Stretch marks are something many of us have and can often be hard to accept, however they are a completely natural part of life and something that should be embraced! We caught up with the team at LOOKFANTASTIC who shared their stretch mark journeys and why it’s important to love your body.
Sophie
Have you always been confident with your stretch marks?
Absolutely not! For years I struggled with them, mainly during school as it seemed like no one had them! I had my growth spurt and have some on the back of my legs, inside of my thighs, boobs, you name it! Think the key is knowing that they are signs of you growing as a person. I’d be lying if I said I was 100% ok with them all the time, but I look forward to the day where I show them off. So here I am taking the leap!
How have you learnt to embrace your stretch marks?
Seeing other people on social media embrace their stretch marks and show them off has been a great confidence boost for me. I think for such a long time there was this stigma attached to stretch marks, that you must be pregnant or overweight to get them which is just so not true! Just remember that it's totally normal to have them, and so many people do. I love seeing people share their real pictures on Instagram, it really helps!
What advice do you have for someone struggling to love their body?
When you’re having a bad day, and you’ve seen 100 filtered so-called “perfect bodies” all over Instagram, I like to think of myself when I was 16. This is when my first stretches started to appear, and I think to myself “what would I say to make that girl feel good about them?”. It makes you not want to be so hard on yourself.
What’s one beauty product that makes you feel fantastic?
If I smell good, I feel good! I use the Armani Si perfume and it makes me feel so confident. Plus, when someone says “Oh, you smell nice” it’s the best compliment!
Shannon
Have you always been confident with your stretch marks?
I have always struggled with my appearance and how my weight constantly fluctuates, I always used to hide my stretch marks away and get worried about how people would judge me if I wore a bikini.
How have you learnt to embrace your stretch marks?
I now embrace my stretch marks because they are apart of my journey and remind me of highs and lows and how determined I have been to lose weight for my health.
What advice do you have for someone struggling to love their body?
My advice would be to acknowledge how you see other women because just like you don’t judge them they won’t be judging you as everyone has their own imperfections.
What’s one beauty product that makes you feel fantastic?
I love using the Moroccanoil Dry Body Oil as it makes me feel so good!
Amy
How have you learnt to embrace your stretch marks?
I love my stretch marks as they are sparkling silver lines on my skin and I think add to me being me along with my moles and freckles. I really love point of difference/individuality and It represents who we are and how we have grown into the people we are today! I am obsessed with trees and nature so compare them to branches holding a tree together and just like trees have branches, we have stretch marks which is completely natural.
Have you always been confident with your stretch marks?
I found them a bit awkward when I was younger as it's hard to separate what you see in the media to then compare to your own body. However, I think since I've got a bit older and realised EVERY girl/boy has stretch marks, I now just embrace where my body has changed and love the natural way of life. I appreciate being healthy.
What advice do you have for anyone struggling to love their body?
This is difficult because absolutely everyone in the world has something they want to improve on their body (it unfortunately is just the way our minds work), we want to continually have better. However, I am just trying to live in the present and respect what my body actually does for me on a day-to-day basis, I RESPECT that my body keeps my alive, keeps my blood pumping, allows my body to move and function. I think take a step back and appreciate what it's doing rather than being so focused on what it looks like. I think once you have gratefulness, you have happiness. I respect my body by trying to live a healthy life and that makes me happy.
What's one beauty product that makes you feel fantastic?
Lipstick - I feel soooo powerful with lipstick on. It sounds weird but I just feel bizarre/naked without it. I have quite a few Mac lipsticks such as bad n bare, Verve, Persistence, Velvet Teddy etc. These all make me feel confident and fantastic and I love wearing them.
Danni
How have you learnt to embrace your stretch marks?
Stretch marks are a completely natural part of growing ultimately into who you are today. Our bodies stretch, grow and change from being a baby all the way to adulthood. In the past, I spent so much time obsessing over how I looked that it left little time to actually enjoy myself. Letting go of what other people MIGHT (but probably don't) think completely changes your outlook on how you feel about your body.
Have you always been confident with your stretch marks?
Previously, I really struggled with being confident within myself and my appearance. I think it's very easy to be overly critical of yourself especially on small things other people wouldn't even notice.
What advice do you have for anyone struggling to love their body?
Don't ever compare yourself to others and let this define how you feel about your body. You are beautiful the way you are and so is everyone else!
What's one beauty product that makes you feel fantastic?
My absolute favourite product at the moment is the St. Tropez Tan x Ashley Graham Limited Edition Ultimate Glow Kit. I love how this tan gives me a super natural glow which enhances my natural features. Ashley Graham is an amazing ambassador for body positivity too! I love the whipped mousse like texture - this makes it super easy to apply and it also smells amazing!
Shop all bodycare at LOOKFANTASTIC.
