#radicalselflovejuly: Highlights from Week One!

It’s hard to put into words how exciting it has been to watch #radicalselflovejuly take off on Instagram. It was just a random experiment, so it has been astounding to watch so many of you take the prompts and run with them!

You are such an awesome, creative bunch, and I didn’t want the photos to be stuck on Instagram… I wanted to show them off! Below are some of my favourites from the last week. I hope you enjoy being featured, and thank you so much for doing this!


day1

DAY ONE: Silly selfie

When all these faces show up on the hashtag on day one, you know it’s going to be a good month!

My mind was blown by the pink hair on Issstagram! Clarissa roped her grandma into taking a silly selfie (awww), Vicki rocks a painted leopard face like none other, and Augusta wore adorable ears to match her pup, Louie.

There were so many other cute ones, too… I wish I could include them all, but hey, you could always look at the hashtag!


day2

DAY TWO: Your idol

Who are your idols? All kinds of people, from RuPaul to Grace Coddington, and Tina Fey to Sophia Amoruso… Even Jay and Silent Bob made an appearance! A diverse group of weirdos, for sure. The idols above are Amy Poehler (picked by Amy), Bettie Page (chosen by Lynsay), and Pee-Wee Herman (selected by Angie).

On day two, I loved looking through the hashtag and reading the captions. Some of the explanations and stories were really beautiful.


day3

DAY THREE: Positive graffiti

Loooooooooved these! Props to those of you who went out and made a little mischief… I salute you! Thanks to Jenny, Christine, Scarlett, Tyler, McKenna, Tiffany, Marissa, Angelique, and Chris for sharing such rad, smile-enhancing snaps!


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DAY FOUR: Your reflection

Cuteness to the extreme! Here you can see Marissa having way too much fun on the 4th of July, Emily who rode to this shiny thing just so she could take a photo, the lovely Kate (and cats), and another Kate reflecting in her carnelian crystal!


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DAY FIVE: A self love date

Two of these went down in Wellington (my hometown)! Stephanie drank a cup of coffee early in the morning, while watching the waves and remembering how awesome yesterday was. Bridie went exploring in the Wellington town belt, Auie took a book to Oriental Parade and had some time to herself, and No Chic, Sherlock hung upside down from a pole. Righteous!

It all just goes to show that we all have completely different ways of showing ourselves love… And that is awesome.


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DAY SIX: Your best feature

I loved this photo by Kate so much that I had to feature it. She said, “your best feature. definitely my mind. thanks to a health scare in 2005 (I’m ok!) I have this beautiful picture of my best feature.”


day7

DAY SEVEN: Favourite book

Kate, reminded me about The Faraway Tree (love Enid Blyton!), Alex took a great shot of Hope For The Flowers, and Emily captured some of the illustrations from #Girlboss.


Other ways to get the most out of #radicalselflovejuly
If you see something that would be perfect for one of the photos later in the month, snap it now! It doesn’t have to be instant, and it’s better than scrambling later on!
Use the caption as a space to journal your thoughts or feelings around the challenge. For example, did taking a no make-up selfie make you feel uncomfortable? Talk about that!
Comment on each other’s photos! The best thing I can think of is connecting you together, so you can make real friendships. Don’t be shy: if you like someone’s photo, tell them!

Did you miss out on the start of #radicalselflovejuly? It’s never too late to catch up! Get it!

I can’t wait to see what you do next!

With a snap-happy smile,