[For full transparency, I was paid to share Instagram content from the following event. However, this post is done of my own accord and contains my own opinions. Images contain gifted items]
I was recently extremely fortunate to be invited to the Simply Be "Ahead Of The Curve" panel. An amazing event discussing body acceptance, personal style and digital health with a breathtaking panel made up of Lauren Mahon, Felicity Hayward, our host the incredible Gemma Cairney (I made a total tit of myself with Gemma because I simply cannot be normal), Annie Price, Hayley Hasselhoff and Billie Bhatia
Joe Brown Jumpsuit [Gifted] - Simply Be
It was an incredibly honest and refreshing couple of hours, surrounded by total babes (Including Sofie Hagen no less!) and I came away feeling inspired, positive and most importantly, part of a community of women who are dedicated to lifting those around them with their experiences and self-discovery
EVERYTHING that was said was important but the single moment that REALLY struck me from the event was towards the end; In real life angel-human Hayley Hasselhoff talked about the occasions she missed out on because she didn’t have the confidence to go out and live her life. She talked of the excuses she would make, of how she felt and how that motivates her now. There were very few dry eyes in the room, mine included.
Joe Brown Jumpsuit [Gifted] - Simply Be
It was an incredibly honest and refreshing couple of hours, surrounded by total babes (Including Sofie Hagen no less!) and I came away feeling inspired, positive and most importantly, part of a community of women who are dedicated to lifting those around them with their experiences and self-discovery
EVERYTHING that was said was important but the single moment that REALLY struck me from the event was towards the end; In real life angel-human Hayley Hasselhoff talked about the occasions she missed out on because she didn’t have the confidence to go out and live her life. She talked of the excuses she would make, of how she felt and how that motivates her now. There were very few dry eyes in the room, mine included.
Hayley’s words brought back memories of sitting in my second year university room sobbing because I was desperate to go out but hated myself THAT much that I didn’t feel I could subject other people to my presence. I would sit for hours staring into the mirror just trying to find something I didn’t hate about myself. I pushed away everyone I loved with lies, cruelty and anger.
At the time I thought I was bonkers, that I’d lost it and that I was going to end up alone with seventy cats (not too bad a goal if I’m being honest) but looking back now I can see exactly where it was all coming from. (I’m not a therapist so I’m not going to get in too deep here but the amount of trash magazines I read and toxic diet culture they were packed full of did not help).
Later in life, we hold onto a lot of these negative moments, we hold them against ourselves rather than letting them go. We’re angry at the younger versions of ourselves for depriving the people we are now of memories.
15 years on; Listening to other women, STRONG women, BEAUTIFUL women share their truths, has helped me to recognise we’re not alone in these experiences which, at the time, were all encompassing. Having the prompt and subsequent opportunity to talk them out, to finally acknowledge that you weren’t bonkers, you were just young and confused and in desperate need of the community you have now, is incredibly freeing.
It also made me realise just how important it is to stay visible. Our host; Gemma Cairney, reminded us that young people in 2019 see so much more of their own faces than we EVER did - We'd check the mirror in the morning and off we went. So now, more than ever it's vital to let the young women and men in our lives know that you can live your life exactly as you are and the world won’t implode.
A sincere and deep thank you Hayley for opening up to us all. Your angel status has only increased in my eyes. And an even bigger thank you to Simply Be for consistently facilitating these important conversations.
Em x
