Except

(Because oh my god, it’s so hard, and everyone’s all like stop feeling so bad about yourself and it’s like how???) 

Be naked. A lot. Sleep naked. Have sex naked. Eat cereal naked. (Or naked and wrapped in a sheet. Favorite thing.) 

Follow beautiful, confident, (un-photoshopped) body-positive babes on the Internet. Unfollow anything that makes you feel insecure. Exposure is key. You’re not going to get it if you don’t seek it out, because the media sucks and wants us to feel like shit about ourselves so they can take our money. (Some hashtags to follow: #effyourbeautystandards #bootyrevolution #blackisbeautiful #transisbeautiful #wheelchairlife #fatkini #fatshion)

Lingerie. Next best thing to being naked. 

Self care, babe. Different for everyone. (Me? Showers, books, shaving my legs, nature walks, dark lipstick, good playlists, clean rooms, candles, sexy time.) 

Get ready in your underwear. Boobs = happiness. 

Self portraits. Be pro-selfie. Take a million selfies. Take sexy selfies. Take no makeup selfies. Take bad angle silly selfies. Take artsy tripod selfies. Take everything-is-on-point selfies. You’re gorgeous; document your gorgeousness. You don’t even need to post them. 

Stop with the self deprecationnnnn. Pleeeeaseeee. It’s hard to control your thoughts love, I know, but you can control what you say. NEVER insult yourself out loud. Dare I say compliment yourself out loud? (And if you can, do your best to try to body-positive-ify your thoughts too.) 

Sex (including solo sexy time), wine, and chocolate. In that order. 

Share the body love. Compliment your girlfriends. Cultivate a nonjudgemental, supportive, lift-each-other-up “we’re so cute” friend group. Everyone’s insecure. Compliment your besties. And strangers, too. Be that person that makes everyone feel good about themselves when they’re around. 

sempervivum

- get rid of everybody in your life that makes you feel like shit about yourself. whether it’s a homegirl or a boyfriend they gotta GO honey. if this is not an option, at least try limiting contact. it’s hard to be confident when somebody is shitting on you (directly or indirectly) all the time.

- remind yourself every morning that you look good as fuck. you’re a baddie. you’re a queen. you’re the best thing since fuckin sliced bread, bitch. whether you believe it or not doesn’t matter. the more you tell yourself these things, the more you will begin to believe it.

- pamper yourself regularly. exfoliate. take long ass baths. get a pedicure. get a facial. whatever makes you and your body feel good (that’s safe and legal) do it, and do it regularly. take care of yourself. love yourself. you deserve the best.

- adopt a “no bullshit” attitude. do not tolerate disrespect of ANY kind. i’m not saying to pounce on everybody you come into contact with, but check people when they need to be checked. you teach others how to treat you. like i said, it’s hard to be confident when somebody is constantly disrespecting you.

- dress in a way that makes you feel confident. wear things you love. 

- wear cute panties and bras often, even if you don’t plan on having anybody else see them.

-also wear lingerie. whether it’s for yourself or somebody else. just wear it.

- don’t compare yourself to others. just because you see another girl that’s pretty doesn’t mean you’re not pretty. why can’t you both be pretty at the same time?

-build healthy positive relationships with other women. it’s always good to have girlfriend(s) to lean on when you’re not feeling your best, and it really helps to have a support system of women. stunt together. 💅