Harnaam Kaur, who rocks a beard as a result of living with PCOS, Fatemah Dhanji, who has been subjected to horrific racism for wearing a hijab, and Joann\u00e9 Dion, who was bullied because she has albinism, are just some of the women<\/a> who spoke about how they learned to love themselves.<\/p>\n The 10 incredible women<\/a> feature in a campaign called \u2018In Our Skin\u2019, which was commissioned by Stoosh<\/a>, a platform encouraging all BAME (black, Asian, and minority ethnic) women<\/a> in the UK to be confident, unapologetic and have the right to express themselves freely.<\/p>\n Fatemah told HuffPost UK: \u201cAll the women<\/a> that took part in the photo series remind us that learning to embrace the struggles we have with our bodies and expressing ourselves freely can be the driving force behind our achievements, happiness and success in every aspect of life.\u201d<\/p>\n “At first, adjusting to the changes was hard. I was being horrendously bullied. I was skiving school a lot. But when I turned 16, when I hit my lowest point, I thought, ‘Why am I being punished? When my body is naturally growing like this, when I\u2019ve done nothing wrong.’<\/p>\n “I made a stand that I was going to keep my beard and embrace her and celebrate her. I decided to call<\/a> my beard \u2018her\u2019 and I gave her a name as well, Sundari, which means beautiful. Because if you truly love someone you don\u2019t call<\/a> them \u2018it\u2019 or \u2018that\u2019. You wouldn\u2019t say \u2018it\u2019 to your mum or \u2018that\u2019 to your best friend, so why would I turn around and call<\/a> my beard \u2018it\u2019? Nah\u2026 <\/p>\n “And, you know, there are amazing positives to having a beard. Other than looking buff with it. Thanks to her, I\u2019m a lot more confident, a lot more resilient, a lot stronger. I can use my story to help those going through their trials. They can find inspiration in my voice and my stance in life. I\u2019m here to challenge stereotypes, break down barriers in society. That\u2019s why I was born this way. Fuck it if I don\u2019t fit into society, I\u2019m happy. And people should see that.”<\/p>\n –\u00a0@harnaamkaur<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n “Even now, I get people judging me because of the way I look. The other day I posted a video<\/a> and I got a DM from this guy<\/a> which said, ‘You should try to lose some weight’. There were comments like, ‘That fat girl<\/a> can\u2019t dance’ and stuff like that. They were so rude. <\/p>\n “But I look at myself and I just don\u2019t think I\u2019m fat. It\u2019s not that deep. I\u2019m half Jamaican and I was raised the Rasta way. We\u2019re really open about our bodies. Anyone with any type of figure will rock crop tops and short shorts and no one will look at you funny. They don\u2019t care about that. It\u2019s about being happy. It\u2019s just freedom. That\u2019s my way of life. <\/p>\n “So, when I get disrespectful or hurtful comments I just brush them off. I don\u2019t let them get to me. Because what\u2019s it going to do to me? I love my figure. When I hear a beat, I move my waist, shake my bottom, flick my bum. It looks nice. When I go out, I put on an outfit that shows my shape and I stand out, people notice me. They say I look nice. It feels good to feel good in your skin.”<\/p>\n –\u00a0@_naomimt<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n “My mum always used to go to the beauty salon to wax her arms and she kind of made me feel guilty for not going. That\u2019s when the waxing started. But once I got to university, I stopped the whole thing. It was just too much maintenance – and way too expensive on a student\u2019s budget. Plus, it really isn\u2019t normal to keep on doing that. I mean your body grows hairs for a reason, right? And the feeling of your clothes on the bare skin \u2013 urgh, I didn\u2019t like it. <\/p>\n “Since then, I don\u2019t see my hairs as a problem anymore. Actually, let me rephrase that. I actually love my hairs now. They keep me warm in the winter. They\u2019re soft, they\u2019re nice. I like the feel of my furry, fuzzy arms. And \u2013 don\u2019t laugh \u2013 I like stroking them. It relaxes me when I\u2019m stressed out. It\u2019s like my little personal self\u2010care habit in my mad routine. And no one else has the same trick.”<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n “Vitiligo is a non\u2010contagious condition that creates light patches on my skin. It\u2019s not a big deal technically, but I remember nobody wanted to hold my hand in PE. Kids used to call<\/a> me ‘panda’ or ‘cow’. It was all very distressing. <\/p>\n “Thankfully I had sessions with an amazing counsellor and the support of great friends and caring family to help me through this. I was starting to have a different frame of mind and be a bit more grown up. Then I met @winnieharlow two years ago at a meet and greet in Stratford. That was pretty life\u2010changing. I thought, ‘If she can do it, I can do it’. Vitiligo isn\u2019t affecting my health or anything like that so I won\u2019t let it stop me. It took me years, nearly 15 to be exact, but once I realised that, I realised my power. <\/p>\n “My vitiligo is my strength, it is helping me reach my full potential and I wear it proud. It makes me, me. I\u2019m different, I\u2019m unique. There isn\u2019t anybody like me. Other people have vitiligo but nobody \u2013 in the 1% population that has vitiligo \u2013 nobody will ever have the same vitiligo pattern as me, which is special and truly needs to be celebrated.”<\/p>\n –\u00a0@msroch88<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n “But after a while, it got to a point when I was done with all the negatives and being harsh on myself for no reason. I started to re\u2010learn to love my body \u2013 the tummy pooch, big thighs and chubby face included. Now, I like myself exactly the way I am. I look at my pooch and I think, ‘It\u2019s fine, it\u2019s normal’. I mean, where else are my organs going to go? I\u2019m happy with my body. And even if I eat too much pizza and I put on weight, I can deal with that. I just need to unzip my jeans. It\u2019s not that deep, really. <\/p>\n “It\u2019s about learning to love yourself so much you don\u2019t care about the small things \u2013 if a spot just appeared on your forehead or if your stomach is sticking out. It\u2019s about finding that inner peace and being happy in your own skin.”