"Self-love is a journey, it’s not a destination"
- Gayatri Mehra
- Jan 20, 2022
- 2 min read
“Love yourself!”
“You’re perfect just the way you are”
“You should just love your body!”
Growing up, these were often the words I heard in discussions revolving around self-love and body positivity. They painted an illusion, a perfect world where loving yourself was just a simple choice, a change in your mindset you could make overnight. You could erase years of a complicated relationship with your body, simply through believing that you were perfect “just the way you are.” What these discussions often glossed over, was that there is no straight, easy path to self-love. It’s a long, winding road, with routine checkpoints of self-doubt. After all, self-love is a journey, it’s not a destination.
Bubble baths and candles, face packs and shopping sprees are what come to mind when we think of self love. Movies often romanticise self-love, and make it seem as if your tangled feelings of self-worth can be cured with just a little expensive skin care. In reality, the journey isn’t nearly that easy. The notion that body-positivity is something that can happen overnight is harmful.
For the majority of us, learning how to love yourself is something that can take time. Erasing the concept of a “perfect” body, tattooed into our minds through years of being told there is only one way to be pretty, only one mould 7 billion of us can fit in, is no small task.
Instead of the romanticisation of self love, it’s important for us to have conversations about the reality of learning to love yourself. Self-love means pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, picking yourself up whenever you feel less-than and understanding the intricacies of your relationship with your body.
Project enough, started off as just a conversation between two 15 year old girls. Stuck in quarantine, we began talking about body positivity and self-love, and our strong investments in both. In a world where there aren’t enough spaces to discuss the same, we decided to create a safe space online. A space to express self-love through any form you found fitting, a space to be vulnerable and honest, a space for teenagers to connect and discuss their own journey with learning to love themselves. A space where everyone is enough.
Social media has distorted the concept of the ideal body! it’s not about who you are but about how you look! There are apps to make you look perfect, cleaning up blemishes, thinning you down, removing wrinkles…. It’s endless. Love yourself for who you are and not what the world expects you to look like! it’s a superb platform! Kudos!
It’s so true , self love takes years to inculcate, and then work on it!!! the first step is to first realise to put your own self before anyone else, it’s often looked at as being selfish, snobbish or even sometimes as crazy…
hoping and wishing more and more people read this blog and spread the confidence around to love yourself for your own self !!
I appreciate the way you reach the commodification of self love as if it's the application of new products. It can also become a sort of cudgel as you point out. As if the "application" of self love becomes just another requirement creating the inevitable deficiency model.
I love the way you explain the difference in the way self love is perceived and what it actually means to you!!
Dear G, Absolutely amazing to witness how young people are bringing to light some important conversations and ideas. I wish I had someone to talk to about my body image issues when I was 15, could have avoided years of self-doubt and hate. Kuddos, to both of you for creating a space of true self-love and a community of supporters that with time would grow stronger! 💜 Love, Samriddhi