You may already know that model Iskra Lawrence is a beacon of body-positivity, but that doesn't mean that she feels great about her body 100% of the time — because no one does. That's why Lawrence wanted to share her self-care tips for working towards a healthier body image.
During a TEDx Talk at the University of Nevada, Lawrence discussed the pressure that many of us face to strive for perfection in a time when social media can heighten insecurities.
"From a young age we have been conditioned to believe our success and happiness is highly dependent on our attractiveness," she said, citing social media as a possible source for our tense relationships with our bodies. "It’s a curated, filtered, often airbrushed lifestyle illusion."
Given the pressure to obtain the "perfect body," she said, it's important to be able to practice self-care, and to look after ourselves in the moments when we don't feel confident in ourselves. Lawrence's favourite ritual for body-positivity, she said, came through during a time when she was challenged to get three women who had refused to be in a bikini to do so live on television on the streets of London.
When the women began "breaking down" in the changing room, Lawrence said, she was tasked to help give them a little uplift.
"So initially they're standing in that mirror, the first thing they do — and I'm sure many of you do as well —is see your insecurities," she said. "We need to change that discussion. So I get them in front of a mirror, in their bikini, and I tell them, pick out five things that you love about yourself."
Lawrence also tasked them to pick out five things they loved about their body — and not just for the way their bodies looked, but for the things it could do for them.
"I want to encourage each and every one of you to invest in yourselves right now," she told the crowd. "Speak to your body in a loving way. It's the only one you've got, and it deserves your respect."
The purpose of her "mirror challenge," she said, is to encourage you to "give up the pursuit of perfection." As she's said before, the "ideal" body is an illusion, and it's time to embrace our perfect imperfections.
Watch her full Ted Talk below.
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