#radicalselflovejuly: The Wrap-Up!
I don’t know about you, but I really enjoyed participating in #radicalselflovejuly. It gave me something to post when I felt low on inspiration, and, even better, it reminded me to keep focussed on my own radical self love journey. It’s never over, and there is always more to do!
Here are some of the stand-out submissions from the last week of the challenge. It was wonderful to see everyone becoming more confident with their photography, and how you all started to connect up in the comments of each others posts. It warmed my sparkly little heart!
There were some wonderful posts about the experience, too. Thanks to Reina, Rachael, Lea, Kaiti, Islandia, Angie, and Scarlett for sharing their thoughts!
DAY TWENTY-TWO: Magic
There were so many beautiful photos on this day, ranging from gorgeous photos of nature to incredible works of art like this one shared by Shweta. I mean, wow. Wow! Shweta, how did you even do this?! (MAGIC is obviously the answer!) Damn, girl. Damn!
DAY TWENTY-THREE: On your wall
Kate Holderness needs a very special mention for her contributions to #radicalselflovejuly. She took the prompts to another level, both literally and figuratively! Seeing her Instagrams regularly blew my mind, and after a month of amazement, it was lovely to meet her at the Radical Self Love Salon in London. Oh, the internet, bringing people together! Anyway, I loved seeing all her favourite witches in this photo. SICK to death.
DAY TWENTY-FOUR: Gratitude
Anne posted this simple image, saying…
These last few days I’m really grateful for all the family, friends and others loved ones I have in my life. When really bad things happen you are more aware of the things you can be grateful for.
Amen, girl.
DAY TWENTY-FIVE: Bed-head
Issy has some badass bed-head, and I cannot for the life of me figure out where she is. Is she in an elaborate tent?! Meanwhile, Julie has hair for days, and I loved the way the sunlight hit it just so.
DAY TWENTY-SIX: I wish I was…
There were a lot of wishes put out into the world on this day. Eleanor wants more confetti in her life (and it looks like she succeeded!). Jessica would like to be eating “the world’s biggest ice-cream in Denmark”. Sofia submitted the photo in the middle, and her caption said,
I wish I was… as at one with myself as my Italian “Nonna” (granny) with her don’t-give-a-shit-about-anyone attitude and all the cats who adore her. She is inspirational, and I can only dream of being so badass when I’m her age. What a legend!
DAY TWENTY-SEVEN: Pampering
Sometimes, it’s the simple things. Leonie says that a hot bath, a bowl of cherries, a fresh drink and a good book are perfect… And I would have to agree! Plus, I loved the bold colours and graphic style of this shot.
DAY TWENTY-EIGHT: Blow bubbles
Cassy has the biggest bubbles in the biz. Eleanor’s bubble-blowing helped her brainstorm! And Angie blew the perfect bubble… Before it popped!
DAY TWENTY-NINE: Mirror wisdom
Haley’s mirror reminds her that socially constructed ideas of “beauty” can be harmful, and Nikki quotes Louise L. Hay. Gorgeous! I was also moved by Spidercat’s caption on this photograph…
Recently I’ve gained a couple of kilograms, my new jeans which I was so excited to fit into are a bit too snug and I know it’s because I’ve been eating out a lot and hiding from winter instead of getting out walking. But while I know I need to reclaim healthier habits, I won’t let a minor change bother me. A mirror is only my reflection at a moment in time – it can capture how I look when I feel great, it can capture how I look when I don’t feel so great, but that’s all it captures, looks. A mirror doesn’t capture kindness, compassion, intelligence, drive, loyalty, the sound of your laughter, the warmth of your hugs – things that make you a wonderful person are not captured by a mirror. Neither are they captured by a tape measure, a scale or your jeans size – something I had to remind myself when I realised my jeans were getting too snug! Your reflection in the mirror is not what defines you, it is what is inside.
Now that is radical self love!
DAY THIRTY: I love…
The prompt for this day was very open-ended, but since we were getting to the end of the challenge, a lot of babes took it as a damn good reason to give props to their beloved. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that! I loved this photo of Naomi and her husband, Dan, and I equally adored this sentiment from Karen, who explained that she loves to inspire!
DAY THIRTY-ONE: Super-selfie!
So many babes, so little time! There is no way I could include everyone’s super-selfie… But they were awesome. Here are just a few of ’em! I especially appreciated those of you who were, “I’ve got no make-up on, and I’m sweaty, but I’m AWESOME ANYWAY!” Hell yes! Thank you to Suzor, Coleen, Emily, Em, Monica, Kayla, Janet, Risa, and Nicole for the photos above!
Thank you to everyone who participated.
#radicalselflovejuly was absolutely amazing, and I was completely blown away by the 13,000 entries. Our next Instagram challenge will happen in October, and it’s going to be BIG, with prizes and plenty of fun! I’m looking for sponsors who want to get involved! If you have a product or service and you’d like to partner up, get in touch. It’s gonna be GOOD!
I’d love to hear your suggestions for our next Instagram challenge, too. Spill the beans here!
Always dreaming,
