In the world of social media, the standard for beauty is perfection. Young girls grow up believing you have to be thin, with long, luscious hair, plump lips, a full bust and a sculpted backside to be beautiful. And aging? That seems to be a big no-no today. Women over 35 – especially women who have had children – are dreaming about the twenty-something body they once had because the world is constantly reminding them their aging body isn’t acceptable.

Women are bombarded with images of celebrities who depend on botox and fillers to slow down the effects of aging. Magazines feature seemingly flawless women at every age. “In this day and age, it’s totally common, normal and accepted for women in their 30s to get fillers and injectables. While some turn to these doctor-administered treatments to augment their features, others shell out big bucks for their age-reversing abilities,” say the experts at NewBeauty.com.

After bearing children, women are expected to bounce back to their pre-pregnancy bodies almost instantly.  “Fitmoms” are the sudden trend and women who are sporting the baby and the six-pack are what’s considered normal for new moms. There is no escape from body shaming as there is a constant stream of images on social media feeds on all devices reminding women that perfect is the new normal. But this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Self-love, self image and self-esteem are three terms that many women struggle with on a daily basis. Gaëlle Vuillaume is a professional photographer and conference speaker on body image and self-love. Her main mission is to capture women, with their imperfections, because she believes every woman is beautiful. “I think, as we age, it is sometimes difficult to get along with ourselves,” Vuillaume says. “The thing is we always see ourselves in the mirror with all our filters of self-hate and "not good enough", because we always want to be a better version of ourselves. And willing to be a better version of ourselves, it's ok. What is not ok is to take as a reference standards brought by the media. Nobody is a reference. We all have our struggles and our victories. We can be inspired by others, but we cannot blame ourselves for what we are not, for what we do not have. Our body, we have to embrace and accept it the way it is. It's ours. We have to love it unconditionally; this is the best beauty advice at any age.” 

Self-love is truly important to help nurture a positive self- image. Owning up to your imperfections and seeing and loving what is beautiful on a woman’s body is imperative to caring for an aging body. A healthy body is not a certain weight or size. Eating well and exercising is not only for self-care, but for good health. Self-love goes hand in hand with caring for oneself. Taking care of oneself, will allow any woman to feel better about herself and this is also the key to gaining self-confidence and feeling happier in your own skin.