Throughout the course of the past few years, I have left many things behind. The eight-year-old Indian girl who rubbed her skin raw to get rid of her imperfections doesn’t reside within me anymore. The thirteen-year-old girl who concealed every thought she penned down because everyone around her wrote pieces that dripped honey and hers barely fell into place, neither does she. When we read books or drown ourselves in TV shows, we fall in love with characters irrespective of their flaws. Yet we sit on the hard marble floor and pick at ours one by one. The journey to self-love and self-acceptance isn’t easy, but it is better than being in a perpetual war with your body. Society has painted a picture of unattainable beauty, but that’s what it is. Unattainable. You will not be able to be happy with yourself if society is orchestrating your actions. As someone who no longer hides her journals or buys foundation two shades lighter, I can tell you how important loving yourself is. Whether it’s the way your hand moves across the soft canvas or the shortness of your auburn hair, when you find one thing you treasure about yourself, you begin this journey. When you become comfortable in your skin, you open a portal of positivity within you. There will be nights when the little girl who blossomed with self-hatred will begin to rise, but you will learn to drown her with all your other self-deprecating thoughts. The journey to self-love is never ending, it is a cycle filled with bad days, but also weeks when you’re in a constant wave of euphoria. Love and treasure the body which will never refuse you shelter; it is your home. – SUMONA SARIN / NEW DELHI, IN Accepting who you are in its entirety is not easy, but you are not alone. Embrace who you are, take care of yourself, trust your intuition, and share your story with the world. When you love yourself, you feel free. – ANALISA MIYASHIRO / SAN JOSE, CA (BOTTOM LEFT PHOTO, THIS PAGE)
I used to dream about running through a forest until I reached a clearing and started to fly. Deep in my subconscious I knew I was trying to run away from myself, the person I was. I wanted to be “perfect” in real life, but I was unable to achieve perfection. I spiraled into self-hate and felt ultimately defeated. I don’t have the answer, and some days I fall back into old habits. But I do know that if my wish to change who I am came true, I would not have the many beautiful joys that my path has brought me.
When people think of self-love, a lot comes to mind: loving your body, owning your style, discovering your individuality...Yet for me? I realized self-love meant embracing your origins. While I viewed myself as Korean, there was no substance behind such classification. In fact, it took me a long time— as a teenage girl living in California— to fully accept how much authenticity and culture that was behind this character. Even during school, I was embarrassed by the idea of bringing foreign lunch, in fear of the smell... the alien-like arrangement... the unknown ingredients. However, I’ve came to take pride in this. In my drawing, there is a magazine that translates to “Korean person, Korean Love.” I’ve learned a form of self-love in appreciating my roots and am forever grateful I did. – ISABELLE SEO YANG / CALIFORNIA, USA (ARTWORK ABOVE)
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