Why it's Ok to Feel Fierce

Why it's Ok to Feel Fierce

13.4.17

All too often, we shy away from seeing the good in ourselves. "I love your outfit today!" - is regularly shrugged off with "oh it's just Primark". Or "that was such a kind thing you did" followed up with a casual "ah it was nothing...".

It seems many of us just aren't very good at taking a compliment. Myself included. And we're also pretty shit at recognising amazing things about ourselves.

WHAT I'M WEARING

Patchwork Denim Jacket - Gap (similar here), Corset T-Shirt - ASOS, Crop Flares - H&M (similar here), Choker - River Island, Oriental Patch Bag - Mango (similar here), Leopard Heels - Miss KG (similar here)

We're kind of conditioned to find errors, pick faults and refute other people's kind words. So, unsurprisingly, it's not the norm to accept a simple compliment, god forbid think 'I look damn good today'. It's hard to accept a nice comment - from someone else, or from ourselves.

I'm my own worst critic. There are both internal and external things that I'd change if I could. And I've come to the realisation that, in all honesty, I spend far too much time concerned about these things. Yet, I rarely make any attempt to value the things I do like about myself.

So when I got these photos back from Anna the other day, I was really excited to share them for a few reasons.

1. I thought the location was awesome. We'd planned to shoot elsewhere, but they let us down. So (traipsing around Nottingham and) coming across this incredible place (The Curious Townhouse) was an amazing find.
2. I love the styling on reflection. I questioned the double denim pre-shoot. But I love how it looks.
3. I decided I actually quite liked how I looked in a lot of the photos.

I get that this might come across as totally vain. But I wanted to take a moment to appreciate that I'd allowed myself to feel good about something. Good about collaborating creatively and making a shit situation work. Good about my outfit. Good about my appearance. It was... well... good to let myself recognise those feelings.

Sure, there will always be those little niggles that make us feel unhappy or inadequate, whether about internal or external issues. But seriously, take the time to recognise the things about yourself / the things you've done that make you happy. Because so many of us are really shit at it.

So, whether it's a shit-hot cat flick eyeliner day (plz tell me your secrets, eyeliner wizard), a good deed for a pal, an amazing result at work, or if you're just feeling yourself in the mirror today. Feel good about taking a moment to appreciate you. Because there's nothing wrong with feeling fierce AF.

WHAT I'M WEARING