Embracing natural beauty: the external limits to “love the skin you’re in”

We see it in taglines of many beauty brands – some variation of the invitation to “love the skin you’re in”.

In a rapidly growing self-love movement, we’re encouraged to embrace our natural beauty and to learn to love the skin we’re in. Women across the world have taken the courageous step to be vulnerable and share their struggles with body-image, hoping to encourage other women to also embrace themselves as they are.

In a culture which has narrowly defined beauty for decades, this movement of self-love is so desperately needed. 

Our body shape, size, features, and skin colour seem to be under constant scrutiny, especially in this digital age. Unless we live under a rock, we can’t escape the images of what society deems as “beautiful” across our social media feeds, in Hollywood and even on the websites of brands we purchase from.

It’s easy to look at these images and feel like you don’t measure up to society’s standard of beauty. You look in the mirror and rather than seeing what makes you beautiful, you see where you’re “not good enough”. You’re not pretty enough, you’re not dark enough, you’re not light enough, you’re not thin enough, you’re not curvy enough…the list is endless and probably uncomfortably familiar to you.

The role of beauty brands

In many cases, the journey to love the skin you’re in is an internal one. Beauty is beyond skin deep. To embrace your natural beauty requires a deep, inner work that no one can do but you. Yet, there are external factors that also play a key role in this self-love journey.

These beauty brands, with clever copywriters who craft taglines that elicit a deep, emotional response, are on to something. But do these taglines hold substance? It’s one thing to promote embracing the skin you’re in and another to support this mindset with an offering that allows your customers to do just that.

To embrace, means to accept something willingly and enthusiastically. How can we accept our skin colour if we can’t find any products in our shade? How can we accept our body shape if we can’t find clothing that fits?

As much as we can do the internal work needed to love the skin we’re in, the external limits from the beauty and fashion industries dictate the extent to which we can. Maybe you can relate to one or more of these scenarios:

I’ve lived each one of these scenarios and walked away feeling defeated. Though now I’m closer to fully embracing my skin, I was still on the journey back then. I felt crushed with an inferiority mindset.

Am I not good enough to access products for my skin colour? Am I not worth the investment to cater to my skin tone? These were the thoughts that circled through my mind. Though I knew they weren’t true; they did limit my ability to love my skin.

Photo credit: Anna Shvets via Pexels

Removing the limits

It’s time we allow women to see and feel that our natural bodies are beautiful.

There is no one else like you. You are worthy. You are deserving of the best products on offer.

At SHADIE BY EA, we’re here to take the limits off “loving the skin you’re in” for women of all colours. That’s why our product range comes in all shades, shapes, and sizes. To recognise the diversity of beauty that exists in our community.

We’re here to help you (literally) feel comfortable in the skin you’re in.

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