosed me with “re-vitiligo”, as if I asked him to. Could you imagine what this does to a child or young adult who is not fully being aware of who they are?
For a long time I hated wearing swimsuits and crop tops and I was reluctant to change in the front of people. As a former model, this was hard! I was simply over the comments and questions so I simply started to conceal who I was literally! I used makeup to hide my birthmark anytime I would go to the beach, compete in a competition or wore something that covered my mark and even threatened photographers to photoshop it! I hated it!
So what changed? People started to show me how beautiful it was and why there was no need to cover who I was. I started to get remarks from photographers and friends urging me not to cover it. The older I became, the more confident I became and realized the importance of embracing every inch of my body. I grew into my skin, literally. All the years I was dying to fit in, I should’ve been standing out. How could I have not realized how cool this piece of me was?
If you are reading this and you are battling any type of insecurity, know that you are not alone. Embrace your insecurity, make today the day you turn it into one of your strengths. Love the skin you are in.
SHOP THE LOOK
(Sorry, awesome birth-mark not included.)
Top: H&M (Old, a few options below)
Jeans: Zara (On sale in Amsterdam! Similar below)
What are some insecurities, you’ve had to overcome? I’d love to hear some of them.