<\/p>\n –\u00a0@saimasmileslike<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n “It\u2019s only when I started dating I realised it wasn\u2019t a thing for everyone. Let\u2019s just say I got some wild reactions from boys<\/a>. I did contemplate shaving, but I told myself, ‘Put the razor down, girl<\/a>. Why should they decide what you should do or not do with your body? Screw that. It\u2019s my body, I dictate the rules.’ Hairs on ladies<\/a> are normal too, you know. I do sometimes get looks on the street and remarks and stuff. But it doesn\u2019t faze me. And I feel what I\u2019m doing is important. By rocking my hairs, I can show other girls<\/a> they can do it too. <\/p>\n “You can do whatever you want, whatever makes you happy, hairs or no hairs. Maybe I\u2019m paving the way for more of us to be proud to grow it out. Imagine that!”<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n “When you look at the girls<\/a> in the magazines, they all look absolutely flawless \u2013 no stretch marks, no scars, no body hairs, no nothing. My stretch marks made me feel damaged. Like my body was different, imperfect and ugly. <\/p>\n “But as time went on, I realised I wasn’t the only girl<\/a> in the world with stretch marks. My super beautiful best friend had them. My gorgeous mum had them. Fellow tall girl<\/a> @chrissyteigen had them (and even photographed them for Instagram). At that point, I started to completely accept and even love my stretchies! Because I’ve realised marks on your body \u2013 whether they’re scars, stretch marks or whatever else \u2013 don’t make you broken. They show how strong a woman<\/a> you are. A woman<\/a> who has grown and experienced life. A woman<\/a> who\u2019s fierce and fearless. A woman<\/a> who has faced the world. <\/p>\n “I am so proud of these badges of honour time has left on my body. I call<\/a> them my natural tattoos. And to be absolutely honest, now I can\u2019t even imagine my body without them. I embrace them completely. I find comfort in them. They\u2019re the signs of my journey on this earth.”<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n “Not only did I feel hideous, I felt scared. I contemplated taking it off. It could have been so easy, but it just didn\u2019t feel right. For me, wearing a hijab is empowering. It\u2019s truly liberating. I feel proud when I wear it. It\u2019s part of me, part of my identity, culture and heritage. It\u2019s not just a mark of my religion, it\u2019s also a symbol of my strength and willingness to deal with whatever life throws at me. It made me stronger. It gave me the drive to brush away the negativity and go on so I could get a degree in theatre and do some acting. It helped me reach my passion. It pushed me to do all the things that make me proud to be the woman<\/a> I am today. Plus, with it, I never have a bad hair day.”<\/p>\n –\u00a0@tvo_hijabi \/ @fatemahhhxo<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n “But it didn\u2019t take long for me to have mixed feelings about my decision. Using the lotion was like trying to be someone else and it just didn\u2019t feel right. I thought, ‘This is not me. I am of complete African heritage and I should just own that.’ That was a turning point. <\/p>\n “Now I couldn\u2019t be prouder of my skin tone. My striking melanin defines me. It makes me so unique, so distinct, I feel like I\u2019m shining. People notice me when I enter the room. I stand out. It\u2019s cool. I love my natural features and absolutely every inch of my body. But do you want to know the weirdest part of my journey? My lips. Because I remember being bullied for my lips. Everybody used to find them too big, too plump. But over time people like Kylie Jenner came into play and went to get these done for thousands of dollars. And now I get strangers at the bus stop asking me how much I spent to get these beauties done. All I say is, ‘Honey, they\u2019re natural’.”<\/p>\n –\u00a0@iamthedesiree<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n “I was bullied by everyone, from the moment I entered nursery all the way to college. But what\u2019s berserk is that I got bullied by black people too, which is my own creed. Because in black culture, the whiter the better, except when you\u2019re too white. See, I\u2019m too light to be considered black. It shows the madness in valuing skin colour. <\/p>\n “In a way though, my skin\u2019s a blessing in disguise. It has shown me everything I\u2019m capable of withstanding and overcoming. It has let me know how strong I can be. When I stopped trying to fit into moulds, stereotypes or assumptions, I stopped trying to please others. That gave me freedom. Freedom to be myself, to love me. Now, I embrace my body and how uniquely beautiful I am. I own my shade, I show my skin proudly. And, it\u2019s funny, I now get Insta comments telling me how iconic I look. If I\u2019m doing modelling today, it\u2019s for someone to see my pictures and be like, ‘Yes!’ Because it resonates with them and what they\u2019re going through. It\u2019s goals.”<\/p>\n –\u00a0@joannedion_<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \nwww.huffingtonpost.co.uk\/entry\/in-your-skin-women-share-their-journey-of-self-acceptance_uk_5a33b29de4b01d429cc7cdf6<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 10 Women Share Powerful Stories Of Self-Love Women from all walks of life have shared the compelling stories behind their journeys to self-acceptance. Harnaam Kaur, who rocks a beard as a result of living with PCOS, Fatemah Dhanji, who has been subjected to horrific racism for wearing a hijab, and Joann\u00e9 Dion, who was bullied … Continue reading 10 Women Share Powerful Stories Of Self-Love<\/span> Harnaam<\/h2>\n
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\nNaomi<\/h2>\n
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\nTammy<\/h2>\n
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\nRochelle<\/h2>\n
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\nSaima<\/h2>\n
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\nTallula<\/h2>\n
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\nGenna<\/h2>\n
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\nFatemah<\/h2>\n
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\nDesiree<\/h2>\n
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\nJoann\u00e9<\/h2>\n
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