The one thing exclusive to me is me. Easier said than done. Because in this millenial, ‘always-hustling’ world, the reality is we are too busy to find ourselves.
When I started StyleandLatte I wanted to look at myself through others’ eyes. Not because I wanted to prove something or feel good about myself, but to discover the importance of perspective. The concept of perspective that teaches me what I am to someone else is an exact reflection of what I am to me.
Growing up we go through phase(s) of transition – some of which have often been labeled as the stormy phase. We have ups, downs and constant shifts in our take on ourselves and even the society.
Let’s use me as an example. Here are some of my favorite comments I received growing up:
- Wow, Tasfia looks just like her twin brother, didn’t realize she’s a girl (4th grade- my brother and I still joke about this one).
- Wow honey you’re too young to have dark circles.
- You’re too dark.
- Not attractive (my first crush said that about me :/)
- You are too tiny to be taken seriously
- You need braces dear.
- You’re too small to be putting on that much weight.
The list goes on and on. But I’m not here to talk about how much these comments affected me (of course they did, but those are ‘transitional’ hurting), neither am I trying to say “see we grow up eventually.” I want to paint the picture on the foundation of them all – which is the negative value we breed within ourselves and the self criticism we’re wired to inflict that heightens the negativity we experience.
Self love is a struggle, but the pay-out is huge, if not life-changing. As cruel as our generation is portrayed to be, it is actually a supportive world we live in. Creating contents online taught me two important things – style is individuality and individuality is worth only being celebrated!
Thank you for reading. Be sure to enjoy that coffee while you start to radiate self-love.
