Self Esteem & Physical Appearance: The Importance Of Loving Yourself

We’ve all heard that saying: ‘when you look good you feel good’ but just how true is it? And, if it is true, does that mean you’re shallow or obsessed with your appearance? Of course it doesn’t – caring about how you look doesn’t mean that you’re shallow or that you’re obsessed with your appearance, it simply means that you want to feel good about yourself, and that’s perfectly fine. 

The question is: why does how we look impact how we feel about ourselves and our self-esteem, and what’s the link between these things? If you’re someone who feels uncomfortable with how they look, you may have spent years wondering if it’s okay to make changes to your appearance to improve and enhance the way you look. 

It’s important to understand that if you’re feeling uncomfortable with how you look, it’s your choice in regards to how you want to deal with that feeling. If you want to opt to learn to love yourself for who you are that’s great, and if you want to make changes to your appearance to improve how you feel about yourself, that’s also great. Don’t judge yourself for doing what’s best for you – far too many people make the mistake of judging themself for doing what is right for them, when they shouldn’t do. 

It’s time to delve a little deeper into the importance of learning to love yourself and what steps you should consider taking in order to do that. Keen to learn more about the relationship that you have with yourself? Have a read of the advice below! 

Weight and self-esteem: what’s the impact? 

The truth is that weight is a serious issue when it comes to self-esteem. There’s a common misconception that being overweight impacts your physical beauty in a negative way. However, this isn’t the case – your body shape and size doesn’t define how beautiful you are, it simply defines what clothes size you wear, that’s it. And yet, thanks to portrayals of beauty in the media, a lot of us struggle to love ourselves if we don’t fit into a certain size bracket. 

Weight can have a serious impact not only on self-esteem but also on mental health and wellbeing. A lot of people struggle to feel content at a certain shape or size, simply because they feel judged by others and feel like they need to be ashamed of how they look, when that isn’t the case. 

However, that being said, if you feel uncomfortable with how you look and want to change that, that’s also perfectly fine. You need to learn to love yourself, whether that means learning to love how you look at any size or changing your shape and size to fit your ideal. If you’re serious about losing weight, exercise or consider non-surgical fat reduction procedures. Remember that the most important thing is to feel confident in your own skin.

Can grooming impact self esteem? 

It’s not just weight that can impact self-esteem, our beauty and grooming habits can also have an impact on the way that we see ourselves. For instance, a lot of women feel inadequate without makeup on, as they worry that their skin isn’t even enough or blemish-free enough. For many women, makeup acts as a confidence shield, helping them to feel better about their appearance, boosting their confidence and self-esteem. And that’s perfectly fine, there’s nothing wrong with that. If using certain methods to improve your self-esteem help you, then that’s fine. You have to take the steps that work for you.

In some cases, seeking professional skincare support—whether for acne, scarring, or uneven skin tone—can also be a valuable step towards improving self-image. You might want to explore resources like a dermatologist who can guide you through personalised treatment options to help restore your confidence and comfort in your own skin.

For instance, for men a topic that causes a lot of concern and a lack of confidence is hair loss and baldness. While some men are perfectly happy embracing their thinning hair, for others it’s a serious issue and has a huge impact on their self-esteem and sense of self-worth, which is why many men with thinning hair opt to use specialist hair loss treatments. Furthermore, don’t forget about the importance of practicing proper hair care. Adopting a gentle cleansing routine, avoiding harsh chemicals and nourishing the scalp with appropriate products can contribute to healthier hair growth and improved self-confidence. You can find many more tips on websites such as Hair Helpline, or other reliable sources dedicated to providing information on proper hair care. Taking advantage of these sources can empower individuals to make informed decisions about their hair care routine and improve their overall hair health.

Do certain features impact how you feel about yourself?

For a lot of people, there are certain features that are somewhat of a sensitive subject, such as their nose size and shape, the line of their ears, the thickness of their lips, and so on. For a lot of us, our features impact how we feel about ourselves, especially when they don’t fall in line with the standards of “beauty” portrayed on television and in the media. 

While some people are able to learn to love the shape and size of their features for what they are, for others the only way to move past these feelings of resentment for how they look is to undergo surgery to change their appearance. The issue with undergoing surgery is the fact that there’s a lot of stigma surrounding the option to undergo cosmetic procedures, however this shouldn’t be the case. People should be free to do whatever they deem necessary to improve how they feel about themselves and their appearance, without judgement. It’s no one else’s business but your own what you do with your body and how you alter your appearance, should you want to. However, there will always be people who feel the need to comment on the fact you’ve lost too much weight or whitened your teeth too much, but that’s okay, because you’re doing these things for yourself, not for anyone else. 

What it’s important to understand when it comes to self-esteem and your relationship with your physical appearance is the fact that all that matters is that you’re able to love yourself. It doesn’t matter what it is that teaches you to love yourself, whether it’s undergoing therapy or undergoing cosmetic surgery, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are able to find a way to be at peace with your body and your physical appearance, because otherwise you will never be happy or feel confident in your own skin. The most important thing here is to remember that it’s your choice what you do with your body. There’s no need to worry about being judged for your choices, because they’re your choices and you have the right to make them.