Scrolling through Instagram these days is difficult.

Not difficult in that I don’t love Instagram (haha, it’s quite obvious I do). It’s just now that the summer season has unofficially begun, I struggle with those images.

You know the ones I mean.

Flawless women in bikinis. With the perfect tan and beautiful hair and a stunning smile.

Like I said, you know the ones I mean.

My path to body acceptance is far from over and far from perfect. I have struggled and still struggle with being content with where I’m at in accepting the way I look. And my story is like many other women who have gone before me. I was bullied in high school for being overweight and those words have stuck with me for far longer than they should.

But, rather than give you tips on how not to compare yourself to others & how to be more body positive (though those are great and I 100% support them), I want to give you 3 challenges for the summer.

Challenge 1: Wear an outfit that either you’ve told yourself you shouldn’t wear or that society has said you shouldn’t wear. For me, this means trying out a matching set (complete with crop top) like this one from Forever 21. Step out of your comfort zone & own it. Share your beauty with the world!

Challenge 2: Post those pictures. You know the ones I’m talking about. The ones where you think you look terrible (no makeup, just-got-out-of-the-water hair, double chin and all). You look so much better than you think you do. See the the images below. These pictures weren’t “Instagram worthy” in my mind when I first saw them, but when I think of the memories of that day all I know is that I had the most fun spending time with my family at the beach & blowing bubbles like a kid. That, my friends, is “Instagram worthy”.

Challenge 3: Write down one thing you like about your body each day for a week. It should be something different each day. It can be difficult to compliment ourselves, but hopefully this challenge will allow you to see how truly wonderful you are. Some great examples to get you started, “I love that my body is strong” or “I like my smile.”

It’s not easy to embrace ourselves as we are. It takes time and progress can be slow. And healthy looks different for each one of us.

Be proud of where you start from and proud of where you end up at and be proud of the gosh darn steps in between.

I truly hope you’ll join me in these challenges and I would love to have you share your take on each of the challenges as well! Use the hashtag #AMbodypositive & post away! If you need someone to talk to or need encouragement, please feel free to reach out to me. I would love to talk with you. My goal with this blog is to create a fun, inviting environment that welcomes everyone as they are. And to talk about fashion & beauty, of course!

Let’s rise to the challenge!

With confidence,

Andi