Before I met Steve, I didn’t think I was beautiful.
Steve noticed my insecurities about my physical appearance early on in our relationship, and quickly started helping me to become more confident in my natural beauty.
On Tuesdays, I focus on carrying myself with beautiful confidence.
I’m not exactly sure when I started feeling so insecure about my own beauty, but I know it was definitely at its worst in eighth grade. I have a significant curve in my spine, and I had to wear a scoliosis brace for two years during puberty. While all the other girls in my grade got to wear cute clothes from American Eagle to show off their maturing bodies, I had to wear baggy sweatshirts and sweatpants almost every day, because that’s all that fit over the bulky brace. I can’t put into words how much it sucked. I felt like all the other girls were prettier than me, and I would constantly compare myself to them. That insecurity lingered long after the brace came off.
Then I met Stephen. He quickly started taking lots of photos of me, showing them to me and saying “Do you see how beautiful you are? You smile like Julia Roberts!” Whenever we would go to an actuarial conference together, he would always say, “You are the most beautiful actuary at this meeting.” With his constant compliments, I gradually started to realize that he was right!
With this newfound confidence, I started making some changes:
- Flattering Clothes: I enjoyed when Steve would go shopping with me and share his thoughts on what dresses or bathing suits were most flattering. I developed a better sense of style and had more confidence wearing eye-grabbing outfits (like that sparkly sequin dress!)
- Makeup: My mom taught me how to do basic makeup when I was in high school, but I didn’t know how to do more complex makeup for going out. Stephen suggested that I go to Ulta and talk to a makeup artist to learn some new techniques. It was super helpful! I learned what color blush is most flattering for my skin tone, how to do a smoky eye, and how to shape my eyebrows. I left feeling much more confident in my cosmetic skills.
- Joining a gym: Before meeting Steve, I was too insecure to join a gym. I was nervous about working out around other people and looking stupid. We both joined a really nice gym, and I started doing water aerobics, yoga, and Zumba. And I discovered that exercise could actually be fun! Taking better care of my body and finding enjoyable ways to exercise further increased my confidence.
Beautiful Inside and Out
I always knew that I was a beautiful person on the inside, but Stephen helped me to realize that I was also a beautiful person on the outside. And it has an amazing circular effect; when you feel beautiful, it gives you confidence, and that confidence makes you even more beautiful!
As Blake Lively said, “The most beautiful thing a person can wear is confidence.”
Thank you Steve, for gifting me with confidence in my natural beauty.