Hey y’all,
Yatir; A Hebrew word meaning the most successful point or the highest point of success.
This week I bring to you something I’ve never done before…. So I legit modeled clothing for the first time… not with my homegirl Isabel, or my iPhone 7 Plus nor half of my closet. I worked with Yatir Clothing and shot for their Sun Out Skin Showing mini collection, which you can guess, it was minimal clothing and coverage. You can definitely say this was WAY out of my comfort zone. But here I am, challenging myself to rise to new learning experiences.
I absolutely love working with and supporting companies like Yatir. Joi, the owner of Yatir, is the creator and pure definition of Hustlprenur aka she’s a boss ass bi**h, full of passion and drive, hustles for her dreams and actually creates/embodies her vision. Inspiring to say the least. I really strive to surround myself with women like Joi, women who work their asses off to achieve their goals, women who empower and create space for other women and women who burn with passion to make their mark in this world.
This week I really challenged myself to accept me for all that I am. Listen sis, I can preach day in and out on body positivity and loving yourself but sometimes that shit is hard to put into action. Not going to lie, when I saw these pictures I was not happy. Not because of any reason other than I let my insecurities win. I saw every single “negative” flaw about myself before I saw how beautiful these pictures were. I saw “OMG I look so fat” before I saw “My smile is radiating and glowing”. I saw “My body isn’t curvy like an hourglass” before I saw “I look like a confident, beautiful woman”. It’s easy to let the negative thoughts win but someone somewhere is going to be inspired by these photos. Someone will challenge themselves to do something bold, like I did by shooting with Yatir because of these. 
Let’s talk body positivity: I’ve really learned to love myself this past year; through the up’s the down’s, thick and thin, healthy and unhealthy… Isn’t that what body positivity is all about? We live in a world where we put limits and boundaries on self-love. We are constantly reminded that we can’t love ourselves unless we look like X, Y and Z. I’m not a thin, white woman in America who embodies society’s idea of the “perfect body image” and I’m also not the plus size queen, Ashley Graham, who is curvy in all the right places. I am unique. I’m me. I love me for exactly that. I am unafraid of loving my authentic self, in it’s entirety.
My worth doesn’t diminish if I don’t fit into society’s boxed perfect body image.
My worth doesn’t diminish if I’m not the perfect image of a curvy, hourglass shape.
My worth doesn’t diminish if I’m not anything less of exactly who I am.
….and please, don’t get me started on how, apparently everyone is a health professional nowaday’s. Big girls are not promoting obesity by loving and embracing themselves. Stop masking fatphobia as health concerns. #1: Why do people assume that just because someone is fat, then they must be hella unhealthy? Cause I’m fat and healthy as can be. Let’s work on disassociating the word ‘unhealthy’ with a certain body image, cause I know some skinny bit*hes who are unhealthy AF and no one is commenting on their IG telling them to stop loving themselves because their promoting an unhealthy lifestyle. #2: DO. NOT. TELL. ME. I. CAN’T. LOVE. MYSELF. UNLESS. I’M. HEALTHY. You will catch these hands. Period. No one has a sign on their forehead preaching that obesity is the way and the life…… Trust me, if you’re thin you don’t want to know what it is like to be fat in this world. I just want a young women to see my page and know she can love herself, that she doesn’t have to starve herself to be beautiful and that she has worth above rubies. I want to be the person I needed as a fat kid growing up. I needed to see that a fat woman can be sexy and confident, extremely successful, intelligent and happy. As a kid, I needed to see that being plus size has ZERO effect on your self worth and your beauty. I should be able to love myself regardless, healthy or not. There are no limitation’s for the love that you deserve. You are so worthy of endless amounts of love and that all stems with how you love yourself. You are a Queen. Bold and Beautiful. No boxed idea of beauty can amount to the alluring glow you radiate, both inside and out. Stand tall. Be unapologetic about loving everything that you are.
Photographer: @slapj
Stay Bright, Baby Girl.
Aloha Mikaela 