VITAE Ambassadors Share Their Story (MAY EDITION)

It’s May!

So, you know what that means…. another edition of Vitae Ambassadors Share Their Stories! 🎉

Before we get into it, VITAE wants to thank the VITAE Ambassadors for helping us build a community where we can promote self-confidence, female empowerment, and diversity all over the world! 🧡

We appreciate each and every one of you, and the support does not go unnoticed!

This month we reached out to our ambassadors to hear about their experience with self-confidence and how they overcame any challenges they were struggling with.

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VICTORIA LOOR 

@the.hikers.guide.to.galaxy
📍Milton, Ontario

"I have never been an "average" sized girl. I was always taller and larger than all of my friends growing up, which made me self-conscious. Because of this, I never felt comfortable wearing women's clothing because I was shaped differently. I would shop a size or two bigger so I could hide my body and so I felt smaller, and I would only ever feel comfortable wearing athletic clothing rather than a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

It wasn't until I started playing sports more competitively and in high school where I began to feel more confident. One of my newer friends in high school was so confident and she wanted to embrace the new atmosphere, and she asked me to try out for a sport neither of us have ever played. I ended up making the team and excelling at the sport all throughout high school and even ended up being team captain. I can't thank my friend enough for her boldness and for convincing me to be spontaneous with her.

I realized from this that my body was not average and I was glad that I wasn't. I am built larger and taller than other girls and that's okay! I am shaped this way to be strong and to carry out physically-demanding activities for myself and I love that about me. Since then, I have always been drawn to a variety of physical activities, being outside, and continuing to play sports on teams with women and men to keep my body strong and to appreciate what my body is capable of doing. With this I am more confident in my skin and in the clothes I wear, I am more confident than I was back then, and I am even more confident than I was yesterday.

I love my body and love that I am uniquely made to do the things I love to do, and I love that I can share my story to inspire other women to embrace their individuality and unique bodies that allow them to do all the things they love everyday!"

 

@maggieeholmess
📍Oshawa, Ontario 

"As a child, I remember being unapologetically confident. I never understood why anyone wouldn’t be. I felt as though everyone was unique, and should be appreciated as such. This attitude carried into my early teen years.

It wasn’t until I reached the middle of high school when i first began comparing myself to others. This was detrimental to my mental and physical health. I started losing a lot of self-confidence; never feeling like I was enough. There was always someone smarter, someone skinnier, someone happier. I stopped taking care of myself. I remember thinking that if I couldn’t be the best, why try at all? I kept this part of my life silent, never expressing these feelings to anyone. I did not want people to know how much I was struggling with my self-image. I suffered in silence at my own expense.

It wasn’t until this past year that I started gaining my confidence back. I decided I was tired of living in shame, and wanted to finally prioritize myself. I started focusing on what I could change: my mindset. This completely changed my life. I used to see others' photos and pick out what they had that I didn’t. Now, I see what others have, admire it, and then admire what I have as well. I cannot yet say that I am back to the confidence level I had as a child, but I am working my way up there. Growth is a process, and I am so glad to be on this journey.

Remember to be kind to yourself, no matter where you are in your self-love journey. You are worthy of love and respect, always. 🦋🕊"

 

@hudsonsfitness
📍Vancouver, British Columbia

"As a child, I remember being unapologetically confident. I never understood why anyone wouldn’t be. I felt as though everyone was unique, and should be appreciated as such. This attitude carried into my early teen years. It wasn’t until I reached the middle of high school when i first began comparing myself to others. This was detrimental to my mental and physical health. I started losing a lot of self-confidence; never feeling like I was enough.

There was always someone smarter, someone skinnier, someone happier. I stopped taking care of myself. I remember thinking that if I couldn’t be the best, why try at all? I kept this part of my life silent, never expressing these feelings to anyone. I did not want people to know how much I was struggling with my self-image. I suffered in silence at my own expense.

Growing up I was always body confident. I never once looked in the mirror and wished that I could change something about me. I was beautiful even with all my lumps, rolls, and stretch marks. That was until the body ideals of social media began to consume me. Day after day as I scrolled past stick thin swimsuit models, with small waists, skinny legs and big boobs, I began to question myself and my body. “Am I beautiful?” “Is my thigh fat normal?”.

I began to drop the weight, my life consumed with counting calories, working out, looking in the mirror to make sure I hadn’t gained a pound. For 2 years my life was overtaken by the idol that my body had become. Wasn’t working out supposed to be something that made me feel strong and happy? Wasn’t food supposed to be fuel and happiness? That’s when I decided to delete all social media, cover up my mirrors with paper, and delete all macro counting apps. This had to change. But things didn’t happen overnight. It took months of reminding myself the truth that I am beautiful, I am worthy, I am strong. Not because of that way my body looks, but because of who I am on the inside. I started focusing on feeling strong, eating to feel full and satisfied, and listening to my body because that is what being healthy and happy is truly about. I am going to be honest, there are still some days when my mind begins to tell me the lies of not being good enough. But immediately I push those lies away and replace them with truth “you are worthy, you are beautiful, you are strong”.

So for all you girls out there that ever hear those lies that tell you that you aren’t enough, YOU ARE ENOUGH. You are unique, you are kind, you are breathtaking. You are you. And you is beautiful."

 

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Thank you to these lovely ladies for sharing their stories with us! 💕

We hope these stories can resonate with you in some way, and show you that there’s light at the end of the tunnel. No matter what challenges you may face in life, big or small, remember that you are not alone!

Put yourself first and stay strong, you got this! 🙌

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If you have a story you would like to share, we'd love to hear it!

Please email us at media@vitaeapparel.com with your name, IG handle, location, a photo of yourself in Vitae, along with your story. Make the subject line "Share your story" so we don't miss it!

 

With love,