As a teenager I used to *loathe* my side profile. Isn’t it easy to remember the mean things people say, and forget the nice things? “No one will ever love her unless she has a paper bag over her head!” - The boy I had a crush on in year 9! 🥲 “Far away I find you attractive, but looking at you up close makes me feel a bit sick” - An Ex boyfriend 🙃 “You have one of those faces I’d like to punch.” - Random man in Superdrug 🥴 (I was 16) It’s been a long old journey for me with my body image, and my self portraits have been a huge part of processing that. From the age of 11-19 I had extreme acne and dermatillomania (skin picking disorder). Through my teens I developed a severely disordered relationship with food and my weight. At 16 came the first of three bouts of alopecia, losing 2/3 of my hair. Finally at the age of 22, I couldn’t cope with my reflection any more, and wore a wig for another eight years. Looking back, it’s been a lot. I’ve been wig-free and in a mentally/physically healthy place for 18 months now. My relationship with my external/physical body is one that’s still evolving and growing, but very much in the right direction. This spring I am celebrating that by climbing in every bush I can find 🤗 So, yep. Death to negative body image. Death to saying hurtful things about peoples’ appearances. But Viva to the journey; and Viva to finally Blossom-ing into our true selves! 🌸🥰 (and also viva to my side profile!😝)