Alicia Banit Instagram – For so long I’ve sat on these photos not wanting to post them for no other reason than the thought that I didn’t look good enough or like what I’d envisioned I’d look like in this shoot. The most phenomenal photographer @alysafeephotography made this whole afternoon so amazing and I felt amazing doing it. Then when I got the photos I thought ‘wow these are incredible’ but I felt TERRIBLE Alysa didn’t have a better model. I thought I looked gangly and old and ‘not the way I used to look’. I thought that anyone else in these photos would look insanely amazing but I just wasn’t hitting that mark. I was talking to a friend the other day and she told me ‘you’ve never been aware of how beautiful you are’. And it really struck me. I told her about the trepidation I felt in posting these shots and she looked at me like I was nuts and said she adored the photos. It’s funny isn’t it, that you can do so much ‘work’ and go through so much and gain self awareness and even grow an entire human and still not appreciate your own beauty inside AND out. I just want to share with y’all that you’re amazing and beautiful and whatever ‘standards’ you hold for your own beauty are bullshit. YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. No matter what phase of life you’re in. I will continue to be human and have self doubt and be self conscious however I’d like to be more honest about it. Change is hard and seeing my body (inc skin, hair, muscles) change after having a baby has had an impact I don’t think I fully realised until that conversation with my friend. I’ll be working on it ☺️ Anyway, if you’ve read up until this point thanks for taking your time into the insights of my mind. You’re beautiful and I love ya