It’s wild how long we carry certain insecurities before we even realize they’re not ours to hold. For me, it was my skin tone. I grew up being told it was “too dark.” I got comments, jokes, even milk thrown at me with the suggestion to “get lighter.” It made me avoid the sun, avoid the beach, avoid parts of myself. But over time, and honestly through just living more fully, I started to let go of that fear. Now, what I used to hide from... I wear without shame. We all have something we’ve struggled with. And the moment you stop shrinking yourself to meet someone else’s standard, that’s where the real growth begins.