Body image has always been a big part of the world’s social construct. Advertisers use young, attractive, and famous people to make you want to buy their beauty products, movies utilize the sexiest of celebrities to make you want to see them, and even supposedly regular people on social media obsess over their body image in an attempt to become influencers.
Recently, there’s been a conscious shift in the perception of what it means to be sexy and how it’s OK to love yourself and others at any size. If you’re struggling with self-acceptance, there are a lot of ways you can help yourself feel sexier. Check out these top five tips to practice loving yourself more today!
- Stop Comparing
It’s tough, but you need to stop comparing yourself to other people. Endlessly scrolling through social media and looking at people the world considers attractive will never make you happy. You’re trying to meet the expectations of edited photos and specialty angles that create unrealistic body types. The only person you should be comparing yourself to is you!
If you’re unhappy with your body because of how it looks compared to others, there’s a limited amount you can do to change your physical self. Healthy eating and exercise can do a lot, but self-acceptance is the key. Confidence is the sexiest thing anyone has to offer, so focus on that instead of other people’s beauty standards.
Take a look at yourself in the mirror right now. Stare that person in the face and tell them that they are enough, they are beautiful, and they are sexy. Don’t believe it yet? Keep it going for a few days until you do.
- Find Clothing That Makes You Feel Good
Shopping for clothes, shoes and accessories when you don’t feel confident and sexy can be so difficult – especially if you can’t figure out what size to buy or which styles are most flattering. Don’t be deterred by larger sizing or terminology like “curvy” and “plus-size” when describing clothing. There’s no actual value attached to those numbers or words. Look at them as descriptors to help you find the right fit. If you love how you feel in a tight, slinky maxi dress, who cares what the tag says? Not you! Wear what feels right without worrying about what anyone else has to say.
While sometimes, it’s easy to find chic clothing that looks good in every size, you might not actually like what’s considered on-trend. If that’s the case, don’t worry about trends and fashions. Wear what you like and forget the rest! Maybe you’ll start a new trend.
- Keep Eating Healthy
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Your weight and size shouldn’t have anything to do with ensuring you keep eating healthy. While you can indulge in the occasional pizza or fast food meal, what you put in your body can have a negative impact internally – and that’s more important than anything else. Junk food and sugars can affect your brain chemistry, impact your heart health, and slow down essential functions throughout your entire system, even if they don’t make you gain weight!
Take better care of yourself for the sake of what’s going on inside, instead of focusing on how you look. Healthy foods make you feel better inside and out!
- List What You Love
Many people fall into an endless cycle of negative self-talk and end up focusing just on the things they hate about themselves. Don’t fall into this trap! If you ever catch yourself hating on anything specific, break the cycle. Make a conscious effort to list a few things that you love about yourself. Whether it’s something about your personality or something physical that you appreciate about yourself, make a list and think of new things every time you start to hear that negative internal conversation.
It takes practice to love yourself, so don’t give up if you find yourself slipping back into old habits. Continue working on listing what you love to affect long-term change.
- Be The Change
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When all is said and done, there are a number of reasons to be the change you want to see in the world. In addition to inspiring yourself towards self-love, you’re also showing others that they can do the same. You can continue shifting the perspective of the entire world with your actions, making the future a healthier place for everyone.
Don’t rely on others to convince you that you’re beautiful and sexy. At the end of the day, you’ll only believe yourself anyway. Take concrete steps towards self-acceptance when you do what you can to change the things you don’t like, and focus on the most positive parts of yourself instead. Don’t be someone else’s sexy – be your own version of your best self!
