What do we see when we look in the mirror? Do we see someone else’s idea of what we should look like or do we see our true selves? I often wonder why Snow White’s stepmother didn’t see the true image looking back at her. That made me think about how I had missed my own true image in my reflection for a long time growing up. Everyday I would fight a war with the mirror and I didn’t like the person looking back at me. I was my own worst enemy and I simply didn’t see the truth that beautiful women come in all shapes and sizes.

For myself, I now truly see a beautiful, tall, confident, full-figured woman. But despite my confidence and hard won self esteem, I still have to be careful what I listen to out there, among a society that seems to believe we should all be a size 2, tan, and ageless. So the one thing I try to accomplish in every article I write is to affirm, over and over, that we are ALL beautiful.

Some of my favorite commercials were those put out by the Gap a few years ago where some amazing looking, but very “un-traditional” people, proclaimed their own beauty. I would sit and look at those images on the screen and know that ALL of us struggle to find personal worth, and all of us struggle with body image.

We have to remember that some of the most slender people in society worry 24-7 if they are thin enough – and they grace endless magazine covers everywhere we look. So worrying about weight and size is in no way limited to my fellow full-figured fans and fav’s. I think that CLAIMING my right to be recognized as gorgeous is MY job, and it only goes wrong when I expect others to fill that role.

So what can I do to make sure that I’m taking care of my “truth with self” (which is the literal meaning of confidence)? First of all, I sit for just a minute or two, before I rush out the door, and remember that owning my beauty empowers OTHERS to do the same. Sadly, the opposite is also true. If I create conversations where I put myself down all day, I leave that seed everywhere I go. So loving myself is really a service to everybody I meet all day long (and it feels great, too).

Second, I spend the extra few minutes a day to look great. As recently as ten years ago, plus size women simply weren’t invited to the “fashion party.” They couldn’t participate in great fashion trends like everyone else, and they did not have more than one or two retailers to shop at. There was even a very exclusive chain of stores for plus size women called, “The Forgotten Woman.” Well, good-bye “forgotten woman,” because designers and retailers everywhere finally woke up! We aren’t forgotten any more. From plus size camisoles to plus size evening wear, the selection is exactly what it should be — abundant.

We can fill our wardrobes with stylish plus size choices for every day and every occasion. We can update those styles for each season, and we can claim our right to turn heads when we walk in a room or down the street. Along with my insecurities, I have tossed out my need to hide my body. I have a beautiful, curvaceous, plus size body, and I’m showing it off in a variety of plus size fashions every chance I get. I have a closet full of great plus size evening wear, and a drawer full of sexy plus size lingerie to go with it to make me feel beautiful and sexy from head to toe.

Why is this important? Because on top of everything else, this is my one life – and being distracted by low self-esteem or a lack of confidence is exhausting. On the other hand, being filled with a right-sized dose of knowledge that I am beautiful and one-of-a-kind is invigorating!

So today, I invite all of you to put on something comfortable and lovely and walk out of your door feeling beautiful and confident. Life is short so own it and love it.

Danielle Line, Plus Size Model & Guest Writer for www.swakdesigns.com