Authenticity is trending. And we’re so here for it.
– KEYS SOULCARE
While we still live in a world of airbrushed perfection, we’ve come a long way from unrealistic standards of beauty and performance that have long been held as the standard. The road to acceptance — of our limits, our time, and our “done that” list — is winding, but we’re far from alone on our journey.
We’ve gathered relatable, inspiring, put-it-on-repeat quotes from our lightworker community to remind you that you’re powerful and worthy exactly as you are right now.
“At the core of everything, we’re all just super imperfect — super magical — but also very imperfect beings. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that we’re absolutely incredible. We’re not supposed to be perfect [because] it does not exist, but it’s also boring. Where’s the growth in that? Where’s the potential to expand and become everything you’ve ever dreamed of? Without just the raw, rough around the edges pieces of ourselves, we don’t ever get that transformation or expansion.” — Mikayla Martinez, writer and well-being coach
“Seeing myself through [my daughter’s] eyes reveals my biggest flaws, and all I want to do is work on them. I temper my desire to ’have it [all] together’ by remembering there is no one way to move. I also recognize it in my pursuit to help others. [Also in] the need to consider myself unapologetically, across the board; whether it’s something as small as having an extra cookie or reevaluating how I navigate certain relationships in my life now.” — Kareema Bee, content creator, filmmaker, and producer
“I’m most inspired by the courageous people that aren’t afraid to live their lives out loud. People that love and laugh and spread joy in this world. People that create. People that aren’t afraid to be human.” — Justin Shiels, artist and creative director
“In the beginning when I was posting on social media, it was more about sharing a pretty photo or sharing what was going on. I wasn’t really thinking about the person or the audience that I was talking to. Now I don’t really care about having this perfect feed. I am not a perfect person. I’m flawed in so many ways, whether it’s being super emotional or spilling stuff all over myself and everything in between.” — Kristina Zias, body-positive advocate

“[Honor] the emotional crawl that comes in times when we can’t fully stand in something but are just going through it. [When] people say how did you get through something, they envision just walking through it. But many times, it’s hard and not concrete. Sometimes, we crawl.” — Lalah Delia, spiritual writer and teacher
“In many cases, women have been taught that we need to change ourselves in order to be seen as beautiful and lovable and that our worth is our beauty. I think in many ways the beauty industry has done harm because it teaches us to seek validation from the outside rather than the inside. It can also be looked down upon if you use makeup, as though you don’t love yourself as you are. But it’s not either-or — both can be true. We can choose to adorn our faces and bodies from a place of love.” — Rebecca Casciano, plant-based makeup artist
“My approach to beauty is less is more. Don’t cover up who you are.” — Vic Styles, content creator
“There’s a deeper emotion to beauty and feeling beautiful that centers around forgiveness. You have to have this forgiveness of the world and the negative things in it. And, you also have to have this forgiveness of yourself and negative images of yourself that you may have. I feel the most beautiful when someone says “thank you” to me.” — Danusia Garrison, model and writer
Celebrate yourself — “flaws” and all — and share what you’re loving about yourself today in the comments!