It's not you, darling. It's society.

It's time for some truth bombs from our stunning and curvaceous model, Ekateryna Bondareva. 

Let’s get real: we all have a less than perfect relationship with ourselves. When I think about how many women out there struggle with body confidence, I get chills.  To make matters worse, society doesn’t help motivate women of all shapes and sizes to appreciate and love themselves, so we’re left to our own devices. Even still, women rarely give themselves a pat on the back for all they accomplish in one day. Everywhere you look, women are accomplishing big things, even you, if you think about all you’ve achieved. So, why don’t we celebrate each other more often?

When I stop to think about the women who inspire me, not one of them looks like the other. Each one has her own, unique style and character, making her shine. That is what inspires me. From Tess Holliday, Rihanna, Ashley Graham and Zendaya, to my sister, and friends: I look up to them to help me navigate my body issues. 

Only within the last few years have I started to shed insecurity and become more aware of my body. I’ve started to look at my body in a different way because of all that it is capable of. Women are capable of SO MANY THINGS! I am truly astonished at how many body types there are: muscular, thin, curvy, thick, busty, hippy, leggy, short torso, long torso, broad shoulders, etc., and they are all perfectly fine. I used to subscribe to the idea that women had to act, dress, walk, and talk a certain way to be considered “beautiful” and “feminine”. I am so glad that I have learned how inaccurate I have been all those years because I shut myself off to a myriad of beautiful characteristics within myself that make me stand out. I decided to embrace my own sense of femininity by cutting my hair and shedding all prior ideals that kept me tied to my insecurities. 

The truth is, there will always be someone keeping me down. Whether it's an article in Vogue, a designer who refuses to make clothing beyond a size 10, or a bully on the internet. But I should never be the case of my own unhappiness. There are enough critics in this world and I refuse to be one of them.  Sometimes we just need to separate the voices of society from our own in order to learn to love our bodies. I wont tell you that it's easy; I still have days where I don’t want to look at myself in the mirror. Thankfully, those days are far and few in between. Society will always have a new trend targeted at a certain demographic of women, maybe even men, but for now, enjoy the fact that the body revolution movement is here to encourage, motivate and support!

XO,
Kat

Shop our curvy collection for women's plus size clothing sizes 1X to 3X.