Embracing Authenticity: The Journey to Self-Love in Fashion

Someone once looked at a dress I was wearing and said, “You’d look better in stilettos and a short skirt.”

Maybe they meant it as a compliment. Perhaps they were trying to conjure a version of me they once imagined or once knew. Yes, I’ve worn the heels. I’ve danced in short skirts, letting the music wrap around me like midnight. I’ve walked into a room and let the fire within me burn a little brighter.

But even then, there were always sneakers in my trunk. I had jeans in the backseat. There was a softness in me that no one could quite name. Life has shaped me. Life has rooted me.

The Growth of Self-Acceptance

I’ve grown more whole not by becoming more polished, but by becoming more me. I’m not the fantasy. I’m not the memory. I’m not the photo in your mind.

I am a woman who walks into a room and changes the temperature because of the weight and light I carry inside. I laugh with my whole chest. I cry without apology. I feel everything, deeply—and still choose to stay open.

So, no, I’m not the hot girl. I am the real girl. I am the solid woman who has come home to herself—again and again. And from here, I shine.

Photo by TheCuratedMoments