I resonate with this! I’m Canadian born with Filipino and Ghanaian heritage and spent part of my childhood living in the Philippines. Being the only black girl with curly hair and black features made me insecure about my looks. I found that embracing your individual beauty and uniqueness outside of beauty is the way to go!
Love this, I was always thought this going into corporate jobs and the men pretty much all wore a similar suit and shirt. While the women were juggling all sorts of professional outfits, heels and makeup. Maybe we were doing it to ourselves but what you wrote resonated with me!
Every part of this article focuses on self love. Like positive body image, minimalism, persuing hobbies and personal interests, decentering the issues which are out of your control and focusing which actually matters, comparing yourself with others, etc.
Yes I started purchasing the clothing items which works best for my body type and skintone, I am currently trying to curate my everyday minimal makeup look, taking care of my hair and skin with limited products rather than 10- steps regime, trying to find my personal taste and hobbies which represents me the best, finally after 25 years of life I am focusing on my physical and mental health completely. I hope people reading this actually gets the meaning of this article and start living FREELY.
Another superb read thank you Mia. For me, this is a maturity situation whereby, naturally, we start to see the world, ergo ourselves, through a different lens.
I've still had spells, in my late forties where I bought clothes I saw my favourite YouTubers wearing, because I wanted to feel like my country lifestyle fit me better.
It did already fit well, I didn't need the clothes to make sure that happened, but when ones identity is having a wobble, and it will do throughout life, reaching for clothes and products seems a natural thing to do. It's a way of grounding your identity for the life you're building.
It's also fun to experiment too! But, no amount of country living will take the beachy Breton T's off my back!
As someone interested in fashion and dancing, where focus on appearance is constant, decentering your appearance through other hobbies truly helps! I liked your point about content creation as one of the ways to fight perfectionism, although it can lead to the opposite.
Thank you for such an honest post about how you view(ed) yourself and how you evolve from those beliefs. it is so true that are shaped by our surroundings whilst growing up and sometimes our uniqueness was dismissed whilst today it is what makes us stand out. Also most people forget that some things really are for free (or less expensive) they just take more time than an online shopping click: sleep, eat properly, go out with friends, have an honest talk, take a walk or do a free youtube workout, remove makeup and wear sunscreen. But no, we dont do it because we want immediate effects so we pay the higher tax. Human tax!
I loved this read! It’s such a balanced take! I appreciate the fact that you acknowledge the tension between focusing on being good at what you do but also knowing that the way you look matters for that.
Having control over that tension requires you to change the intention and really evaluate what’s driving every purchase that’s linked to your appearance.
Working in a pre-sales role I have always justified ROI of my appearance but the truth is that I was hiding behind the desire to be perceived a certain way that might somehow camouflage the fact that I don’t I don’t fit both European beauty norms and I am in a space dominated by white men
“When your appearance is your main source of value, every bad photo, breakout or change in your body can feel like a crisis.” I felt that. And I now realize how ridiculous that actually is.
I think the insecurity tax issue that we don't talk about enough. For me, definitely investing in my hobbies and interests and trying new things helped me become more confidence in myself, which ultimately helped me see myself in a different way. Like you said, that truly is the real glow up.
Thank you Mia, this is such an honest read. I could deeply resonate with a lot of the things you pointed out. I too, kept adapting to my environment and always wanting to feel the same as everyone else. I wasn't embracing who I was and my uniqueness. I was carrying such a mental load of things that didn't serve me, whilst instead, I could have built my skills, assets and improve my life. But the good news is that now I'm turning my pain into my purpose through my Self Agency brand. It's often times the people who go through so much pain that turn out to do big things!
I resonate with this! I’m Canadian born with Filipino and Ghanaian heritage and spent part of my childhood living in the Philippines. Being the only black girl with curly hair and black features made me insecure about my looks. I found that embracing your individual beauty and uniqueness outside of beauty is the way to go!
Love this, I was always thought this going into corporate jobs and the men pretty much all wore a similar suit and shirt. While the women were juggling all sorts of professional outfits, heels and makeup. Maybe we were doing it to ourselves but what you wrote resonated with me!
Every part of this article focuses on self love. Like positive body image, minimalism, persuing hobbies and personal interests, decentering the issues which are out of your control and focusing which actually matters, comparing yourself with others, etc.
Yes I started purchasing the clothing items which works best for my body type and skintone, I am currently trying to curate my everyday minimal makeup look, taking care of my hair and skin with limited products rather than 10- steps regime, trying to find my personal taste and hobbies which represents me the best, finally after 25 years of life I am focusing on my physical and mental health completely. I hope people reading this actually gets the meaning of this article and start living FREELY.
Love this and wish I was more conscious of this, and more secure at a younger age. I would have a lot more money by now!
Another superb read thank you Mia. For me, this is a maturity situation whereby, naturally, we start to see the world, ergo ourselves, through a different lens.
I've still had spells, in my late forties where I bought clothes I saw my favourite YouTubers wearing, because I wanted to feel like my country lifestyle fit me better.
It did already fit well, I didn't need the clothes to make sure that happened, but when ones identity is having a wobble, and it will do throughout life, reaching for clothes and products seems a natural thing to do. It's a way of grounding your identity for the life you're building.
It's also fun to experiment too! But, no amount of country living will take the beachy Breton T's off my back!
Loved this, such clear, valid and important points 😊
As someone interested in fashion and dancing, where focus on appearance is constant, decentering your appearance through other hobbies truly helps! I liked your point about content creation as one of the ways to fight perfectionism, although it can lead to the opposite.
Thank you for such an honest post about how you view(ed) yourself and how you evolve from those beliefs. it is so true that are shaped by our surroundings whilst growing up and sometimes our uniqueness was dismissed whilst today it is what makes us stand out. Also most people forget that some things really are for free (or less expensive) they just take more time than an online shopping click: sleep, eat properly, go out with friends, have an honest talk, take a walk or do a free youtube workout, remove makeup and wear sunscreen. But no, we dont do it because we want immediate effects so we pay the higher tax. Human tax!
I loved this read! It’s such a balanced take! I appreciate the fact that you acknowledge the tension between focusing on being good at what you do but also knowing that the way you look matters for that.
Having control over that tension requires you to change the intention and really evaluate what’s driving every purchase that’s linked to your appearance.
Working in a pre-sales role I have always justified ROI of my appearance but the truth is that I was hiding behind the desire to be perceived a certain way that might somehow camouflage the fact that I don’t I don’t fit both European beauty norms and I am in a space dominated by white men
“When your appearance is your main source of value, every bad photo, breakout or change in your body can feel like a crisis.” I felt that. And I now realize how ridiculous that actually is.
Great insights, Mia 💯
I really enjoy reading from you Mia! Thank you for sharing this! I can related so much on this ! 🤍
I think the insecurity tax issue that we don't talk about enough. For me, definitely investing in my hobbies and interests and trying new things helped me become more confidence in myself, which ultimately helped me see myself in a different way. Like you said, that truly is the real glow up.
Just the breath of fresh air I needed today. Thanks Mia xx
Thank you Mia, this is such an honest read. I could deeply resonate with a lot of the things you pointed out. I too, kept adapting to my environment and always wanting to feel the same as everyone else. I wasn't embracing who I was and my uniqueness. I was carrying such a mental load of things that didn't serve me, whilst instead, I could have built my skills, assets and improve my life. But the good news is that now I'm turning my pain into my purpose through my Self Agency brand. It's often times the people who go through so much pain that turn out to do big things!