This goes out to all you ladies.
In this day and age, it is harder than ever to feel confident about yourself. Between boob jobs, Botox, Photo Shop and Facetune, it’s really hard to be who you are and feel confident in that.
In fact, when April and I started Velvet’s Edge that was something we really struggled with. Neither one of us are models, yet we developed a site that calls for consistent picture posting. Like every other girl out there we have our insecurities. We have our bloated period days, our acne breakouts, or, honestly, our days with broken hearts that make us want to hide from the world in general.
Thankfully there are two of us and when one of us is down, the other one is generally able to help build the other back up. You see, April and I discovered something early on, we are each others biggest cheerleaders. I remind her that she is a gorgeous, badass, smart woman and she does the same for me. It’s amazing what those words of encouragement can do.
Last week, I was at the pool in a new swimsuit I am obsessed with. (Visit @velvetsedge Instagram to shop the look). I sent April a picture and she encouraged me to post it on Instagram for all of our followers to see. After all, that is the point of our blog….to show you guys the things we love and tell you where to find it. I felt a little insecure about it, honestly, because that is a lot of exposure to go on to the world wide web, BUT I love my suit, so I posted it. About two minutes later, I saw a comment from a girl telling her friend that she thought I should get a boob job. The good Lord above knows that my temper is as authentically Cajun as anything else about me- it took a lot for me not to respond to that comment. I sat on my hands a bit and then simply deleted it. However, as I sat there after, it really bothered me that another woman would tear me down so much and encourage me to have plastic surgery to alter my look. Sadly, this isn’t the first time that has happened either. I have also had other friends and clients in the public eye tell me how hard it is to put yourself out there with all the negativity. What’s so shocking to me is that it’s women tearing other women down.
As a woman, knowing all my own insecurities, struggles and daily battles, shouldn’t I be the first to encourage other women in this world to keep fighting, to be themselves and most importantly to love themselves for who they are? If I’m not doing it and other women aren’t doing it, what are we telling the men out there about how we want to be treated?
It all really got me thinking about the kind of woman I want to be.
1. First things first, I want to be the kind of woman who loves myself and accepts myself for who I am.
2. I want to be the kind of woman who looks at all the other women out there who are working hard, living life, being amazing mothers and wives, and encourage those women to keep on fighting the fight. It’s hard to be a woman sometimes, we all need a little encouragement.
3. I want to be the kind of woman who doesn’t need perfection to feel beautiful. I want to feel beautiful, flaws and all. We are all different shapes and sizes, makes and models….beauty lies in the eye of the beholder as they say. We are all beautiful.
4. I want to be the kind of woman who inspires confidence in other women. Whether it comes from the way I treat myself or the way that I treat them. I want the women around me to feel like the best versions of themselves.
Maybe it is true what they say about turning lemons into lemonade. The negativity has forced me to face my own negative self talk and how I speak about other women and say to myself….this is NOT acceptable. It’s just not ok. I also now know the kind of woman I want to be is one of confidence and positivity.
For anyone looking for me, I will be the girl dancing around to “Flawless” by Beyonce.
To all my ladies, I hope you feel loved and beautiful today. If not from anyone externally, I hope it will be the gift that you give yourself. If you are struggling to do that….come dance with me and Queen Bey. We got you. 
As Bridget Fendler once said… “There’s a reason why bullying takes such a strong form online. People don’t have to push back as much as they would in real life.” I saw that comment on Instagram. Amazing the freedom people feel to breathe such negativity when they are safely (and even anonymously) behind their smartphone! Chin up doll I think you are wonderful!
As Bridget Fendler once said… “There’s a reason why bullying takes such a strong form online. People don’t have to push back as much as they would in real life.” I saw that comment on Instagram. Amazing the freedom people feel to breathe such negativity when they are safely (and even anonymously) behind their smartphone! Chin up doll I think you are wonderful! Get up and punch today in the face!