May 13th - 19th is #MentalHealthAwareness week and this year, the theme is body image. We've been posting a guest post from some of our Brastop Babes everyday this week, and for our penultimate post you can read Georgia's story:
My name is Georgia, I am a 21-year-old, queer woman of colour, who speaks, writes and advocates for more awareness on mental health, self-care and body positivity. I share some of the challenges I go through to educate, inspire and to encourage others to live their best truth unapologetically. My bra size is a 36GG and my clothing size is a 16.
Wearing great fitted lingerie (often gifted from Brastop) helps me feel great about my body because it positively effects the way I view myself. I feel empowered, confident, sexy and beautiful.
Lingerie for me is all about self-love.
I often wear matching lingerie sets, not for anyone else, but for myself, because I deserve to look and feel great at all times! However, like many women, I often have low self-esteem days, but instead of hating on my body, I put on my favourite lingerie set and dance around my room to the song Juice by Lizzo. Lingerie for me is all about self-love, it’s a gift to my most intimate but often insecure areas.
Georgia wears Curvy Kate Victory Latte
I love my whole body, it’s forever growing, changing and blossoming. But if I had to choose a favourite bit about my body has got to be my boobs! I used to hate them, because they felt too big and I couldn’t find the appropriate bra’s that would look and fit right. But since wearing bras from Brastop and Curvy Kate my boobs now feel supported and they look great!
Why am I going to spend years and years hating on a body that isn’t airbrushed, when I can love the body I am in.
Stop comparing yourself. I know that is easier said than done. But wishing you looked like someone else has a negative effect on our mental health. We all have unique bodies that will change overtime, and it’s about celebrating our uniqueness. Build a relationship with your body. I do this by moisturizing my body whilst looking in the mirror focusing all of my attention on how beautiful and powerful it is. Yes I may have rolls, stretch marks, lumps, bumps, spots and eczema, but that makes me who I am! Why am I going to spend years and years hating on a body that isn’t airbrushed, when I can love the body I am in.
Georgia wears Curvy Kate Maya
Curate your social media. I have found with social media everything is instant, filtered and public, and there is very little honesty, normality and privacy. With the rise of celebrities and influencers promoting weight loss pills, and boob jobs, social media is a very “cool” but triggering place to be. All the celebrities and influencers you see have a mental health, just some can have negative effects on your mental health when you’re sitting there comparing yourself to Kim Kardashian. I have been there, where I used to get low because I didn’t fit into society’s perfect body image. But I have learnt that I actually don’t have to follow anyone who gets me down or promotes weight loss pills, so instead I have unfollowed the Kardashians, reality T.V stars, and replaced them with positive role models such as Sonny Turner, BodyPosiPanda, Olivia Campbell, Michelle Elman and Callie Thorpe. So social media becomes a positive place where I find inspiration and encouragement.
Georgia wears Flirtelle Viola Mint
Watch your language. The language we use towards ourselves is the language to our journey with self-love. Make sure that you use positive language towards yourself, speak with compassion and from a place of acceptance. It is so easy to use words of self-hate and think “I’m not good enough”or “I look so fat”, but we all make mistakes and we should treat ourselves as if we were our own bestfriends. The moment when you step into your truthful power, your self-love and self-confidence shines through, which creates space for others to do the same.
Walk in your truth and speak from a place of love.
Georgia x
